# Where do you think the IBEW will be in 20 yrs?



## Hire me please (Jul 15, 2010)

Hey guys, what would you say is the status of the IBEW? Is now a good time to get in? (Do they at least have a good foothold in NYC? Hopefully as far as the elevator division especially..) 

I'm about to give up a solid business job/career with great pay, growth and job security... If I do go forward with the IBEW, I want to be as sure as I can that I will be working in 10-20 years when I have real responsibilities... i just want to make the best decision for my future because once I start, I don't plan to give up. Thanks for any input.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I think that after December something or other, 2012, it won't be around any more. At least that is what the funny sounding fellow on Coast to Coast AM says...........


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## Hire me please (Jul 15, 2010)

fair enough, what would you say if we assumed the world wasn't going to end in 2012?


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## Hire me please (Jul 15, 2010)

in all seriousness though, this decision i have to make is going to drastically change my path through life.. so.. yeah... honest opinions would be great


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Hire me please said:


> fair enough, what would you say if we assumed the world wasn't going to end in 2012?


Then I would say if my kid doesn't go to college to become a Wall Street Banker or head of the Federal Reserve Bank, I hope he at least gets into 1186. He meets the 1186 qualifications pretty well.


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## Mr Rewire (Jan 15, 2011)

20 years ago who would have thought that the BEW would be down to 7% of the market and that we would have thousands sitting on the bench. Unless something happens the IBEW will soon be an insignificant part of the market.


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## Rick567 (Mar 3, 2011)

Up here in the great state of Maine, the IBEW has employed me for the last 18 years. Being from such a rural area there has been a lot of traveling but I have made a very good living and have a nice nest egg when a I retire. The contractors will be the same, you will have some good and some bad ones to work for. The thing I like the best is the benefits all stay the same when I rotate contractors.


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

You are absolutely insane to consider leaving a good paying stable career to do go into any construction field. After six years any glamor it held for you will be gone. You'll have injuries. You'll realize your co-workers are morons. You might not be working. Could be laid off for years on end.


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## Loose Neutral (Jun 3, 2009)

I like the part about your co workers.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Hire me please said:


> Hey guys, what would you say is the status of the IBEW? Is now a good time to get in? (Do they at least have a good foothold in NYC? Hopefully as far as the elevator division especially..)
> 
> I'm about to give up a solid business job/career with great pay, growth and job security... If I do go forward with the IBEW, I want to be as sure as I can that I will be working in 10-20 years when I have real responsibilities... i just want to make the best decision for my future because once I start, I don't plan to give up. Thanks for any input.


Unfortunately people are a bit more sheepish these days and will just take what is handed to them and just think of themselves in the moment. People used to sacrifice and work hard for themselves and others and saw the greater good and the value of investing in educating the next and up and coming tradesmen and planned for the future of the contractors and also their families by establishing solid wages and benefits which include a pension as part of their earnings.
Being part of something greater than yourself was a virtuous thing then. It is no longer of any value.
Now we are bringing up the "me generation". I think that generation has lost that united team spirit edge and hope the next generation sees how far tradesmen can get beat down when they are so short sighted.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Just my opinion, but here goes. Unions are great when they do what the original intention was..."PROTECT WORKER'S RIGHTS". I have always been a UNION person, and probably always will, but I am realistic. If the PIE is smaller, you usually get a smaller piece of it. To demand an even larger piece when the pie is getting smaller due to a stagnant economy seems to me to be not a smart thing to do. Workers have a right to expect to be treated with dignity and to receive a fair wage, as negotiated by their bargaining agents. They do NOT, have the right to expect that they can continue to demand more money when it is not available in their industry.


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## randy.wagner (Jun 21, 2011)

The IBEW may or may not still be around in twenty.

However, EC's and the same people will still be around in full force.

Hire, don't be in it for the glory, it's just a job. If you want job satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment, look elsewhere. There's no room for glory in the bid.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

Interesting insight but the hard work and feeling of ownership and accomplishment are a huge part of productivity and = dollars for the contractor taking the risk. 
Bringing a project in ahead of schedule and under budget is something an aspiring PM's career would benefit from.:thumbsup:


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

randy.wagner said:


> don't be in it for the glory, it's just a job. If you want job satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment, look elsewhere.


This folks, is what is called "turd in the punchbowl management"


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

If I had the insight to tell you where the IBEW will be in 20 years, I’d be on a Wall Street forum not ET.

Who knows attitudes may change and the IBEW might be stronger than ever or they could be totally in the dumps with less that 5% market share, then again they might be right were we are now.


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## Frank Mc (Nov 7, 2010)

RIVETER said:


> Just my opinion, but here goes. Unions are great when they do what the original intention was..."PROTECT WORKER'S RIGHTS". I have always been a UNION person, and probably always will, but I am realistic. If the PIE is smaller, you usually get a smaller piece of it. To demand an even larger piece when the pie is getting smaller due to a stagnant economy seems to me to be not a smart thing to do. Workers have a right to expect to be treated with dignity and to receive a fair wage, as negotiated by their bargaining agents. They do NOT, have the right to expect that they can continue to demand more money when it is not available in their industry.


Hi Riveter

I agree with what your saying ..But it must be a hard pill to swallow when you hear about the guys from the big end of town who run a corporation into the ground and get a golden handshake for doing so.... Doing a downturn everyone must tighten their belt not just the working class....

Frank


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## MattMc (May 30, 2011)

I think if you leave that position you are likely going to be dissapointed. Unless you get to be a shop steady you are likely to ride the bench alot. I am not against the union, but it sounds like you have it pretty good where you are and if it's a steady job keep it your family comes first and they should outweigh the risks of starting off fresh. Just my opinion. The road you are already on sounds safer to me. Sometimes when you are just seeing dollar signs you forget what's important.
Good luck with whatever you chose.


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## Rick82 (Jun 21, 2011)

In ten years, the IBEW will be extinct. I called them about an opening on their website and they said I could get on a list behind 200 other fellers.


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## Englishsparky (Nov 6, 2010)

Rick82 said:


> In ten years, the IBEW will be extinct. I called them about an opening on their website and they said I could get on a list behind 200 other fellers.


Don't be saying that Rick, I've just joined:whistling2:


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## Rick82 (Jun 21, 2011)

Are you working? I read a lot of sad stories about guys making good money when they are not sitting on a park bench.


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## The Lightman (Jan 9, 2010)

Rick82 said:


> In ten years, the IBEW will be extinct. I called them about an opening on their website and they said I could get on a list behind 200 other fellers.


The union is not very strong here, unfortunately.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Frank Mc said:


> Hi Riveter
> 
> I agree with what your saying ..But it must be a hard pill to swallow when you hear about the guys from the big end of town who run a corporation into the ground and get a golden handshake for doing so.... Doing a downturn everyone must tighten their belt not just the working class....
> 
> Frank


Thanks, for the partial agreement...at least. It would be hard to reign in the salaries, perks of the "Big Wigs", but it is doable, BUT, not without a UNION. You do need someone not involved with the daily production to make your case. They need to investigate the records of the companies to see if they are really losing money...or not. Then, they can negotiate for you with the proper information that they have received. To just demand More...More...More is not the way to do it.


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## al13nw4r3LC76 (Apr 6, 2009)

I've spent a decent amount of time off and it's starting to get frustrating. This is as an apprentice. I am grateful that I'm not on the Journeyman list right at the moment as they are looking at about 9-12 month wait.

I love the work but I hate being unemployed. If you do choose to enter the trade keep in mind there may be a lot of Feast then famine situations.
Also SAVE SAVE SAVE money. There are a lot of guys that go out and buy a bunch of toys when they are working... they end up in a tough spot when work goes down the drain.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I'm not psychic, but I think it's fair to say that there will always be some work that "belongs" to the IBEW. The market share may increase or decrease a bit as the years progress, but too many other options have filled the vacuum left by the shrinkage of their market share for substantial recovery.

In the end, think of it for what it is... a temporary service for electricians. You work when there's work, and you don't when there isn't.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

> a solid business job/career with great pay, growth and job security


There are a lot of people looking for what you got. I think the IBEW will always be around in some form. And I hope that includes me I still have 22 years to retirement (65) the good lord willing. When you look at the way it set up you wonder why it would not be here, other than being priced out of the market. I don't know what the market share is in NY. They have a lot of members but there is a huge population. It has got to be the number one spot for immigration around the world and that usually brings lower wages and benefits that the union can't compete with. The outcome is going to be different for everyone and even with attitude, skill, and knowledge, steady employment may also include luck.


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## Hire me please (Jul 15, 2010)

thanks for all the responses guys, and keep em coming if you have anything to add... so much to think about... at this point I feel i just need to make a pro and con list and take a deep breath and make a decision..

just the idea of learning a trade, learning something useful, and to have pride in what I do and accomplish daily is big for me.. but having a stable career and consistent growth is just as important...


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Hire me please said:


> .. but having a stable career and consistent growth is just as important...


There are very few jobs in the market today that will offer that security. The days of our grandfathers and fathers going to work for a firm at 18 and retiring from the same firm with a gold watch 47 years later are long gone.


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## Hire me please (Jul 15, 2010)

thats true.. but I'm not sure I'd even want to stay in one place my whole life anyway.. not that that would be a bad thing though... ideally I'd like to be consistently working, gaining experience/knowledge with whatever I do and move if I see a good opportunity


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

Elevator jobs are always going to be there. The Big projects need the Big contractors that are Union.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Bring back " Union made" , " IBEW " light fixtures. seems they have become a thing of the past.


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## MattMc (May 30, 2011)

I think that from the amount of guys in canada who have either left the union, or are looking for or gotten non union jobs because they are tired of not working steadily. The union is good for what it is good for. The get nice jobs, they get big jobs, they get alot of industrial jobs, you make more money there when you are working. However to get in good with a company isn't easy. There will always be ibew as far as I can say and non union shops will always compete. If you have a good steady non union place that treats you well and has some room to grow, that in my eyes is probably the better deal.


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## steelersman (Mar 15, 2009)

In the dumpster probably....


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I think in 20 years they'll probably still be at:

900 Seventh Street, N.W., 
Washington, DC 20001



Shockdoc said:


> Bring back " Union made" , " IBEW " light fixtures. seems they have become a thing of the past.


I just installed a bunch of them. Lightolier commercial cans, I think. They had a sticker that said "IBEW Union Made in USA" or some such.


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## Island Electric (May 9, 2011)

It was the best part time job I ever had:thumbup:

When the contractors want it to end thats when it will end. They can easily be an open shop if they were forced to.
My bet some of the union guys would jump ship in a NY minute. :surrender:


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

Working with other trades is neat. Marshall Elevator has been around since after the Civil war.They powered their lifts by water pressure.Then Shiendler became a big player. Otis Elevator isn't around anymore,maybe because of it's name?


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## steelersman (Mar 15, 2009)

bobelectric said:


> Otis Elevator isn't around anymore,maybe because of it's name?



Otis elevator is around in these parts. I see their trucks from time to time and about 10 years ago they installed the elevators in a high rise condo job I was wiring.


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