# How common is it to work year round?



## henderson14 (Oct 23, 2010)

Before the economy crashed, and this year on, how common would you say it is to work 2080 hours a year or more?


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

henderson14 said:


> Before the economy crashed, and this year on, how common would you say it is to work 2080 hours a year or more?


It was normal back then, if you were not working, it was because you did not want to.


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## OaklandElec (Jan 4, 2011)

80% non-union, 20% union


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## henderson14 (Oct 23, 2010)

OaklandElec said:


> 80% non-union, 20% union


FIgures. Sounds like years pay basically averages out to the same for union and non.


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Over my thirty years I average about 1800 a year. Last year however I got in 2500+ and this year is looking the same.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

When I took calls out of the hall I always worked 2000+ hours.
Now, I work for myself and cringe at the idea of working 1000 hours. I'm trying to get it to about 500 hours.:thumbup:


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

44 years missed a day,

as an owner that may seem to skew the results but all my employees get 40+ and have for the 30 years I have been in business.

In the DC area hazarding a guess I'd say 90% get 40 and more year after year with a few bad years mixed in


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## danhasenauer (Jun 10, 2009)

The more stuff you know how to do, the more you will be working. I have worked 2000+ hours for the last few years continuously with no let-up in sight.


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## cabletie (Feb 12, 2011)

I got in late 1988 I really only had one bad year. That was '91, only worked six months. That was also the year that I worked for a different contractor. I took a two week short call with them and then got picked up again by the contractor that I was first sent to. 

The recession leaned the company, and had me wondering if I was next. I made it through and did not miss any time. Things have picked up. They are back to pre-recession levels. 

I don't get any overtime, they just hire more or put on another shift. So with the seven unpaid holidays and taking some long weekends, it puts me at around 2000 hours. 

I never got rotated when I was an apprentice. I came in as B guy and did my five years. Then when I changed over and was in classes with the A apprentices, I was still a B guy, and they don't get rotated. I was technically "taking a course that would eventually lead to a Change of classification". Some would say my new classification is Re-tread, and if I was not on the Mobil version of this site I could throw in the laughing emoticon. 

As a Residential Re-tread I am in good company. At least half the local has come in this way. LU 400.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

40 a week, no overtime, 52 weeks year, all federal holidays, 2 weeks vacation. I'm happy.


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## Bootss (Dec 30, 2011)

drsparky said:


> 40 a week, no overtime, 52 weeks year, all federal holidays, 2 weeks vacation. I'm happy.


I had a chance to work for the feds at Naval Air Station in the seventies.Closed the station down and everybody got a big fat golden handshake/retraining.


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## blueheels2 (Apr 22, 2009)

I've been in the union for 2 years and I have had 5 weeks of downtime.


SHould add this is all with the same contractor.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

I haven't had any real downtime since 2002. This year doesn't look good though.


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

The company I work for has been in business for 40 years. We're a tier 1 automotive supplier; when GM and Chrysler went bankrupt we had the first ever layoff in the history of the company. I've been with the company for 17 years, and I've worked 2000+ hrs/yr every year.
.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I worked for 15 years in the union and never missed more than 2 weeks. It doesn't matter how slow things are at the hall, if you are hooked up with a contractor you will work full time.

Even during really rough times when my local had 600-700 men out of work and the wait was 2 years, there was still the other 3,000 men who were working. 

If you're a good worker the company will want to take you with them to the next job instead of taking their chances with someone new from the hall. This goes against what some union members think the union is about, but ultimately you joined the union *for yourself*.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

HackWork said:


> I
> 
> If you're a good worker the company will want to take you with them to the next job instead of taking their chances with someone new from the hall. This goes against what some union members think the union is about, but ultimately you joined the union *for yourself*.


here are men that will always be first to the bench, union lawyers, lazy bums and trouble makers. then there are guys that only want short calls with OT.

Be knowledgable and a good worker can minimize the down time.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

C'mon Hax.. there are many who have us believe that if you work all year round with a signatory shop then you're a rat or scum of some sort. Simply because we are all a brotherhood and we should only work long enough to get unemployment insurance (or whatever its called in the US) then step aside and let another brother/sister have their turn.:laughing:

What a wonderful little fairy tale world that is. I can imagine one of my crew stepping aside to let the next guy on the list come to work. I would close the doors and shut it down......I would be driven to the brink of insanity by the lazy slobs who are next on the list and just when that guy got his time in.....the next one would probably be worse.:no:


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

Rollie73 said:


> What a wonderful little fairy tale world that is. I can imagine one of my crew stepping aside to let the next guy on the list come to work. I would close the doors and shut it down......I would be driven to the brink of insanity by the lazy slobs who are next on the list and just when that guy got his time in.....the next one would probably be worse.:no:


We have some out of town work and we have gotten the some excellent hard working IBEW members. Always a worry, always a crap shoot but I guess we have been lucky.

NYC we had a few wouldn't work, wouldn't help, just got in the way and wanted to go home early, so I paid them to get out of our way. They were happy, I got the job done and went home with a real good impression of those mothers, I mean brothers.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

You're right bad one. There a lot of good members still out there. It seems that my local alone is full of those bad members that I mentioned. All the good ones are working or travelling away.


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Not to start an argument but it is a little of both. I am pretty settled in my life and if one of my younger brothers needed the work more, I would step aside, as folks did for me in the past when I truly needed the work.

Yes you work for yourself first, but you don't work for yourself exclusively. The benefits of working with a collective go beyond simple dollars.

I understand that is a difficult concept to wrap your head around as a non union worker however the better the whole of the group is doing, the better I as an individual will be doing.

Yes, there are crappy electricians out there, and nepotism and folks who will stab you in the back to keep their jobs - that is common in both union and non union shops. All you can do is work as well as you can and treat folks fairly.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

eejack said:


> Over my thirty years I average about 1800 a year. Last year however I got in 2500+ and this year is looking the same.





eejack said:


> Not to start an argument but it is a little of both. I am pretty settled in my life and if one of my younger brothers needed the work more, *I would step aside*, as folks did for me in the past when I truly needed the work.


 
Yep.....1800 to 2500 hrs a year sounds like you step aside a lot.


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Rollie73 said:


> Yep.....1800 to 2500 hrs a year sounds like you step aside a lot.


Over thirty years I have probably done it a handful of times. My local has been getting busy...last year and this year will be good years for me. It will make up for 2010/11

2500 in 2014
1700 in 2013
1500 in 2012
500 in 2011
40 in 2010
2200 in 2009
1600 in 2008
2300 in 2007


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

eejack said:


> Not to start an argument but it is a little of both. I am pretty settled in my life and if one of my younger brothers needed the work more, I would step aside, as folks did for me in the past when I truly needed the work.
> 
> Yes you work for yourself first, but you don't work for yourself exclusively. The benefits of working with a collective go beyond simple dollars.
> 
> ...


I see your point and I think you said it in a reasonable way.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Rollie73 said:


> Yep.....1800 to 2500 hrs a year sounds like you step aside a lot.


His local did VERY well for many years, even during many of the bad times. 164 guys are all rich bastards :laughing:

I am a member of his sister local but I spent the majority of my career in his territory because there was lots of work.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

eejack said:


> N
> I understand that is a difficult concept to wrap your head around as a non union worker however the better the whole of the group is doing, the better I as an individual will be doing.
> 
> Yes, there are crappy electricians out there, and nepotism and folks who will stab you in the back to keep their jobs - that is common in both union and non union shops. All you can do is work as well as you can and treat folks fairly.


I understand your stand but could never get beyond my need to pay bills.

As for the crappy electrician I had there maybe 10,000 good JWs in that local but I got stuck with the one with a crappy attitude. Happens

For southerners it just seemed so expected from NYC.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

I wish I was a rich bastard instead of a cranky poor bastard:laughing:


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

Rollie73 said:


> I wish I was a rich bastard instead of a cranky poor bastard:laughing:


I just went to my uncles funeral, my fathers younger brother 89 years old. He worked his ass off for his whole life to support his family of 7 kids. He never complained working 2-3 jobs and considered himself rich from all his family and friends.

Yesterday In Whitman Mass. if you could have seen the gathering of people from age 1-90 to send him off you will know rich has more to do with how you live and are respected than money.


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## Rollie73 (Sep 19, 2010)

While I agree with you, BadElectrician.....I just want to be rich for a week or two. This working my ass off to give my family a good life gets old sometimes. This is just one of those days:laughing:


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## btharmy (Jan 17, 2009)

henderson14 said:


> Before the economy crashed, and this year on, how common would you say it is to work 2080 hours a year or more?


I just got my 20 years of service pin from the IBEW. During those 20 years, I have missed exactly 4 weeks that I didn't want to. I sat at home with the promise that I was in line to run a gas station remodel as soon as they broke ground.


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## markbrady (Jun 2, 2014)

henderson14 said:


> Before the economy crashed, and this year on, how common would you say it is to work 2080 hours a year or more?


usually the norm is anywhere from 1800 to a little over 2000. Mainly depends on overtime or not


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## Phatstax (Feb 16, 2014)

btharmy said:


> henderson14 said:
> 
> 
> > Before the economy crashed, and this year on, how common would you say it is to work 2080 hours a year or more?
> ...


And I'm sure it's because no one else could ever do the quality of work you do. Don't you see you were played by your contractor? All that time you did them a great job and when the times were tight you went home and sat on your ass until they could put you to work again. Well, good job! At least you didn't have to sign the book again and wait your turn for a job like the rest of the hall trash.


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## jimmy21 (Mar 31, 2012)

HackWork said:


> I worked for 15 years in the union and never missed more than 2 weeks. It doesn't matter how slow things are at the hall, if you are hooked up with a contractor you will work full time.
> 
> Even during really rough times when my local had 600-700 men out of work and the wait was 2 years, there was still the other 3,000 men who were working.
> 
> If you're a good worker the company will want to take you with them to the next job instead of taking their chances with someone new from the hall. This goes against what some union members think the union is about, but ultimately you joined the union *for yourself*.


I disagree. It seems to be more about who you know


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

jimmy21 said:


> I disagree. It seems to be more about who you know


Jimmy, I think that is true to a certain extent. I also believe it is more to do with how the local is operated. I have worked with some locals and the men tell you it is strictly by the books get in line and wait your turn, others are managed at the whim of the officers and they take care of their inner circle.

Much like life in general there is good, bad and ugly.


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## NC Plc (Mar 24, 2014)

I work 2600-3000 hours a year, but I am not in a union and I just came into here to see how unions work. It's interesting to see how easy some of you union guys have it, I work in a Right to Work (for less) state.

I could not handle working less than 40hr a week for a year, it gives me cabin fever to be inside all day everyday.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

NC Plc said:


> I work 2600-3000 hours a year, but I am not in a union and I just came into here to see how unions work. It's interesting to see how easy some of you union guys have it,* I work in a Right to Work (for less) state.
> *
> I could not handle working less than 40hr a week for a year, it gives me cabin fever to be inside all day everyday.


I am so sick of hearing this.
1. I live in a right to work state and my employees make a good living.
2. The cost of living is lower in NC.
3. Join a union
4. Freaking move, if you don't like it.

Three easy concepts four if you are counting


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Bad Electrician said:


> I am so sick of hearing this.
> 1. I live in a right to work state and my employees make a good living.
> 2. The cost of living is lower in NC.
> 3. Join a union
> ...


I used to live in NC, beautiful place to live, nice folks, the Great Smokies...

And I am sure you treat your employees well and for the area they make a good living.

Sure, it seems like it would be cheaper to live because wages are dirt low.

But is it really?

Where I used to live ( asheville )...5% higher than the national average
http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/North-Carolina-Asheville

How about Durham...5% lower than the national average
http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator/North-Carolina-Durham

Now compared to NJ, certainly it is cheaper to live. 19% cheaper.

But do you make less than 19% less?

http://www.jade1.com/newsletter/2012/04/ElectricianWages.php?hp=FL
old 2010 data but....
NJ $60,800
NC $36,800

It might be worth a premium to live in the Smokies...but that is a heck of a premium.


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## Bad Electrician (May 20, 2014)

eejack said:


> I used to live in NC, beautiful place to live, nice folks, the Great Smokies...
> 
> And I am sure you treat your employees well and for the area they make a good living.
> 
> ...


People are moving to NC, the population is on the increase and I do not think people move to NJ BY CHOICE.

Just saying


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

Bad Electrician said:


> People are moving to NC, the population is on the increase and I do not think people move to NJ BY CHOICE.
> 
> Just saying


Perhaps - NJ grew by 1.66% compared to NC 4.28% and considering they have about the same birth rates that is almost entirely a difference in relocated folks.


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## NC Plc (Mar 24, 2014)

Bad Electrician said:


> I am so sick of hearing this.
> 1. I live in a right to work state and my employees make a good living.
> 2. The cost of living is lower in NC.
> 3. Join a union
> ...


1) That is wonderful but sadly I do not consider $45,000, the average wage of a journeyman electrician in NC, a good wage. The entire reason I am so focused on controls engineering and PLC programming is because of how poorly electricians are paid. My electrical license is simply to broaden the amount of controls and plc work I will be qualified to do.

2) Not in all areas of NC so your statement is invalid. In some areas and cities in NC the cost of living is quite high compared to the average wage.

3) I would make less than I currently am making if I quit where I am currently working and joined a union. Also, I would not have such a heavy focus on controls and Plc programming in a union, and I believe I would lose all my apprenticeship hours.

4) Umm. First, if I move to another state my apprenticeship hours are not going to carry over. Secondly, I love living where I live. I just find it terrible that the wages here are so low compared to other states and some other countries that have very strong unions.

Also I am laughing at the whole "if you don't like it MOVE" mentality as though it is that simple for some people. When the wages are iffy and the cost of living is high moving is typically a very difficult thing to do.


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

NC Plc said:


> Also I am laughing at the whole "if you don't like it MOVE" mentality as though it is that simple for some people. When the wages are iffy and the cost of living is high moving is typically a very difficult thing to do.


I can imagine it is difficult to move into a more affluent area - heck, I plan on retiring someplace like NC so my money is worth more - gotta be tough to go the other way.


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