# How to Read the IBEW Job Board



## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

Scale is the hourly wages on the check minus the assessment. Annuity and H&W are contributions directly into those funds, not deductions from wages.


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

*Prevailing Wage Formula*



LawnGuyLandSparky said:


> Scale is the hourly wages on the check minus the assessment. Annuity and H&W are contributions directly into those funds, not deductions from wages.


So in this example, in terms of "prevailing wages", where "Wages + Fringe Benefits = Total Wages",

Wage Rate Per Hour = $61.00 - 3.5% = $58.86
Fringe Benefits Per Hour = $14.50 + $14.32 = $28.82
Total Wages Per Hour = $58.86 + $28.82 = $87.65

Correct?


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

Like what he said^^^

$61 is what you see in the envelope. Your paycheck. Health and welfare (medical) annuity and pension are on top of the $61. They don’t even show up on my paystub. The hall has to keep an eye on that money to be sure it’s getting paid in. The contractor puts in weekly reports on hours. If there is a steward, he also checks the hours worked. 

The assessments are your working dues. The money paid to keep the lights on at the hall. For the longest time ours wasn’t deducted from our pay. We paid in monthly based on hours worked. Our local felt it was our responsibility, and one less payment a contractor could fall behind on. 

It has changed and is now deducted from my pay. It shows up on my paystub as a deduction like taxes etc...


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

DeterminedSparky said:


> So in this example, in terms of "prevailing wages", where "Wages + Fringe Benefits = Total Wages",
> 
> Wage Rate Per Hour = $61.00 - 3.5% = $58.86
> Fringe Benefits Per Hour = $14.50 + $14.32 = $28.82
> ...


Correct. In my local the fringe benefits are an extra 40% on top of the pay in the envelope. 


And I see you used quotes for Prevaling wage as an example. That’s good because the local’s wage isn’t necessarily the government set prevailing wage. And the area may have different prevailing wages based on the type of work. Like rehab work in low income housing may have a much lower prevailing wage. A union contractor many times is at a disadvantage on prevailing wage work.


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

HertzHound said:


> And I see you used quotes for Prevaling wage as an example. That’s good because the local’s wage isn’t necessarily the government set prevailing wage. And the area may have different prevailing wages based on the type of work. Like rehab work in low income housing may have a much lower prevailing wage. A union contractor many times is at a disadvantage on prevailing wage work.


Does that mean that the union often does not do or accept prevailing wage work?


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

*How Union Dues Are Paid*



HertzHound said:


> Like what he said^^^
> 
> $61 is what you see in the envelope. Your paycheck. Health and welfare (medical) annuity and pension are on top of the $61. They don’t even show up on my paystub. The hall has to keep an eye on that money to be sure it’s getting paid in. The contractor puts in weekly reports on hours. If there is a steward, he also checks the hours worked.
> 
> ...


I was wondering what assessments were. So union dues are not paid monthly regardless of whether you are working or not. It's all tied to a local's hourly wages and assessment fee. So if you're not getting money as a worker, then the union isn't getting money as an union either? Is that how that works?


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

DeterminedSparky said:


> I was wondering what assessments were. So union dues are not paid monthly regardless of whether you are working or not. It's all tied to a local's hourly wages and assessment fee. So if you're not getting money as a worker, then the union isn't getting money as an union either? Is that how that works?



Union dues are paid twice annually, separate from the assessment. Working or not.


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

*6 Month Dues vs. Assessments*



LawnGuyLandSparky said:


> Union dues are paid twice annually, separate from the assessment. Working or not.


Is that a fixed dollar amount that all union members pay every 6 months, whereas the assessment is a variable dollar amount paid every pay period (meaning it can vary from one member to another based on the hours they worked and the local it was in)?


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

The assements or working dues are paid an amount based on hours worked. That money is used by the local union to pay their bills and office salaries. If your not working, there is nothing to pay. 

There is the international dues also. That money goes to the international office. Some of it pays salaries. I think half goes towards the international pension. So some you get back in the form of an international pension. I pay my international dues quarterly. I think it’s around $125. Everyone from every local pays the same. Working or not.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

DeterminedSparky said:


> HertzHound said:
> 
> 
> > And I see you used quotes for Prevaling wage as an example. That’s good because the local’s wage isn’t necessarily the government set prevailing wage. And the area may have different prevailing wages based on the type of work. Like rehab work in low income housing may have a much lower prevailing wage. A union contractor many times is at a disadvantage on prevailing wage work.
> ...


It just means that any contractor can’t sell themselves or company. It’s strictly lowest responsible bid. 

Private jobs you can sell yourself. Show that you bring a better value even if the contract is higher. 

If the locals total wage package is higher than the prevailing wage for that area, it’s going to be harder to win bids. Someone here in Buisiness can probably explain it better. I think the way it works is that a company has to have a comparable package to the prevailing wage. It may not be an exact number. Say you have to provide health care. One company has a Cadillac plan and pays a lot, and one not so much. As long as the one company has a certain amount of coverage, that may be all they need?

Our local has two local pensions and an annuity. Maybe the other company has a retirement plan, but not as exspensive. That will also give them an advantage. I could be wrong but that’s how it was explained to me by a guy that was in Buisiness for quite a while before retiring. 

So the guy with the higher rate has to make it up on skill, efficiency, supervision, coordination, pre-fabrication and everything else you can think of.


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

Sometimes Google comes in handy :smile:...

What is the prevailing wage? https://www.govdocs.com/minimum-wage-and-its-counterparts/

If I am understanding it right, then the prevailing wage is like a minimum wage for tradesmen on construction projects that involve government funding. Some states have it, and some don't. 

https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/dollar.htm

Something that strikes me as interesting about it is that when looking at the details of it for each state, is that the states with prevailing wage protections seem to have the highest IBEW pay scales. On the other hand, it would appear states like Florida, and North Carolina (which is where I live) have some of the lowest pay scales, and I wonder if the absence of a prevailing wage law in those states has anything to do with it.


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## DeterminedSparky (Mar 14, 2019)

*How to Understand The Books*

Book 1 is for a local's home members, and Book 2 is for a local's out of town travelers, right? Is there a such thing as a Book 3, or is it just Book 1 and Book 2? And it's Book 1 members get work before Book 2 does, and within each book, it is first come first serve, or in the order in which the names are listed, right? And Book Status can range from "Not At All", to "Slow", to "Promising"?

Are non-union journeyman allowed to sign either of the books?


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

DeterminedSparky said:


> Does that mean that the union often does not do or accept prevailing wage work?


We bid them and we win them but we make less profit.
I've seen all kinds of schemes the rodents use to work around paying their employees a living wage. 
Bottom line is we get a project and hope we can get some change orders to break even. Our competition wins one and he buys a new boat, his wife a Porsche and his girlfriend a boob job.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

DeterminedSparky said:


> Book 1 is for a local's home members, and Book 2 is for a local's out of town travelers, right? Is there a such thing as a Book 3, or is it just Book 1 and Book 2? And it's Book 1 members get work before Book 2 does, and within each book, it is first come first serve, or in the order in which the names are listed, right? And Book Status can range from "Not At All", to "Slow", to "Promising"?
> 
> Are non-union journeyman allowed to sign either of the books?


Do a search in the Union section for book system. 

https://www.electriciantalk.com/f26/union-books-227897/

There is a lot there. 

When you go back you sign after the last person. You move up the list as guys ahead of you go to work. There are many reasons but the call for man power can go way back in the list. So you may go to work ahead of someone in front of you. 

Book 3 is for non-members living inside the locals territory. Book 4 is for non-members living outside the locals territory. 

Traveling is mentioned a lot on here. My state has 21 counties and 6 locals. In the past I think there was like 18 locals. So traveling is usually just to the next county or two. Of all the people in my local probably 90% never left the state. Sometimes traveling can be a shorter commute than working in your own territory. If you can travel away from traffic even better. I’ve worked out of the territory, but for a local contractor. Not really the same thing. I’ve never signed another locals out of work book, but I have signed into their territory.


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