# Union Residential Workers



## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

I don't see how a contractor could make money being union resi. It's hard enough as it is not being able to pay the guys what they are worth without being forced into health, retirement, etc costs!


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

We have an "R" division they seldom do residential, though they do apartments and condos and tenant office buildouts.


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## AJP3035 (Jan 11, 2018)

brian john said:


> We have an "R" division they seldom do residential, though they do apartments and condos and tenant office buildouts.


 how steady is the work for the unions residential program?


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

The residential market is so cut-throat, cut cost, and the only way to win bids is to undercut yourself, and hire illegals. It's a race to the bottom, and there's a reason union shops stay away from it at all costs. No mon, no fun.
Over the years, I've learned to despise residential work.


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

joebanana said:


> The residential market is so cut-throat, cut cost, and the only way to win bids is to undercut yourself, and hire illegals. It's a *race to the bottom, *and there's a reason union shops stay away from it at all costs. No mon, no fun.
> Over the years, I've learned to despise residential work.


Sad but true.


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

Lots of union ressi EC's up here. Both in condo's and housing.

There is a different licence in Ontario for ressi as well. The commercial licence can do both.

Commercial rates are a little higher but the ressi guys work more hours in a week so it ends up about the same. Commercial = 36 hrs Ressi = 40 hours


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

AJP3035 said:


> how steady is the work for the unions residential program?


As steady as anything in the construction market. AROUND HERE


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## The_Modifier (Oct 24, 2009)

AJP3035 said:


> I was wondering how Union Residential Jobs work.


They have union members that work? :vs_laugh::vs_laugh::vs_laugh:

IBTL!:devil3:


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## ralpha494 (Oct 29, 2008)

There's 3 union contractors in Milwaukee willing to pay over scale for residential wiremen. One has been looking for at least two months. The other two not as long, but all three calls are reposts (they didn't fill them). 





Just sayin'


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

ralpha494 said:


> There's 3 union contractors in Milwaukee willing to pay over scale for residential wiremen. One has been looking for at least two months. The other two not as long, but all three calls are reposts (they didn't fill them).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Then the local is missing the boat of recruiting open shop men to fill the calls


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## Switchgear277 (Mar 18, 2017)

Our local has residential contractors 
Same pay scale and (a) members as industrial wrk .

The union usually helps the contractor out by just letting have apprentices on his jobs to keep cost down and they will wrk with em 

If the territory is union strong it shouldn’t be a prob having a good resi decision


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

joebanana said:


> The residential market is so cut-throat, cut cost, and the only way to win bids is to undercut yourself, and hire illegals. It's a race to the bottom, and there's a reason union shops stay away from it at all costs. No mon, no fun.
> Over the years, I've learned to despise residential work.


We've got an inspector here that shuts that **** down. He can't wait to tell me about his latest busts when I see him! He get them on unregistered apprentice, $1000*/day/man* until they get that orange card.

You have to be a natural born citizen or legal immigrant, there's a citizenship form you have to have notarized with your application. Although I'm certain many secretary wives just rubber stamp the thing, forged notary or not, the CIB takes at least a week to process the thing.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

matt1124 said:


> We've got an inspector here that shuts that **** down. He can't wait to tell me about his latest busts when I see him! He get them on unregistered apprentice, $1000*/day/man* until they get that orange card.
> 
> You have to be a natural born citizen or legal immigrant, there's a citizenship form you have to have notarized with your application. Although I'm certain many secretary wives just rubber stamp the thing, forged notary or not, the CIB takes at least a week to process the thing.


 So, this inspector goes around carding electrician's on the job? That's not his department.
Illegal's know how to work the system, they buy their documentation from Mexican government offices before they leave there. And employers know how to get around the certifications too. Under the table.
Here, the DIR/DAS doesn't have the manpower to enforce the regulation, so they don't. Ca. rakes in millions of dollars a year for new applicants, and renewals, that's all they care about is the revenue. Figure they charge $100 to take a computer generated exam, and $75 for the application process. So, that's about $170 profit per cert.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

joebanana said:


> So, this inspector goes around carding electrician's on the job? That's not his department.


Varies state to state here it is their department.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

brian john said:


> Varies state to state here it is their department.


 So, what governmental body imposes the state certification if there's no Department of Industrial Relations? And who administers the exam, and collects the booty (fee's)? The building department? The state license board? What department handles enforcement, violations, levels and collects fines, and handles arbitration? The building/electrical inspectors? Don't you guy's have a "Master"(as opposed to "contractor") classification, along with apprentice and JW, classification?
How has your states required certification reduced property loss, and loss of life in residential fires? I can't seem to be able to gather the statistics for Cali. Even though it was sold to the public as the end all for residential electrical fires. But, kitchen fires are the #1 cause of property damage due to fire.


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## lighterup (Jun 14, 2013)

ralpha494 said:


> There's 3 union contractors in Milwaukee willing to pay over scale for residential wiremen. One has been looking for at least two months. The other two not as long, but all three calls are reposts (they didn't fill them).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've had this discussion about "Wiremen" classification vs 
"Journeymen" classification. 2 different pay scales here.
"Wireman" could not go on commercial jobs either.

I was in the Mentor Ohio IBEW local as a "Wireman" , while
I waited for the J-man apprenticeship slot to open up many
tears ago.

Is it 2 different type jobs in Wisconsin as well?


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

joebanana said:


> So, this inspector goes around carding electrician's on the job? That's not his department.
> Illegal's know how to work the system, they buy their documentation from Mexican government offices before they leave there. And employers know how to get around the certifications too. Under the table.
> Here, the DIR/DAS doesn't have the manpower to enforce the regulation, so they don't. Ca. rakes in millions of dollars a year for new applicants, and renewals, that's all they care about is the revenue. Figure they charge $100 to take a computer generated exam, and $75 for the application process. So, that's about $170 profit per cert.





joebanana said:


> So, what governmental body imposes the state certification if there's no Department of Industrial Relations? And who administers the exam, and collects the booty (fee's)? The building department? The state license board? What department handles enforcement, violations, levels and collects fines, and handles arbitration? The building/electrical inspectors? Don't you guy's have a "Master"(as opposed to "contractor") classification, along with apprentice and JW, classification?
> How has your states required certification reduced property loss, and loss of life in residential fires? I can't seem to be able to gather the statistics for Cali. Even though it was sold to the public as the end all for residential electrical fires. But, kitchen fires are the #1 cause of property damage due to fire.


You've gone full WhackWork. You should never go full WhackWork.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

The Latin Builders Association took care of that problem in Florida.
They gutted the licensing laws.
Now, if you are a state certified electrical contractor, you do not have to have a single licensed person on staff or in the field. Not. A. Single. One.

If you are set up as a county licensed contractor, an ER, you have to follow the rules of that county, not all counties issue journeyman cards. 
Really sucks for our trade.


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## ralpha494 (Oct 29, 2008)

lighterup said:


> I've had this discussion about "Wiremen" classification vs
> "Journeymen" classification. 2 different pay scales here.
> "Wireman" could not go on commercial jobs either.
> 
> ...





The state has 10 different electrical classifications and the union has 5: CW, EW, Sound & Comm, Residential Wireman & Journeyman Wireman. I believe the JW can work on any (at that pay scale). 



The whole thing is a can of worms I didn't have to get into.


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