Trades Members. Chime in.

[Skillatron]

I feel that at one point for about 3 years it was 7/10's plus pre shift of 4 hours if you wanted it making it a 14 hour day.
My boys were to young to remember and it was great while they were young.

I have a trooper for a wife and we got along great during those times LOL... But I realized that being in the rut sort of speak with OT was ok if you need the cash a lot of it was mandatory 7/10's, but I also remember taking a 2-4 day little time off would ruin you as far as going back to the rut of OT. if you take time off from the OT grind you just start to see things in a different way and want to slow down and quit the grind.

I’m going back to work this coming week after taking a month off for paid family leave with my newest son. I’m looking forward to getting back to the grind. Fortunately I’m with a great company who has a lot of work available.

But I can also understand working a lot and getting yourself set up in life to where you could take a job for the city or school district or something of the sort that might make a little less but will be secure.

 

[Striker777]

I’m going back to work this coming week after taking a month off for paid family leave with my newest son. I’m looking forward to getting back to the grind. Fortunately I’m with a great company who has a lot of work available.

But I can also understand working a lot and getting yourself set up in life to where you could take a job for the city or school district or something of the sort that might make a little less but will be secure.

I liked the OT grind personally, things are great if you love your'e job I did and remember money was really no object it seemed. Everyday things if it was filling up the tank ,coffee every morning at the cafe, lunches ,dinners a 20.00 dollar bill seemed to be nothing it was a daily routine. the wife was happy always going to the stores shopping having nice clothes all the time new car a nice checking account socking money in to the savings account,401k etc.
now that you have a new son on board (congratulations) that will drive you and make the things in life great.

 

[dummykid]

I feel that at one point for about 3 years it was 7/10's plus pre shift of 4 hours if you wanted it making it a 14 hour day.
My boys were to young to remember and it was great while they were young.

I have a trooper for a wife and we got along great during those times LOL... But I realized that being in the rut sort of speak with OT was ok if you need the cash a lot of it was mandatory 7/10's, but I also remember taking a 2-4 day little time off would ruin you as far as going back to the rut of OT. if you take time off from the OT grind you just start to see things in a different way and want to slow down and quit the grind.

True — there are both good and bad sides. I think IBEW 1245 is very well structured and really looks out for its members. (I’m not part of IBEW 1245 myself, but I belong to another union.) During COVID, all members under IBEW 1245 received a 50% pay increase, and eventually, many of the field personnel transitioned into management roles to gain better work-life balance — since management positions are non-union.

On a side note, when a contractor (IBEW 1245 as well) told me his weekly take-home pay was around $8,000 (after tax), I was like, WTF that’s a lot of money!

 

[9mmContagion]

I had no problem with finding work because like you said "Trades work will only get you as far as you're willing to go."
I worked more OT than I did spending time with my family. Straight slaving for the dollars. There's another world outside the IBEW and construction. Now, I make a little bit less and have more time for myself and my family. You can't put a price tag for peace.

Amen to that, brother! My super always asks me to work OT. I avoid it at all costs. My off time and weekends mean more to me than appeasing a company. My regular work shift already proves my ability and loyalty as an employee. I don’t need to prove myself any further than that. Could I use the extra money? Sure! But at the expense of not being involved with my children? Hell no! 32-40 hours is perfect in my book. And if I have any control over my schedule, I’m working 05:00-13:00. That way I can still make it to pick the kids up from school! Even if it doesn’t seem meaningful to them at the moment, they’ll look back and be thankful once they see that struggle as young parents

 

[Skillatron]

I liked the OT grind personally, things are great if you love your'e job I did and remember money was really no object it seemed. Everyday things if it was filling up the tank ,coffee every morning at the cafe, lunches ,dinners a 20.00 dollar bill seemed to be nothing it was a daily routine. the wife was happy always going to the stores shopping having nice clothes all the time new car a nice checking account socking money in to the savings account,401k etc.
now that you have a new son on board (congratulations) that will drive you and make the things in life great.

Yeah bro,I like to say you’re not going to get rich doing this work but you will always have everything you need.

 

[Chukarman78]

27 years operating engineer. Mainly asphalt lay down and milling. Been with 5 different companies , and I think I’ll be retiring with the current one in the next 10-12 years. Of course I’ve said that about most of them I’ve worked forDid some work as a grade checker when I was younger. I’ve been blessed, haven’t really been out of work to long through my career.

 

[Rob801]

Sorry, this ended up a little long lol. Sign of my age I guess...

I was an IBEW Local 11 inside wireman back in the mid ’80s through the mid-’90s (did my apprenticeship through the union). Worked for AV Jensen Elec, Comet, DGS, and Security Elec... Berg briefly. I worked on Back to the Future the Ride at Universal, Calif Tower 2, Warner offices in Burbank, Hues Helicopter in El Segundo (remember them filming a scene for Judge Dredd when I was there) and various Lockheed and other aerospace buildings. I was doing earthquake repairs at the capitol when the OJ trial was going on... still have pictures from up on the scaffolding around the dome looking down on all the news vans

I moved to Denmark in 96' and joined the local union there, DEF (Dansk El Forbund), ironically, also Local 11 out of Aarhus. I ended up transitioning into electrical manufacturing, building panels and wiring production line equipment for the ice cream industry. Our main U.S. customers were Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, and Nestlé. No idea how things are going now... I’m guessing our already very pricey Danish produced equipment is even more expensive now (tariffs).

It was interesting work, and my colleagues were all very skilled electricians, machinist, and mechanics (engineers and programers)... all stainless steel so a relatively clean work/factory. I learned a great deal from them. We were also a tight nit group (I still keep in touch). The electricians club made outings to our local Aarhus "fest" week every summer, and we arranged trips to visit various work related companies (about one trip a year). Standouts were Danfoss who manufactures frequency converter/drives, NKT cable and wire manufacturer, Henning Olsen Ice Cream in Norway, Workers Museum in Copenhagen... and of course Carlsberg also in Copenhagen (to see their production line of course). These were often weekend trips funded by a combination of the union, HR and our own El club at work. Grundfoss was a day trip... only 10 minutes from my home.

I was sent to Milan in 06' for a month (august) with a coworker to help finish up some freezers for our sister company there... other than that I wasn't a field installer... but I did get to go to a "Lidl" plant (they are a large grocery chain, similar to Aldi) in Aachen Germany a few weekends to help adjust and change some cabling on a couple large lines we installed there not long before I moved back.

I stayed with that company for 22 years before moving back to the States . Since then, I’ve been working as maintenance l/coordinator at a large high school and am a member of CSEA. I didn’t want to go back to installation work after being away from it for so long — and at 53, it just didn’t make sense to start over in that line of work again.

I did apply for some positions I thought would be a good fit at Northrop, Lockheed, and Vestas (their windmills are built near where I lived in Denmark, and they use similar drawings and wiring methods). It took Northrop almost two years to get back to me to say I’d made it to the next step, but by that point I was already settled into my job with the school district, so I stayed put.

I’m really happy where I’m at, especially after making such a big move later in life. The hours are great, I’m five minutes from home, the benefits and vacation are solid, and the pay’s decent... I don't make as much as a union electrician of course but the tradeoffs are worth it... especially working the same location every day... NO commute... Even in DK, though I worked in a (nice heated) factory the entire time, I had a 75 min commute each way as we had a home and property in the country (it was worth it).

Losing universal health care was honestly the scariest part about moving back to the U.S, and I used to get six weeks of vacation a year (plus holidays), which was great when the kids were growing up, but now that I’m on my own and an empty nester, I’m fine with what amounts to half that plus I have a decent amount of sick time built up over the last six years.

I have always benefited from being a union member (life long since I was 19), in the three unions I have been a part of. The dues have been negligible compared to the benefits I've received.

 

[Skillatron]

Sorry, this ended up a little long lol. Sign of my age I guess...

I was an IBEW Local 11 inside wireman back in the mid ’80s through the mid-’90s (did my apprenticeship through the union). Worked for AV Jensen Elec, Comet, DGS, and Security Elec... Berg briefly. I worked on Back to the Future the Ride at Universal, Calif Tower 2, Warner offices in Burbank, Hues Helicopter in El Segundo (remember them filming a scene for Judge Dredd when I was there) and various Lockheed and other aerospace buildings. I was doing earthquake repairs at the capitol when the OJ trial was going on... still have pictures from up on the scaffolding around the dome looking down on all the news vans

I moved to Denmark in 96' and joined the local union there, DEF (Dansk El Forbund), ironically, also Local 11 out of Aarhus. I ended up transitioning into electrical manufacturing, building panels and wiring production line equipment for the ice cream industry. Our main U.S. customers were Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, and Nestlé. No idea how things are going now... I’m guessing our already very pricey Danish produced equipment is even more expensive now (tariffs).

It was interesting work, and my colleagues were all very skilled electricians, machinist, and mechanics (engineers and programers)... all stainless steel so a relatively clean work/factory. I learned a great deal from them. We were also a tight nit group (I still keep in touch). The electricians club made outings to our local Aarhus "fest" week every summer, and we arranged trips to visit various work related companies (about one trip a year). Standouts were Danfoss who manufactures frequency converter/drives, NKT cable and wire manufacturer, Henning Olsen Ice Cream in Norway, Workers Museum in Copenhagen... and of course Carlsberg also in Copenhagen (to see their production line of course). These were often weekend trips funded by a combination of the union, HR and our own El club at work. Grundfoss was a day trip... only 10 minutes from my home.

I was sent to Milan in 06' for a month (august) with a coworker to help finish up some freezers for our sister company there... other than that I wasn't a field installer... but I did get to go to a "Lidl" plant (they are a large grocery chain, similar to Aldi) in Aachen Germany a few weekends to help adjust and change some cabling on a couple large lines we installed there not long before I moved back.

I stayed with that company for 22 years before moving back to the States . Since then, I’ve been working as maintenance l/coordinator at a large high school and am a member of CSEA. I didn’t want to go back to installation work after being away from it for so long — and at 53, it just didn’t make sense to start over in that line of work again.

I did apply for some positions I thought would be a good fit at Northrop, Lockheed, and Vestas (their windmills are built near where I lived in Denmark, and they use similar drawings and wiring methods). It took Northrop almost two years to get back to me to say I’d made it to the next step, but by that point I was already settled into my job with the school district, so I stayed put.

I’m really happy where I’m at, especially after making such a big move later in life. The hours are great, I’m five minutes from home, the benefits and vacation are solid, and the pay’s decent... I don't make as much as a union electrician of course but the tradeoffs are worth it... especially working the same location every day... NO commute... Even in DK, though I worked in a (nice heated) factory the entire time, I had a 75 min commute each way as we had a home and property in the country (it was worth it).

Losing universal health care was honestly the scariest part about moving back to the U.S, and I used to get six weeks of vacation a year (plus holidays), which was great when the kids were growing up, but now that I’m on my own and an empty nester, I’m fine with what amounts to half that plus I have a decent amount of sick time built up over the last six years.

I have always benefited from being a union member (life long since I was 19), in the three unions I have been a part of. The dues have been negligible compared to the benefits I've received.

Thank you for sharing what experience you have. Sounds like you’ve had a very interesting career. I always joke with my wife once our kids are grown to move to Rome and do Electrical.

 

[phonso302]

I'm a Garbage man. Union position, great pay and benefits. O.t has slowed down but still readily available.

 

[dummykid]

it’s coming

 

[Skillatron]

it’s coming

Interesting to see what happens with Ai. As it is I can hop on my phone and find a plethora of information regarding electrical solutions. I’ve seen some pretty sophisticated robots that are being produced but don’t see one doing electrical work just yet.

 

[Punkur67]

Interesting to see what happens with Ai. As it is I can hop on my phone and find a plethora of information regarding electrical solutions. I’ve seen some pretty sophisticated robots that are being produced but don’t see one doing electrical work just yet.

Luckily they dont need to program the electrician robots to use a broom! That should save on cost...

 

[dummykid]

Interesting to see what happens with Ai. As it is I can hop on my phone and find a plethora of information regarding electrical solutions. I’ve seen some pretty sophisticated robots that are being produced but don’t see one doing electrical work just yet.

we are developing the AI tool for electrical substation. At the moment, AI is not that "smart" yet. However, we are trying to use AI to develop the digital twins.

 

[kurdish]

Sorry, this ended up a little long lol. Sign of my age I guess...

I was an IBEW Local 11 inside wireman back in the mid ’80s through the mid-’90s (did my apprenticeship through the union). Worked for AV Jensen Elec, Comet, DGS, and Security Elec... Berg briefly. I worked on Back to the Future the Ride at Universal, Calif Tower 2, Warner offices in Burbank, Hues Helicopter in El Segundo (remember them filming a scene for Judge Dredd when I was there) and various Lockheed and other aerospace buildings. I was doing earthquake repairs at the capitol when the OJ trial was going on... still have pictures from up on the scaffolding around the dome looking down on all the news vans

I moved to Denmark in 96' and joined the local union there, DEF (Dansk El Forbund), ironically, also Local 11 out of Aarhus. I ended up transitioning into electrical manufacturing, building panels and wiring production line equipment for the ice cream industry. Our main U.S. customers were Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, and Nestlé. No idea how things are going now... I’m guessing our already very pricey Danish produced equipment is even more expensive now (tariffs).

It was interesting work, and my colleagues were all very skilled electricians, machinist, and mechanics (engineers and programers)... all stainless steel so a relatively clean work/factory. I learned a great deal from them. We were also a tight nit group (I still keep in touch). The electricians club made outings to our local Aarhus "fest" week every summer, and we arranged trips to visit various work related companies (about one trip a year). Standouts were Danfoss who manufactures frequency converter/drives, NKT cable and wire manufacturer, Henning Olsen Ice Cream in Norway, Workers Museum in Copenhagen... and of course Carlsberg also in Copenhagen (to see their production line of course). These were often weekend trips funded by a combination of the union, HR and our own El club at work. Grundfoss was a day trip... only 10 minutes from my home.

I was sent to Milan in 06' for a month (august) with a coworker to help finish up some freezers for our sister company there... other than that I wasn't a field installer... but I did get to go to a "Lidl" plant (they are a large grocery chain, similar to Aldi) in Aachen Germany a few weekends to help adjust and change some cabling on a couple large lines we installed there not long before I moved back.

I stayed with that company for 22 years before moving back to the States . Since then, I’ve been working as maintenance l/coordinator at a large high school and am a member of CSEA. I didn’t want to go back to installation work after being away from it for so long — and at 53, it just didn’t make sense to start over in that line of work again.

I did apply for some positions I thought would be a good fit at Northrop, Lockheed, and Vestas (their windmills are built near where I lived in Denmark, and they use similar drawings and wiring methods). It took Northrop almost two years to get back to me to say I’d made it to the next step, but by that point I was already settled into my job with the school district, so I stayed put.

I’m really happy where I’m at, especially after making such a big move later in life. The hours are great, I’m five minutes from home, the benefits and vacation are solid, and the pay’s decent... I don't make as much as a union electrician of course but the tradeoffs are worth it... especially working the same location every day... NO commute... Even in DK, though I worked in a (nice heated) factory the entire time, I had a 75 min commute each way as we had a home and property in the country (it was worth it).

Losing universal health care was honestly the scariest part about moving back to the U.S, and I used to get six weeks of vacation a year (plus holidays), which was great when the kids were growing up, but now that I’m on my own and an empty nester, I’m fine with what amounts to half that plus I have a decent amount of sick time built up over the last six years.

I have always benefited from being a union member (life long since I was 19), in the three unions I have been a part of. The dues have been negligible compared to the benefits I've received.

Shout out to all the IBEW members on here. Met and worked with a few solid brothers out of Local 11. No matter what, I can proudly say that the IBEW will always be apart of my identity.

 

[five.five-six]

ABC C10 contractor. I'm starting 2 apprentices in the ABC program this January. I've gotten big enough that I'm bidding public works jobs now. prevailing wage is crazy expensive. I completed my apprenticeship in 94' and still try to put my bags on every day. I love doing electrical and I love giving kids a career.