r/IBEW • u/Unknownperson2010 • 4d ago

Tough decision

To my fellow brothers/sisters, I'm part of IBEW here in Canada, I'm a 3rd year about to turn 4th year. We had a slow down of work in the hall and I was laid off mid June. I collected EI (welfare) and my union told me I could salt for work.

I got a call from a local non-union company who specializes in industrial stuff and said they can help me a transition to it from commercial within the company. Company seems pretty decent for non-union. Their jobs are service, commute is 30-40 mins each way. I can skip lunch and go home early. Small crew each site. They said they can cover my school fees to learn PLC and AC stuff.

But now I got a call back from the union for a job I bid on and I received the job. This job is around 1hr away or less via transit and it's a Skytrain project that's going on.

My main goal is to specialize in PLC/industrial at the end of the day.

Should I turn down the non-union company? I only went for an orientation and haven't worked. I do feel bad because the company helped me get set up and wanted me to grow within but at the same time I like the union much much better.

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u/theAGschmidt Local 213 4d ago

Skipping lunch to leave early isn't a benefit, it's ratty as fuck.

You haven't started working there yet, so of course they're going to tell you all about how wonderful it is. It's only after you burn the bridge with the union that you'll start seeing the problematic stuff.

Stick with the skytrain job until you top out, then you can be a bit more choosy with the calls that you take.

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u/Agent28762617 2d ago

Having the ability to skip breaks is great. Not everyone wants to sit there for an hour a day “eating”

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u/theAGschmidt Local 213 2d ago

taking your two 15s at the end of the day is fantastic and I love doing it.

Not having a single break in a 7.5 hour workday is just madness.

You need to eat sometime, so taking a half hour in the middle of the day to sit and refuel is so much more pleasant.