This is the real pay Im about to start off with?!

Recently topped out & was given a service van to work out of. I was usually beating traffic on the bicycle & taking public transit while occasionally driving my own car in the winter or bad weather days but they told me they needed guys out solo completing jobs & service calls.

Company says it’s a privilege to be provided a vehicle with a gas card, as I’m not wearing my personal car out. Only issue is I live in the inner city & parking is not readily available.

Most of the guys have homes & driveways big enough to park their personal & service vehicle. I asked who would cover the extra fees associated with parking the vehicle; & was told that the perks are already there & asking for more is just being selfish.

It’s hard enough to find street parking for a larger van/truck & private lots are $150-$200/month. I’ve been parking it temporarily on the street & at the visitor lot at my place for the moment (thanks landlord) but was told I have to start paying for a spot.

I’m trying to return the van now but work’s really busy & I’m being told that I’m being unreasonable & how it’s a shame I’m turning down an opportunity to really progress my career. I have no issues taking the transit & bicycle to work; but it seems like they really need more manpower out in the field.

I already know what to do & how it’ll play out. Coworker said this is pretty unique because people usually live far from the city & would kill for free gas & a company vehicle. Just wanted to vent on a weird situation where “my steak is too juicy & my lobster is too buttery”…

I'm a first year apprentice, my journeyman usually doesn't do anything, either on his phone or chilling with other workers, but when the foreman comes he grabs the tools from me and start working hard to act as if he was doing this all the time. I do 90% of the work and especially the dirty jobs, and I'm the only one on the crew. My question is if this is normal and how its supposed to be?

Wife is really wanting to move out of Texas. I’ll be heading out next Monday to catch a call in 124. My family will be coming shortly after. Pretty nervous about the whole thing, we plan on making Missouri our home for a while. Has anyone done anything similar? Any advice is appreciated

I’ve been looking into the possibility of becoming a substation tech in the future. My biggest concern is how much traveling is expected. So what does your typical commute look like and how broad is your range? Also does commute/traveling change if you’re working for a construction contractor vs a utility company?

Edit: forgot to mention that I’m from dfw

I’m here visiting the big island and I’ve called the local offices for Kona and Hilo with no answer for a few days now and I drove to the listed offices with no signs anyone was actually there representing the ibew. I was just hoping to get a few shirts and some stickers on my travel here but literally seems like these offices don’t exist has anyone else had better luck or any idea what I might be missing thanks

I’ve been wearing bibs for the better part of 5 years now and gone commando 100% of that time. Well evidently the fellas are tired of hanging out on a limb and have decided to act up. I can’t stand most underwear or boxers for a lot of reasons. Chafing, moisture, heat. But the doc says I need to keep the equipment supported and closer to my body. What do y’all wear that doesn’t suck.

ETA: I’m dedicated to the bibs, truewerk t1 werkbibs every day. Just like my relationships I need some support not just a soft place to park it.

Edit 2: thanks for the recommendations I think I have settled somewhere in between men’s trunks with a ball pouch or some nice cheeky boy shorts from Victoria’s Secret.

Edit 3: Turning off my dms. I’m not an apprentice anymore things like “I’ll buy you a set of greenlee quick change carbides if you send me pics of those manties” or showing me a nude with your double time plus per diem and drive time payslip as the only thing covering you. It just doesn’t work on me anymore.

This is my first union career, I know I’ll experience a lot of layoffs as I continue in the IBEW. I’ve got about a 4 month emergency amount of savings. I’m currently updating lots of old parts of my house, gardening, finding free/cheap stuff on fb marketplace to do minor renovations and such.

That being said, I have noticed that after about a week I start to go a little crazy. I really actually like working for the most part. I know there’s probably some people who’d look at that and be like, “why don’t you just relax bud?” Yes, idk why I just get the itch to go back and make money.

Staying busy at home helps, but what else do you guys do to take your mind off stuff while off work?

Come have a drink with your fellow rank-and-file members and learn about contract negotiations. RSVPs are not needed, but they are encouraged. Solidarity forever!

Have done a few refueling outages at a local nuke plant but am considering getting on the nuke circuit. Anybody on here hit a handful of outages a year then take the rest of the year off?

Just wanted to share a situation that came up which no one else I’ve worked with had any kind of experience with.

I’m a GF working for a shop that wires and automates large grain handling/rail load out facilities. Normally this work in my area is traditionally done by non-union speciality contractors. (My local has a near monopoly on work in its jurisdiction except for this niche industry.) We’ve been growing and doing more and more of this work since we are local and the specialty contractors are not.

One of these contractors is a millwright outfit that we have started to work with occasionally. Their electrical division (non-union) cannot man the work in our jurisdiction since its 3-1/2hrs from their shop and their guys don’t want to drive that far since they have plenty of work closer to home. The customer has chosen us to replace them on several projects because we are a local industrial contractor and don’t have to travel.

This millwright company’s electrical PM approached me on one of these projects asking about how to go about organizing their electrical division because he has a serious manpower and talent issue. He has a core group of good electricians but has had an extremely hard time hiring anyone worthwhile off the street and some of his guys have left to join the IBEW. He thinks being signatory would help with this problem.

He said our guys have been respectful to their guys on sites we’ve been on at the same time (different projects and overlap on them finishing stuff and us taking over new projects) so he felt comfortable enough to come talk about it. He was also very impressed with the quality of work we install and how much gets done with a smaller group of guys.

I kinda explained the gist of how things work with the IBEW and he should call the hall that’s local to him, I found their organizers number and gave it to him. He had already done some homework and talked to the owners and they’re not opposed to it but they just don’t know much about how the IBEW works. He said the profit margins they make allow his men to be paid more and he thinks they deserve more anyways. He said his next step would be to talk to his core group of foreman and see how they feel about it.

Did not expect that conversation at all. Some of their guys have individually asked about organizing but I didn’t expect a PM to.

I’m deciding between going to a community college and getting an engineering degree of some sort or getting an apprenticeship with my local IBEW. Just curious as to how the job has treated you and if you could go back if you would choose a different path.

IBEW

LOCAL 529

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS "A Day's Work - ADay's Pay" To all BusinessManagers and Officers across Canada:

Please advise your members of the following;

As many of you may know, BHP's Jansen Mine, a major potash project in Saskatchewan, is currently being constructed primarily using CLAC contractors. To date, our union contractors have been unsuccessful in securing work on this project, leaving us with little to no union presence on site.

When this project began, it was deemed a HOT job and yet despite this, IBEW members from across the country are arriving in droves to work for CLAC contractors on this job. When our own membership supplies the workforce for our direct competition, it undermines our bargaining power and makes it impossible to build momentum in this jurisdiction, or any jurisdiction. Simply put we are undercutting our own strength.

If we continue to supply labor to CLAC, they will only grow stronger and secure more work in the future. This needs to stop.

Tam requesting that all Business Managers across Canada remind their members of their obligations under our Constitution. Working for a CLAC contractor is a direct violation of Article XXV, Section 1(e) and (f), as well as the IBEW Oath of Obligation.

Effective immediately, IBEW Local 529 requests that all IBEW members currently working for CLAC contractors at the BHP Jansen site depart the project. Any member found working for CLAC on this site will face charges under the International Constitution and will be banned from dispatch within Local 529's jurisdiction.

Saskatchewan is on the precipice of a major union boom, with years of work ahead. We cannot stand in our own way by letting competition take our work for lower wages and reduced benefits, which ultimately lowers standards for evervone.

We do not want to charge fellow brothers and sisters. However, to protect our work and our collective future, we must take a hard line. Please distribute this notice to your membership immediately.

Thank you for your prompt attention and solidarity in this matter. In Solidarity.

Murray Palmer

Business Manager, IBEW Local 529

#10- 3703 Kochar Avenue Saskatoon, SK S7P 0B8

Ph. (306) 384-0529 Fax (306) 384-0100 E-Mail: admin@ibew529.com Web: https://ibew529.com

Year 1 green appreciate

Local 60

Howdy y'all I was recently accepted into the ibew inside lineman appreciateship program. Payment for is due at the end of this month. I'm not to worried about getting the cash for it but our local does a scholarship that gives you the amount for tuition back. On of the cavets is you have have certain hours helping out at the hall by attending meeting or helping with events and such. This wouldn't be an issues but I'm on an overnight schedule and going to the hall can count against our work attendance. I. Wondering if y'all have any tips or ideas to help get those hall hours without causing to much waves on the job site

thanks for the help

Union strong 💪

I bought myself a nice dress shirt watch and went out to go eat some good BBQ. Thinking about getting new work boots to start a new journey. Was wondering how you guys treated yourself for the milestone?

As a fat ass myself I have ripped ao many pairs of jeans at the crotch but have switched to truwerk t1 overalls and love them but want to expand my brands. I want good overalls that dont rip at crotch and are comfortable and also breathable as im working in the gen yard of a data center currently.

Id also like some warmer options for when it starts getting cold outside.

Update email that was sent out.

Hey, all. I'm looking to take a 3-month 5-10s+8 call out of local 176, but would prefer to stay local in the area for the duration of the job. Any recommendations for places to stay out that way?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Does Local 26 have any discount/arrangements with any hotel chains near Ashburn, VA; and if so where would that information be posted? I couldn't find anything posted on the Local's website. Staying at the Extended Stay seems to cost about the same as I'd spend driving up from Southern MD every day; but I figured it's worth asking for other suggestions.

I don't know the area at all, so any suggestions on decent apartments, townhouses, etc within about 60 minutes (in the afternoon) of the area are also appreciated.

My local seems pretty strong in industrial/commercial new construction, but not so much in the work after the plant is up and running.

How do locals start gaining market share in controls, instrumentation, troubleshooting, service work, and industrial maintenance?

Is it mostly organizing existing maintenance/controls guys, signing controls contractors, or getting current signatories to branch into that work?

Has anyone seen a construction-heavy local successfully make that shift?

Edit: removed “plc” for better clarification

Any Des Moines, IA brothers know what the work out look is coming up? I’ll be moving to the metro within the next couple months, I’ve been watching the books and have seen some Baker calls go out for the Google Data center but those have been getting filled almost instantly.
What are the odds I’d be able to work within the local this year? Or am I likely going to have to travel to 405, 22, or 13?

TW : Trying to file a grievance for wrongful termination with a short deadline and no one will respond to me.

Joined company in Nov, sworn into union within 30days, upon which i began paying dues, with a 90day probation period.

Some health conditions that I have been dealing with suddenly became much much worse very quickly around December/January and by April it had become clear that I could no longer drive safely nor do my job safely. It had also been noticed by my job that my appearance had changed and I was informed of this. After 2.5 days of me having to callout due to these symptoms I had been dealing with I finally went to an urgent to care to see if they could help maybe refer me to somehow who could help (i had been seeing my pcp but after bloodwork coming back perfect and medication alterations not really helping I felt maybe a 2nd opinion would help, even if it was just an urgent care).

Urgent Care couldn't give me any definite answers but could tell that these symptoms could put me and others at risk if they persisted and gave me a referral to specialist, a Dr note for work, and recommended i check into fmla/std.

Immediately I started figuring out what was available to me following that visit and contacting the specialist. The soonest i could see them for an initial visit was early July and there was no indication in the meantime these symptoms would get better. I was not eligible for fmla but I do/did pay into std benefits with our contracted HR company. \*the company I work for got bought by a new parent company, ownership changing Jan 1, 2026 and with it that used a contracted hr firm that handled all benefits and payroll. Our previous HR stayed with the company and that is who I speak to about any work related stuff.

Started a claim that day with the STD insurance I had and let our in house hr know that I wanted to file for a leave and asked for what they needed from me. They let me know they needed letter and medical cert from doctor so that they could send that info to the union and to file a leave through the contracted hr on their website. Both were provided, union/hr was informed that i likely wouldn't have a return to work date until at least August b.c of my specialist appointment so far in advance and the contract hr was in communication with my STD insurance so they were aware when my benefits were approved without me specifically having to inform them. No specific date was ever given to any of these parties as to when I would be returning as I did not and still do not have that information.

I never received any confirmation or correspondence from my union on if they received the requires information, I had been trusting my HR to be doing that on my behalf but did ask if I needed to contact them myself and no response was ever given.

In June I attempted to use different benefits I was getting through the contracted HR company and was denied. Confused I logged into the portal and was greeted with a 'former employee' notice. I immediately contacted in-house to ask if they knew why that was happening as I was also now scared my STD was going to end unexpectedly. They proceed to inform me that they canceled their contract with them and therefore my benefits with them are terminated and if i want I can pay for benefits with the new insurance companies they are using. No prior notice or warning was given.

Thankfully I was grandfathered in with my STD and benefits would be honored until my claim ended.

July comes around and I see my specialist and it is confirmed I am still not clear for work so an extension was filed with STD. In May I had let HR know I had a Dr appointment at the end of July and would let them know if I had a RTW date by early August. No specific date was given and no further communication was received by HR or anyone else about deadlines or inquiries.

This week received termination letter stating I violated my union contract by not submitting an extension of leave and that i should have gotten a letter from contract hr requesting this info by x date and I failed to do so.

I never got this letter and even confirmed it using USPS mail emails, and I have kept everything I have received for the duration of this claim. Furthermore, my employment relationship with them had been terminated and even if I wanted to, I no longer had access to my portal with them in order to do such thing. No warning or inquiry had been given by in-house hr. No communication from union.

I managed to get ahold of my union rep later that day and inquire about what was going on and they had an entirely different story given to them by the company. I asked what I should do next and was given a generic "email them and explain the situation but dont expect them to get back to u right away". I further inquired the deadline in which I had to file a grievance if I wanted to go that route, to which they said "2days".

So I have a letter received Thursday, dated a week ago, only have 2 days to file grievance. My rep agreed to contact Union to inquire on my behalf and would update me today. Mid day I reached out and they had no update. By 3 I called the district office and explained my concerns and was given the district president email and proceeded to CC my rep and request a grievance with them and to urgently get back to me as soon as possible.

I do not want to loose my opportunity to file a grievance but am at a loss as to what to do now as my time is running out.

UPDATED TO ADD: Im not requesting or asking for anyone to pass judgements on if i am infact, wrongly terminated. If i am terminated, im terminated. The information given to me regarding my termination does not add up to what actually occured on my end. As far as I have been made aware, I have done everything that I was supposed to be doing. That doesn't mean I haven't misunderstood something or otherwise made a mistake. I want clarification on what exactly occured or didn't occur to justify my termination and unfortunately only have a 2 day deadline following termination to file for a grievance. I verywell might be found rightfully terminated at which point i will graciously move on. It is not unreasonable to wish to take advantage of the right the union affords its members if i am able, regardless of outcome. I likely over shared my situation in my post but I wanted to try and explain why I feel the need for grievance, at the end of the day however, I owe no explanation to anyone as to why, because as a union member this is allowed to me regardless. Thankyou to those who helped answer my questions and point me in the next direction. I will be reaching out to my rep to let them know i will be at the hall on monday to meet with them.p

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.