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Doggboi
06-30-2007, 12:20 AM
So I decided to go to work with a contractor.. no it wasnt a union contractor.. but the recruiter talked a good game.. but in the end you have to know deep down a recruiter isnt a head hunter.. they are more on level with a used car salesman and what they are trying to sell you is a company to work for.

Here are a few questions from those in the know.

What is the average Apprentice/Lineman ratio?

Is it normal to put a lineman who is less than 4year, or less than Journey with an apprentice?

and the final question..

Is energizing a line via hot clamp and shotgun considered hot work , and how long should an apprentice be on the job before they get the chance to do this?

electric squirrel
06-30-2007, 12:43 AM
Its energizing something isnt it???? Do you realy have to ask such a question. Ask yourself the question,,,, how much line are you pickin' up,,, whats on it do you know, just wire or is there load? Lets compare what we know here ,,so I can show you your headed down the wrong path bud. E.S.:cool: 23 days

Doggboi
06-30-2007, 01:42 AM
I do see what you are saying about energizing , being hot.

At the moment, its just wire, we have been rebuilding single phase lines in the middle of corn fields brought down in ice storms past. There are pumps attached, but not operational at this time.

electric squirrel
06-30-2007, 01:50 AM
Explain to me why you went with a non union shop,,I bet it was close to the house ? What are your job duties on a normal work day? And last what are they paying you? Answer some of my questions and I promise I'll open your eyse to a whole new world!!! E.S.

Doggboi
06-30-2007, 02:11 AM
I wasnt asking about union or non union. But since you asked.. I went to work for this company because I could go to work immediately.
The local 175 needed 2 things I did not have and could not get in time to make my bills where I was.

A birth Certificate and a CDL. Even if I had those two things I would have had to wait for an interview.

If Nebraska is Close to Florida then sure I decided to stay close to home. Even our individual jobs are at least an hour away from the apartment I rent in the same town as our main office.

My daily duties change daily depending on the job. I run a digger or bobcat and a shovel and air operated tamp to set poles, I climb or use a bucket to lay up line, help sag and then tie down.

As far as pay goes.. it was the best that was offered by any company that was talking to me at the time. By at least 4 dollars an hour. The insurance sucks and the other benfits are pretty much crap. So yes there are trade offs, this I understood.

I currently have apps in with other companies and I am still working on getting what I need to get on with a union , But I do have interviews in South Carolina (SC G&E ) on the 3rd, and an REA here in NE. ( Touchstone, Twin Valley PPD ) on the 13th. I came into this industry not sure of what I would find, but definately not uninformed, and definately not naive. I do not do anything I feel will jeapordize my own , or my teams safety.

Yes I could have worked at wal-mart or TGI Fridays, or even a factory in Chattanooga while I waited for mt birth cert and then to take my cdl , and then for an interview with the 175.. but I wouldnt have any further experiance, and I might still get on with a crap company because I was made to understand that I did not get to pick my assignment with a union

electric squirrel
06-30-2007, 02:24 AM
Iam trying to get a metal pic and an overall view of things,,,just bare with me.
Do you attend any kind of class or is it ojt?
Do they allow you to do any kind of hot work?
Where did the lineman come from ,did they just become lineman or go thru a program?
How long have you been working,days ,weeks, months?
Dont get your feathers all ruffled Iam not jumping on you! E.S.

Doggboi
06-30-2007, 02:34 AM
No ruffling.. just wasnt sure where you were headed.



This company uses a D.O.L. Program , I fill out a monthly sheet that logs my hours, and there is Bookwork supplied by the D.O.L. , which I pay for , and at the completion of the class I would be reimbursed.

Yes I have energized and de-energized single and 3 phase by opening reclosers and removing hotline clamps and grounding out

The foreman ( lineman ? ) Completed a 2yr college program and then was with an REA for 3 year. We also have an old timer on with us ( our crew ) who is 65+

I have been with this company for 6 weeks. The crew was created one week before I arrived however and none ofthe people there have had solid employment by this company for more than 8 weeks. For the exception of the old timer and one of the groundmen ( his grandson )

I don't know if it matters but the breakdown of the crew, is our foreman , the old timer, 3 groundmen ( college summer workers ) and 4 apprentice.
2 of the guys are ex military, all apprentice have been to either SLTC or NWTC. I am the oldest person on the crew aside form the old timer.

Genoin NW
07-02-2007, 12:34 PM
What stage are you in with your 'apprenticeship'? If you are NOT a hot apprentice you should NOT be doing any kind of hot work!!! Heating up a tap with a hot line clamp IS hot work for the reasons 'electric' said.

For your and the other workers protection you need to wait until you are certified to do that work. Training and experience give you that certification along with your classroom. Don't find the temptation to 'experiment' in this trade.
I watched an apprentice in a substation close a cutout that fed a cap bank and he turned his head at closure and missed... he, by lack of experience opened the cutout slowly to reclose it... well... Holy hell broke loose and he burned down the substation with wire and aluminum buswork all over the ground. I found out later that he had never closed a cutout before.

You better know what you are doing! Take the time to learn this trade or you'll won't be in it long. Stick to the rules, they are there for a reason!

Stay safe, work safe, be a positive change of attitude for the crew.