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  1. #21

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    Yeah It took me a while to find your threads. I figure, if I gonna spend the $$ then I need to start learning everything I can right now. As of right now I still plan on going to the school, but a Business Manager from a local union just e-mailed me tonight, giving me his #, and telling me "We'll Talk" I have high hopes that things will go good. I call tomorrow and see what he has to say. I'm not gonna get into the "What If Sh!t" so I'll see how the call goes. As far as the school goes, I am sure their are plenty of ways to get into trouble. I learned my first year of college, that spending $ on a school, and having to much fun, isn't so good for the grades. I know climbing will be a new thing for me, but I do have some experience w/ repelling, so hopefully heights wont get me to bad. As far as the tests I'll find a study partner...Thanks for the advice!

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Hardeeville, SC
    Posts
    133

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    a couple things I remember about the Union apps... you need to have your CDL , birth certificate, and if they call for you to go to work for someone.. you go to work for them. You dont get to choose. That is what I gathered from the questions i have asked previously. ( I am sure there will be trolls here to correct me on anything I mis-state )

    We are a union shop here, but they hire outside of and have their own apprenticeship program outside of the union.

  3. #23

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    Yeah, I heard that I will need my CDL from my brother in law. That is a another main reason I want to attend SLTC. It really sounds to me that the school really will give me a jump start, even if I have to start as a grunt in a Union Company. That would still pay better than any job that is offered around here. Most jobs start out under at 10hr or less, I did some masonry work for a while 15 hr, but with the housing market so low jobs are hard to find. Things will all play out.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Hardeeville, SC
    Posts
    133

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    SLTC will not get you a cdl .. NLTC in Boise will , but SLTC just beings a guy in to go over all the cdl stuff.. but tbh , it nearly put me asleep. but all you need is a permit which is just written ( or computerized tests )

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doggboi View Post
    a couple things I remember about the Union apps... you need to have your CDL , birth certificate, and if they call for you to go to work for someone.. you go to work for them. You dont get to choose. That is what I gathered from the questions i have asked previously. ( I am sure there will be trolls here to correct me on anything I mis-state )

    We are a union shop here, but they hire outside of and have their own apprenticeship program outside of the union.
    TROLLS!!!!! They're all on politics and BS board. So your apprentice training wants you to come to the table with a CDL? A or B? We had either a year or a half to obtain our B. Good reading, Good luck!

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Fort Worth
    Posts
    638

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doggboi View Post
    SLTC will not get you a cdl .. NLTC in Boise will , but SLTC just beings a guy in to go over all the cdl stuff.. but tbh , it nearly put me asleep. but all you need is a permit which is just written ( or computerized tests )
    Naw, they got it now. I be the first to get the CDL from them Fall 07. There was a lot of bugs during the whole thing that they needed to work out, but all in all I got it.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Hardeeville, SC
    Posts
    133

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    Quote Originally Posted by rcdallas View Post
    Naw, they got it now. I be the first to get the CDL from them Fall 07. There was a lot of bugs during the whole thing that they needed to work out, but all in all I got it.
    No shit? they were telling us , the state required them to have a certain sized 'paved' lot to do the tests. Good for them

  8. Question Pole climb method : Bucksqueeze or Free Climb??

    Doggboi,

    do you know if SLTC is Doing bucksqueeze or similar now in their pole climbing? I'm
    currently a Phoney Lineman ( AT&T) and was trained both, but company policy is all those
    trained on bucksqueeze must use it when gaffing regardless if you know how to free climb. as a result my freeclimbing is vastly inferior compared to my skill with a bucksqueeze. so going through
    a program where the focus is free climbing would be Ideal!

    Thought about doing SLTC mainly for the job resources . I have done both Power and Phone.
    on the powerside as a ground man for a non union doing storm duty in Texas during Huricaine Ike.
    Id like to get back on with a power line crew eventually once again...

    Any info is appreciated..

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Hardeeville, SC
    Posts
    133

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    To the best I know they have gone to positive stop devices such as the bucksqueeze. Most current companies that I know of currently train all new climbers as such.
    My suggestion would be to identify the contract crews working in the area you are looking to work in and getting on with them while applying for the local utility , Co-Op/REA or IOU. Unless you're looking to tramp, then I'd suggest signing the books at the Union Hall.

    Either way you go, good luck!
    local 398

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Hardeeville, SC
    Posts
    133

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    I just wanted to say to everyone who has read this and replied or contacted me , 'Thank You'. I do realize also I need to go through and edit some of those posts.. some of the spelling mistakes are horrible.

    Every so often I still get an email asking about SLTC. Things HAVE changed there quite a bit and they have opened a second campus to my knowledge. Thomas has been promoted and has told me that more than one person has mentioned this article when attending SLTC.

    I topped out at SLTC in '11 acquiring my Journeyman Certification that september. in August of '13 I managed to partially tear my MCl and strain my ACL in a non-work related accident. it took me almost Six months to get back to work , and I wasn't quite yet 100% but after having talked to my safety man , and the crew I was confident I wouldn't have any issues.
    I was on the job four and a half days when I ended up in the ER with what was later diagnosed with am Miller-Fischer variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, this was followed three days later with Post Infectious Encephalitis. It seems the house I had bought in may of '13 never had an A/C filter since its construction in '61. While I was home bound with my knee issue I suffered a few sinus infections and before i had returned to work I was diagnosed with Bronchitis, which is what lead to the Guillain-Barré.
    I am very fortunate my GF at the time ( now my wife ) got me to the ER that Friday as I continued to decline. Crew members were at the hospital the next day as was my District Manager. I couldn't have asked for more from my family, brothers and friends. Having heard the horror stories of the disease I feel very fortunate. It has been four months since my release from the hospital and while I am not 100% I don't use a walker, can or wheelchair. I was granted long term disability through the company and while I am hopeful , I am told I may never get back to linework.
    I said all of that to say this, money is good, but make sure your benefits and your will are always ready to go. We work a very dangerous job , but **** happens outside of the work arena as well. I won't get into the union non-union discussion because there are valid points and good people of both sides of that argument. While I worked for a union shop, and the bargained for my benefits, the company was self-insured and also picked out the plans that were made available to us.

    I do miss the work , I was Service Truck back up in our crew quarter and every time weather goes south I watch the outage reports online. I miss my brothers and the laughs we had. They are having a record year of O/T hours. I miss the call outs too.

    as always if you have any questions regarding , my time at SLTC, or The company I worked with feel free to shoot me an email. As always, y'all be good out there, ya hear?
    Last edited by Doggboi; 08-13-2014 at 01:48 PM.
    local 398

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