Journey of Stubs

[Mr Stubs]

You guys are right... the length is 1" longer and the angle is outward more.

My journeyman trimmer uses pole gaffs as a lot of the alder and small fir trees have a thin bark (he is to cheap to buy tree gaffs (he came from VOLTA line school as well) and the forman doesn't care)

My forman is making me use the company hooks (junk, and hurt like he!!). So I decided to get my own gaffs (he wont let me use my pole gaffs like the trimmer) for my hooks that I have (no sense letting them sit in a gear bag).

Pole gaffs work but you need to be prepared to cut out on large old firs, cedar, cottonwood, pine, and other thick barked trees at times.

[Highplains Drifter]

I was told on a Pine if the needles are brown and dead looking, it is not safe to climb the bark any more, any truth to that?

[Boomer gone soft]

I was told on a Pine if the needles are brown and dead looking, it is not safe to climb the bark any more, any truth to that?

HD,

any dead tree can be unsafe in that condition. When I was a woodtick, I had 3-4 foot sections of elm bark come off the dead ones.....and there have been a lot of them lost to dutch elm in the last 15 years. Now we got that ash bore moving west. It's past the Twin Cities and taking huge numbers of ash with it.

Even after the bark is off those dead ones, they're hard as cement. Those dead elms are even more hard than the green poles or the blackjacks!

Not to mention the unreliability of a ginning crotch busting out on you.

I enjoyed the hell out of tree work, and that is most definitely work. I was in FAR better shape in those days. I was a union journeyman trimmer; I left as a foreman for Asplundh making $3.66 less per hour than I did as a first step with MoValley. Not to mention NEAP was only 3% vs. 25% with the NJATC. LineCo was the insurance for both places. Plus JT woodticks are BA members and don't have travelling privileges. There are no books for woodticks; the contractors do their own hiring.

As far as being union and being a woodtick; those guys are the red-headed step-children. It is undeniably a lineman's union.

In short, the work was fun but difficult. The union half-assed represented us. And we were, by far, underpaid for what we did.

I was amazed at how many chances we took as woodticks after I became an ape.....I am DAMN lucky to be alive. The training was nothing short of horse shit compared to what we get; I do have to say the knots and rigging came pretty easily for me though!

Mr. Stubbs, keep trying! It's a great trade and a great job. Don't forget about the NJATC. After you top out, you can always become a company puke like me!

www.njatc.org

[e30kawi]

From your posts I think you will make an outstanding hand.

Don't ignore the fact that there are many other entities to learn this trade in. Setting your sights on PP&L or Seattle City Lights is fine, but just remember that a lot of people are trying to get into their programs.

There are plenty of REC's, Muni's and contractors that are good to learn the trade in. I hate to say it but don't ignore non-Union entities. Anywhere to get enough experience to gain a Journeyman slot. If you are single, you are in excellent shape.

Good luck.

I went and still am non-union currently, I went with a company that gave me a job. Any experience is better than no experience.

I just did the physical skills test for pp&l at the volta school in warrenton or. Hoping for a call early next week, if no call that means no interview.

Something tells me you would have done just fine on the tests.

If you are able to be mobile, I would check out oncor here in texas, they are a very large company and they are union as well. Or centerpoint in houston, I believe they are union. Or check out pedernales electric coop. They aren't union but it seems like they take care of their men.

Good luck.

[wtdoor67]

I've never seen them mentioned but there is an IOU in N. Dak., Wy., and S. Dak. area that would probably be good. MDU, Montana Dakota Utilities. I recall they covered Sheridan, Wy. and a small area of Northern Wy. Think they're linecrew people are IBEW.

[Mr Stubs]

For any who stumble across this at a latter date...... this site was brought to my attention by High Plains Drifter and is great for math studies .... I know that I will be using it.


http://www.khanacademy.org/

[brad_23]

MDU in north dakota does not offer benefits to their new employees. Just had one one their guys come to work at the co op i am at because of it.

[smoke_eater]

So any more luck with getting into any apprenticeship man? The thread just kind of died....