Laborers Union question

Is anybody on here in the Laboreres Union? If so what all does it entail and can you give me a little bit of info on it on what you actually do and so fourth, is it a good union?

worse of the unions in my opinion. you do the work that the welders/ironworkers/finishers/steamfitters etc etc dont want to do. all you are is muscle. all i work with are finishers and laborers. the laborers are the ones that lug the pipes around that weigh in around 160+ lbs so the concrete can come otu of it. its also the lowest paid of the unions. and i believe some of the worse benefits. i mean its better then doing nothing but i would 100% try the operators/ironworkers/boilermakers/steamfitters/milrights/carpenters before i tried the labor union. the laborers are pretty much looked down upon by everyone on a job site from what i have seen.

i can ask my unlce for info on it. pretty high up in the laborers union

Even if i get pulled in? And basically i’m a muscle head anyhow so why not? I mean it’s a job and it’s a union with benefits, retirement and so fourth.

like i said get in but i wouldnt stick around there too too long. everyone that i see that is out workign that has been there 20 years is a miserable bastard. i found the prevailing wage thing that i was looking for. shows the rates of the trades and the benefits and the total package. basically

rate=what you get
fringe = what your bosses pay your paycheck is for your rate and your boss pays the fringe ontop of that

total package is what they pay to have you out on the job every hour. look at those damn elevator guys. god damn

im class 1 operator. but im a apprentice so im a little lower.
http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/li_apps/projectView.asp?i=45999

i work around laborers. if you can get in go for it. it really all depends who you are a laborer for. the electrician and carpender laborers have an easier job, but if you are a bricklayer laborer it is bull work all day. they also have a really good pension and benefits are decent. hourly rete is around $20/hr

Devin - have you thought about going to learn a trade? Plumbing? Electrical? I don’t know your situation and whether you can swing working part time and going to school or not. Just a thought.

Im USW best union Ive been in was a teamster for a while but this is alot better…Of course i am laid off right now but my union connection is helpin me find another job.

i got into the carpenters union in june its been good so far it takes a while to got in tho. i didn’t the other trades made so much more than us when we work 10 times harder

if you need something temp-- i’d say do it. but for the rest of your life-- i would advise against it. hard manual labor will take its toll eventually. take a laborer job, bust your ass to impress, and ride that into an apprenticeship into a trade.

not knocking your trade–but you answered your own question. you work hard-- other unions work “smarter”. to give an example-- a laborer works harder than a carpenter, but pay does not show it.

also need to take into account the risks associated with the job. if you make a “stupid” mistake–can it hurt or kill you and coworkers? now apply that thinking to the other trades. i.e.-- electrician can be fried by one bad connection or mislabeled wire…

in the end, trades that have the most knowledge get paid more.

yeah that makes sense

My question is how do you find small businesses or ones like you describe to aplly to get in? I mena if i am already in the union how do i go about doing it?

YA i have Jeff, but between school and work part time i wouldn’t be able to afford bills and so fourth plus i am 28 so gettign otu of school at 30-32 isn’t my thing

into a trade? what do you mean? And btw i think that i will basically be thrown into journeymen pay and so fourth so i do not think any apprenticeship will be involved.

road construction or brick layer laborer ftl haha

Back in like 2001 or so I worked a couple of weekends building scaffolding. All the regulars were members of the Laborer’s Union. I will say a lot of the people did the grunt work. Lots of hauling and lifting. I remember it being the hardest work I ever did, and I did all the bitch work with a concrete company previously…and this was twice as hard. We worked 12 hour shifts 7am -7pm and it was pretty much nonstop back breaking work with a few breaks. Coming in a nonunion worker I made just under $20/hour which wasn’t bad, but I would not want to do it for an extended period of time…just not worth the toll it takes on the body. It did seem the guys who been there for a while that “payed their dues” and were pretty smart had higher level jobs that didn’t seem bad though.

Who the fuck are you again?:stick:

I hear that, i beleive right now when i get pulled in i iwll be on the person i know crew, and they said that it is for a cocnrete company right now, great:hsugh:

i’m in that boat just a year older. mom keeps tryin to get me to go to school for something in the medical field. i have little to no interest of goin back to school but i might have to bite the bullet…and soon.

I worked 3rd shift on my union job took classes during the day.it took 5 yrs but it got done

my father in law removes asbestos in the laborers union. he offered to get me in at journeymans rate but i didn’t think it was worth the health risks. for the carpenters i go to school one week every quarter and collect unemployment for it

by trade, i mean you will be on the union’s book in the laborer’s union. say tomko needs a laborer to dig ditches for their plumbing lines, or sargent electric wants a laborer to do bullshit work— they hire you out from your union. it is cheaper to pay you $20 an hour than it is to pay a journeyman.

so while you are working for a trade-- bust ass to where they dont want to let you go. I have a friend who was a laborer who used this to get into another union. The fitters seen how much of go-getter he was that it got him into their apprenticeship.

how are you math wise? i’ll ask if electrician union is taking. dont think so but doesn’t hurt to ask. Pretty much my entire family is in local 5. my dad actually teaches apprenticeship classes–hence why i didnt go into the trade.

which year apprentice are you?
are you commercial or residential?

I am a third year commerical carpenter