RockHopper wrote:
My little bro is in the local hodcarriers union. He's been layed off 3 times this year already. $38 an hr doesn't amount to much when you spend most of your time cooling your heels in a union hall.
I cant speak for the hodcarriers , but if youre a Laborer, a Carpenter or an Ironworker in W.WA and out of work its because you suck and have a well earned reputation for sucking, or you want some time off and are collecting the max $625/week unemployment and doing other stuff with your time.
I havent had any down time in the last 4 years. And thats with quitting 3 jobs last fall. Been working 45-55 hrs a week on average since Nov. And it looks like Ill be moving into a foreman's position which adds another 10 hrs a week of OT.
Is he out hustling jobs, or just sitting around waiting for a dispatch from his hall? In 8 years I've been dispatched a total of 1 time, my very first job. In the Carpenters, just like any other job, you go knock on doors and ask if they're hiring, unless you like being on unemployment . Currently that isnt the situation, the guys on the out of work list are getting dispatched fairly regularly. Makes it hard to take 2 weeks off to go on vacation.