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The Truth About Union Electricians in IBEW Local 58.

Is This The Future of the IBEW?

Tradesmen International, founded in 1992, is recognized nationally as the construction industry’s premier source for high-caliber, skilled craftsmen with thousands of employees in all trades across America. We hire our employees on a permanent basis with the goal of providing you job stability, a good income and full benefits.

As a Construction Labor Support company, we provide the industry’s top constructor and industrial clients proven labor management solutions – Total Labor Support Services – that enable them maximize productivity for every dollar spent on skilled labor.

What does this mean to you, a skilled craftsman? These services have positioned Tradesmen as a contractor’s “first choice” which means, unlike temporary agencies, we’re able to keep you gainfully employed, pay you what you deserve, and provide you an exceptional benefits package (see below). We have nearly 100 locations nationwide and work on projects ranging from national monuments and commercial structures to museums, retail facilities, even professional sports stadiums.

Job Overview

Company: Tradesmen International Location: US-MD-Baltimore Base Pay: $14.00 – $22.00 /Hour Other Pay: Job Commission Employee Type: Full-Time Employee Industry: Construction Electronics Homebuilding Manages Others: No Job Type: Construction Manufacturing Skilled Labor – Trades Required Education: High School Required Experience: At least 3 year(s) Required Travel: Negligible Relocation Covered: Not Specified Contact: Don Miller Phone: 1-800-636-9640 Email: Send Email Now Fax: Not Available Reference ID: 100606

Job Description Journeymen Electricians and Apprentice Electricians needed in Reading PA. Tradesmen International, founded in 1992, is recognized nationally as a leading source for reliable, skilled craftsmen with thousands of employees across America. With thousands of contractor clients and craftsmen employees serving their on-going needs, we’re one of America’s premier construction employers. Fact is, we’re constantly seeking the finest Electricans in the business to join our team. We’re committed to hiring only those Electricians who pride themselves on setting quality standards for the commercial and industrial industries. All our employees must display professionalism, Reliability and Punctuality / Good Appearance and Attitudes Highly Productive Work Ethics / Emphasis on Safety In addition to steady work, safer working conditions and good wages, we provide a benefits package that is among the best in the industry. Our comprehensive benefits encourage our employees and their families to build a life long relationship with us. Benefits include: Dental plan Vision plan Health insurance Prescription drug plan Life insurance Short-term disability 401(k) profit-sharing savings plan Incentive programs If you match these characteristics, please call us at 877-818-1885. We provide steady work, competitive wages, safer working conditions and good opportunities. www.tradesmeninternational.com New Orleans Needs Good: Carpenters, Drywall,Sheet Metal, HVAC, Plumbers, Welders…. Job Requirements Journey / Apprentice level Commercial Electricians Needed ! $14 – $22 per hour. Be perpared to complete a job application and a sit down interview. Verifiable references-addresses,phone numbers and contact names must be provided Must have Driver License, Transportation and all the required tools to perform your job. Solid work ethic-Safe worker,punctual,reliable and must be very conscientious of the quality of work.

Blue Collar U.S. Males Are Taking the Biggest Hit During This Recession

One statistic that stands out in America’s recession-stung economy is the unemployment rate for adult men: in April for the second month in a row it surged ahead of the national average to 9.4 percent versus 8.9 percent for all workers. The jobless rate for adult women was 7.1 percent.

The reasons are clear: male-heavy sectors such as construction and manufacturing have been hard hit. But the implications may be dire for the broader economy and hamper the recovery as families that once had male breadwinners struggle.

The fact that American males without a college degree are especially vulnerable in this cycle point to more hard times ahead for the U.S. working class, which has endured stagnant and declining wages for the last three decades.

For those without a college degree or better, it has been a bloodbath.

The construction jobs will return, but we are seeing an unusually sharp drop in what is left of manufacturing and much of that drop will not be recovered when the recession ends, and much of what does remain will  be at lower wages with reduced fringe benefits.

IBEW Sees Future in Alternative Energy Jobs

MINNEAPOLIS - Darryl Thayer, a member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 292 in Minneapolis, hardly received a visionary’s welcome when he addressed the Minnesota legislature in 1968 about the need to develop solar energy and wean the state from fossil fuel-based sources. Worse yet, says Thayer, many of his fellow workers “thought I was nuts.” How climates have changed.

Forty-one years later, the legislature has a green energy task force. And Thayer, a 53-year member who teaches solar classes at Local 292’s apprenticeship training center is a hero to folks like Ray Zeran, one of 600 unemployed members who are looking to benefit from billions of dollars of state funds and federal stimulus money focused on renewable energy projects.

While Minnesota may appear to be an improbable generator of sun power, Nimlos says that the 45th parallel is primed for harnessing solar energy. Residing on a latitude similar to Germany’s, where solar power is well-developed, Minnesota’s lower temperatures keep panels operating at maximum efficiency. And the state’s clear skies make it competitive with Jacksonville, Fla., San Francisco and Houston.

IBEW participates in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities project which targets 25 metropolitan areas for sun power development. Thayer— who earned a B.A. in physics over 13 years working as a journeyman electrician and has nearly completed his master’s in engineering—has written a curriculum for the project. Fully half of all Minnesota solar installers who have achieved National Association of Certified Energy Practitioners qualifications are Local 292 members.

Minneapolis Local 292′s JATC has a waiting list for members to train in solar installation. Veteran member Darryl Thayer, kneeling, instructs Bradley Kanis, left, Claude Clavette. Instructor Kelley Benyo stands at right. A large solar panel is mounted outside the training center (below). Photos courtesy of The Electrical Worker

Wind power has been expanding rapidly in the southwest quadrant of Minnesota. Local 343, in the southeast, is aiming to be the labor supply of choice on wind projects. The local is completing a 60-foot climbing tower for practicing high-voltage safety, climbing and rescue procedures on turbines in conjunction with an NJATC wind power curriculum. Toft, who sets a priority on making IBEW-organized contractors more competitive in wind projects, expects to see 1,700 towers erected over the next few years.

The IBEW Minnesota State Council’s efforts to promote new training and encourage grassroots political activism to set high standards for renewable energy workers are returning results that could reach far into the future.

IBEW is supporting state legislation to include more money to cover the labor costs of relocating existing power lines to make way for new highway and rail projects that will be financed by the federal stimulus. The local is gearing up to provide labor from new needs. A state bill supported by environmentalists provides that one-half of all new parking facilities include outlets to charge electric vehicles.

In a state that mandates the licensing of electricians, IBEW is challenging the perception that solar and wind energy require entirely new careers. Local 292 Business Representative Dan McConnell meets with community college educators who are setting up renewable energy training. “I ask them what will happen to students who are only trained in renewable energy installations if the bubble bursts in any specific sector,” says McConnell.

McConnell proposes to educators and legislators that the demand for solar workers be filled by journeymen and apprentice electricians who receive supplementary training in how to properly design and angle panels and calculate their efficiency. “Solar panels are live when they come out of the box,” says McConnell. Safety should not be taken for granted. And better-trained workers, he says, “are far more recession-proof than workers trained exclusively on renewable installations.”

What Can a Union Do For You?

• Employees bargain with strength for wages, benefits and rights when they join together. That’s why it’s important to unionize.
• Under the employment at will doctrine, the cornerstone of American employment law, in general terms, unless you belong to a protected group, your employer has the right to discipline or terminate, with impunity, you for any reason — even a bad one — or for no reason at all. That’s why it is sometimes called the fire at will doctrine.
• However, with a collective bargaining agreement, you have rights. Management must have just cause for any disciplinary action taken against a union employee. You bargain over wages, health benefits, working conditions and a retirement plan for your future. But, you bargain collectively with the strength that comes from a collective voice.
• ITS ALWAYS wise to take full advantage of YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS.
• WITH A UNION, the employer must bargain and pay the wages negotiated.
• WITH A UNION, your rights on the job are spelled out and must be respected.
• WITH A UNION, you can stop abuses on the job. The union can prevent unjust and unfair treatment by giving you representation on the job and the right to file grievances if you are treated unfairly.
• WITH A UNION, you can negotiate for better holiday pay, vacations, health and welfare benefits, and job conditions.
• WITH A UNION, you have greater security on your job. Company management cannot fire you without good reason and they must respect your length of service if there are layoffs.