Show your Union logo and skill

Do the difference in colors represent anything?

 

The same union, operate and maintain plant operations. I don’t know where my Chief got it, maybe when he attended St Patrick’s day parade

 

Unions aren t like they used to be. At least the ones I deal with. Sht has gotten really flakey.

 

What he said.

 

20 years and retired. The company I worked for closed in 2006, they sold out and I put the lock on the gate when I left !! A few more years would have been good to increase my pension. Have made many good friends there.

 

Communications Workers of America. I primarily chase degraded phone calls through my company's network.

I don't always agree with the union's decision making and occasional bravado of some of the leadership, but I know in the union/corporate relationship it's kind of a necessity and I appreciate being a part of it.

I have no idea where most of my 21 years of dues have gone, though...lol

 

was CWA for 5years while working at AT&T. Man they started surplussing and cutting Service tech and facility tech jobs, so I went ahead and made the jump to the power side while I could do it on my terms

 

The old man worked underground for 28 years - probably hated every day of it, but it was a job in a place where jobs were scarce and it supported our family. When I turned 18, he made damn sure I never considered working in a mine. Took me down there one day and showed me the shit conditions I'd be working in - took me about 30 minutes to realize how bad the job really was and why unions are still needed. If you think operators wouldn't completely ignore every safety regulation on the books or completely screw their workers over in a heartbeat - you never spent a second in a deep mine.

Funny thing is - as much as he hated that place, his co-workers were a completely different story. Every day it was a different story from someone he worked with telling me the latest prank or stunt he pulled. Never anything really mean spirited (unless someone from the company did something to piss them off - company men were frequent targets). Just taking lunch buckets and wrapping them a few dozen layers of electrical tape, greasing up the phones and telling someone they had a call or little things like that. We had this logo put on his headstone.

Not too many left in this profession - its a dying industry these days and the few that are left are mostly non union. Still this industry employed countless thousands in Appalachia for better than a century.

 

That matched my experience 100%. Was a College kid working in a Cannery as a summer job. A few years over summers and I’m gone. They took their $30-40 a month and up for zip. I had no choice but to join and pay, utter BS imo. If they had any honor or civic tendencies they would have waived their dues for seasonal college kids. A bunch of money grubbing a holes in my experience. But at least I am a lifetime member of the teamsters, lol, which is embarrassing to admit for me. In those days, my total summer dues were equal to a terms college tuition, a big deal for me at that time.

For those in situations that needed them, more power to you and I am happy for that. All I wanted was a choice. I have never since and will never give anything connected to a union a penny. They already took enough from me when I had nothing and no chance of ever getting anything from the Union.

 

Not a union. I retired a couple years ago when I turned 56, but if I was still working this would be my thing!

 

After my last contract negotiations I am no longer on board with my union (Local 447 machinest). They decided to change our retirement from 30 years and out at full pension, to age 65 yrs old and out at full pension. If I decide to retire before 65 I take a reduced pension which is cut in half from what it would be at 65 yrs old. I was retiring at 56 yrs old. I'm 48 now with 22 years in, that would have meant I would have only had 8 more years to go to retire. But, now I have to go another 17 yrs. That puts me at 39 years of doing manual labor. So I no longer participate in any union activities, meeting, or even future negotiations. My take on the contracts is they are signed sealed and delivered before the member meetings even take place. The negotiation meeting is just a formality that the union has to front. NOT A HAPPY CAMPER

 

I'm an IBEW inside wireman out of 413. I moved out of the area and haven't worked out of the hall in quite a few years now but I carry my card and stay in good standing. Its a small local, I grew up in it. They'll always be like family to me.

 

I do aerospace stuff

Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.

 

Journeyman hydro wireman, bringing power to the people.

 

Local 132 Utility worker here, natural gas as well!

 

This is the only example of ours that I can find on the internet (NOT mine).

 

Ah, cool. My brethren. Lol. I worked for a Bell, then Verizon, and now a smaller outfit. Telcom is a volatile industry. Someone always wanting to buy you out.

If you did outside work, then you would probably know what I mean when I say I'm a special services circuit tester. I've basically done all levels of transmission lines at one point or another, but the past 10 years or so has been 90% switch work. This aging network is becoming a real pain though.

 

My machinist union was same way. They have degraded the retirement system to shyt. It s 401k with mine. So I get to put my part into the stock market, and gamble that I ll make enough for a decent retirement. If I want to gamble for profit I d rather go to a casino.

 

Teamster here. Union is the reason I make what I do, and have the benefits I do. Other wise, it’s pretty pointless. Tends to feed off the weak and hurt the strong.

 

I hear ya my brother. The unions today are nothing like the unions of the past. They are afraid of the big corporations that drive industry, like mine (Caterpillar). They won't stand up for the union members anymore. they may push but they don't SHOVE when it comes to contract negotiations. Sad, 22years in the union, my whole family was union and they got out unscaved. But I am the one that is suffering, the last of the family union members. I at least have the pension, whats left of it anyway and I do have a 401K that the my company set up for us union members, but they don't contribute, the members contribute what they can afford. I put 20% of my weekly pay into that 401K and yes it is a gamble.

 

I was told my my company that they really wish they could pay us members what we are actually worth. Because some of us are worth WAY more than we are being paid. Thats a union thing i am told and they cant do anything about it. But they wish they could. And I agree with them

 

Journeyman Lineman






Local 769

 

Local 94. HV Line- awesome job and great bunch. Storm duty can get nuts but it is rewarding.