Union pay rate

**6feetunder** · April 28th, 2009, 09:38 PM

Just curious if anyone knows what those union USIC employees are making? I know our normal starting rate is 11 - 12 and the average pay of all combined is probably around 12.75. Just curious as to how much of a pay difference in union vs. non-union.

**yahoo** · April 28th, 2009, 10:31 PM

i am curious to know too????

**Lucky219** · April 28th, 2009, 10:48 PM

Start @ $12 and top out @ $18.50. Plus the guys will still get their pay raise and vacation time here in the Carolina's

**RoadMap** · April 29th, 2009, 12:36 AM

Wow 18.50? A big cut in pay for me. I hope we never go union. I recently got into an argument with another locator who wanted to be union in this job. He thought since he did the same job as me we should be paid the same. But as I explained to him I have been here 15 years longer than him and do 3 times the work. But to him that did not matter. Typical union minded worker!!!

**6feetunder** · April 29th, 2009, 08:02 PM

I think our highest paid tech is right around 18, @ about 10years in, but I think around 3/4 of the entire district is at 12 or a little under. How are the production requirements and what is your typical employee workload like? The one consistent thing here is an overloaded under staffed work force constantly under threat of being fired for some garbage policy. I'm curious if the union has benefited the employees at all as far as treatment, expectations, pay and all that good stuff?

**sprayandpray** · April 30th, 2009, 12:01 AM

All I know is the Fed Gov't has set the Poverty line at $10 per hr now - I don't know how these new guys are making it today on $11. Maybe that's why nearly all of our newbies are quitting so fast - 5 in the last three weeks. That has to work out to about $15 Grand in training expenses just pissed away.

**flagsrme** · April 30th, 2009, 07:58 AM

$18.50 is about $3.00 more then our senior tech. that has been here 12yrs. hummm makes me think???

**beyond help** · April 30th, 2009, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by flagsrme

$18.50 is about $3.00 more then our senior tech. that has been here 12yrs. hummm makes me think???

Senior locators around here are around $18 or so.

**USIC1** · April 30th, 2009, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by sprayandpray

All I know is the Fed Gov't has set the Poverty line at $10 per hr now - I don't know how these new guys are making it today on $11. Maybe that's why nearly all of our newbies are quitting so fast - 5 in the last three weeks. That has to work out to about $15 Grand in training expenses just pissed away.

21 century corporate philosophy- less personnel, more hours, less pay...

Geez!?!? Spray dont tell me you aint noticed???

**2RUDE** · April 30th, 2009, 09:23 PM

6feetunder, PM me and I'll forward you some information.

**Lucky219** · April 30th, 2009, 10:26 PM

The union can't keep you from being fired for cuts or even production all it does is make sure that the DM has all the documentation and not dreamed up stuff before your let go. Like any company the payroll is the biggest expense they have but if you have a contract that says you get a pay raise you get it, same with vacation or anything that is in the contract. The company must figure that it is easier to train people, suffer through damages and keep the good hands they have stressed with more than they can do. Our guys are starting to get over loaded with tickets but there are no plans to hire for now.

**TBONE** · April 30th, 2009, 10:57 PM

Ahh another union topic ..........I myself am union and have always been so I know no different than what I have always had

**sprayandpray** · April 30th, 2009, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by USIC1

21 century corporate philosophy- less personnel, more hours, less pay...

Geez!?!? Spray dont tell me you aint noticed???

It hasn't effected me and we have guys making over $20 an hour here. The CWA locators that were just canned by Verizon, with the CWA's blessings, were only making $15.00 top pay.

**RedShoes1978** · May 5th, 2009, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by sprayandpray

It hasn't effected me and we have guys making over $20 an hour here. The CWA locators that were just canned by Verizon, with the CWA's blessings, were only making $15.00 top pay.

that did happen to those guys.. Look im not gonna stir up anything. I am a union locator, and I have worked non union for over 7 years and have been union for 4 and I will stay on this side of the line. Some guys pump their chest about making 20 an hour but here is what you have to factor in. My medical and dental for me and my wife and my kids all come up to about 54 bucks a month. I make 18.03 an hour do the math.

While I was at non union ELM locating I was making 16 an hour but was paying nearly 400 bucks a month in healthcare. it shakes out. the union is more than just hiking up wages but it also about keeping things fair. I seen ELM fire guys for nothing, a 8 pair phone drop. And I also seen the State Managers brother in Law walk away from a 900 pair hit that put out an entire sub division.

I do believe there are good and bad in it all, but if you put it on a plate union locators do very well for themselves. Non Union outfits pay great because of unions. When i first got started i made 9.00 an hour, the union showed up trying to organize we had a Friday meeting how the company was giving everyone a 1.50 "cost of living raise" ..dont let them fool you non union and union companies are in for the money. and non union companies will do anything to keep unions out the door. Including lying and cheating. the couple dollars that they pay you, they will get it back in the long run.

difference is non union companies dont have to deal with employees, union companies do

**Mke** · May 5th, 2009, 10:04 AM

RedShoes is right. It makes no difference, union or non-union we are all crapped on. Some of us just get paid better.

I'm Non-Union but make upwards of $20 for my meager 9yrs of experience. (and yes full bennies.)

The only difference I see is how the Unions cover the ass of the workers that don't pull their weight. Around here, the utilities that still preform their own locates use the locating job as a pre-retirement position. All the old Union guys with a couple of years left waltz in and pretend to locate. I've watched a Electric locator Eye ball a 12.5KV line for a fence install, and when the Power company was contacted they didn't even slap his hand. If it was me or another non-union guy...we'd still be getting our butt chewed.

Besides, the locating industry is too divided to unionize. Each company is out there to make money and the last thing they want to do is be locked down to a specific pay structure and benifit plan. How would they undercut bids if they had to pay more to the employee's?