NULCA Questions

[1idejim]

Unfortunately you would likely have five unemployed locators rather than five organizers of a professional organization.

As I have said before such a group would be viewed as one step away from a union and the contract locate firms are vehemently anti-union.

Did you ever wonder why the contract locating firms are anti-union?

It is not becasue their firms will not get contracts from client companies as they could not care less. It is becasue the top officers jobs would be at risk.

A unionized company has a contract and in the contract pay scale and benefits are stated and legally binding. Lacking such a labor contract when the leaders of the firm make blunders that cost money they can cover the loss by cutting the pay of the employees. With a contract they cannot touch pay and benefits without first getting the contract amended. To cover losses they would have to cut their own pay and benefits, how many times have you seen this now?

If a locator gets a few damages they get their pay cut and if they get too many damages they get fired. A union contract would make the top people of the contract locate firms be on the same level of a locator. Too many blunders and they loose their jobs.

This is my less than humble opinion on why the contract locate companies do not want unions.

That the organization you describe would be a professional organization whose goal is to promote skilled employees and not to be a path to a union is of no matter. That it has the potential to become a union is the issue.

So you would have five locators unemployed and black listed in the industry.
I must ad that from my conversation with several people the SUE firms do not present this problem. So such an organization would need be formed by locators who are all employed by SUE firms.

on this subject i will post reply no more forever. this horse has been beaten enough. it's too bad that utility locators have no way to further their education, i was kinda counting on learning something or maybe getting a certification to go with the other liceneses i have. at least i know what riles a few of you, that was fun, now it's not


thanks for the reply, pro loc

[Mke]

hahahahah, I think Jim just hit to "DONE" button.

mke

[Mke]

the, not to whops

[ProfessionalLocator]

on this subject i will post reply no more forever. this horse has been beaten enough. it's too bad that utility locators have no way to further their education, i was kinda counting on learning something or maybe getting a certification to go with the other liceneses i have. at least i know what riles a few of you, that was fun, now it's not


thanks for the reply, pro loc

I wish I had something better to tell you but I did give my honest estimate fo the situation.

Such an organization can be formed but in must come from locators in the SUE field. Also locators working for municipalities, just about any locator not working for the contract locating companies.

Once such an organization got up and running then more locators working for the contract firms could join. Still at the beginning these locators cannot serve as leaders until the organization had grown large enough. So these later locator would need to have the option to not have their membership published.

So yes it would work and it is just a matter of how.

[ifinditunderground]

Such an organization wouldn't come out of the SUE side of this business.

[1idejim]

hahahahah, I think Jim just hit to "DONE" button.

mke

eye thjnk not there are more important issues to pursue for me.

i think i need to be specific, i'm not gonna post reply about national certifcation, and the needs for standardisation.

i'm not going away till i get what i came here for

and how are you fine gentelmen doing today?

[Mke]

Hey Jim,

I was just refering to this topic, I hope you weren't goint to leave because our incoherent babbble.

And please, feel free to post about national Certification on other threads..... this one may be dead, but others pop up. Hopefully more interesting.

mke

[GPGrasshopper]

Well, take a little break and you fellows get all riled up. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do to get caught up.

[yahoo]

welcome back GP!!!!

[GPGrasshopper]

welcome back GP!!!!

Thanks Yahoo. Been crazy for a while, but the weather lately is giving me a little free time.

[HWYRIPR]

What is it that NULCA provides to the everyday locator that would motivate a locator to sign up?

I understand a company, in which they work in a state like Virginia and the law requires each locator to be trained in applicable locating industry standards and practices no less stringent than the National Utility Locating Contractors Association's locator training standards and practices. The companies are forced to join NULCA or develop a curriculum that matches.

But what does NULCA do for locator? Not meant to sound like a sarcastic question, I'm asking a real question to those who may know.