Hey I was wondering if anyone from michigan knows of any road companies hiring. I applied and tested for local 324 operating engineer apprenticeship and got turned down for an interview. I have applied to a couple companies as a laborer but no responses. I am hoping I can find a road construction job with the 853 million obama is giving us. Any help is appreciated
Good luck, most companies still have their full time staff laid off. That 853 million is spread out over so many years that you will not see a lot of hiring for it. With any luck, it will keep most of us employed, but adding jobs, far from it. You can try the usual suspects. Dans, Tobe, Posen, Six S, Ca Hull, Cadilac Asphalt, and Ajax. I can tell you right off the top, Ajax is not very likely, know a person that overseas all of their Michigan plants, and I still havent been able to get in there. How many people where there for the apprenticeship test? I heard we took 80 new apprentices this year. From what I heard, there were not many there taking the test
ABC Paving in Trenton , or try Toebe construction. The season is here. Try the I-75 project downriver.. Go find the foreman on site and convince him you can do the job! What have you got to lose?
I've been told the road work stimulus stuff will keep those currently in the apprenticeship programs busy and the journeymen currently working to stay working. New guys running to the hall to join up as journeymen might as well not waste their time unless they personally know someone at a union outfit willing to put them right to work. Waiting on the journeymen out of work list right now would be depressing to say the least. I consider myself lucky to be an apprentice in times like this, there's only so many of us and there are apprentice requirements that need to be fulfilled so that helps keep us working. Our apprenticeship program out here is taking a few new apprentices this year, even with the slowdown they are anticipating a need for more but I don't know what that number is, I'm assuming less than 20 and they normally take 50. Last year out of the 50 new apprentices, 20 didn't go to work at all, they were anticipating a much busier year than it turned out to be. Now that I'm a 2nd year apprentice, I have dispatch priority over the first years. I did my time sitting on the out of work list last year until August waiting for all the advanced apprentices to go out before dispatch would even get started on my group of 50. I know what that's like and it sucks, but they told us the first year is the worst and I survived.
looking at the same thing my self in canada, ill be a new grad from a training school having a hard time both union and non union. good luck to you sir and the rest of us.
thats not true about the money being spread out over so many years. they have 6 months from the time they get the money to the time they have to award the contracts and start spending it. i think the local govt have a year.. but i do agree you wont see a ton of new job creation but a lot of people will keep there jobs...
last night on the news showed 650,000 lost jobs last month 104,000 of those were hard hats. So we will see what the lossed are in the next few months. they say we are not in a depression......(thining political so I will leave it at that)
I see the state is starting some new work, and as someone mentioned, the construction season is almost here, it will really kick off when frost laws are done. Keep your eyes open for new work and stop in to talk to a foreman. In this atmosphere, that's about the best way to hire in. Trying to get into 324 is almost impossible, always has been unless you have a relative already on the inside. The way Michigan's economy is right now is as bad as I've ever seen it since I went to work in the state in 1965. It was really bad in 1970 when I got out of the service, but I finally managed to get on with a paving contractor hauling concrete to a slipformer. Had to join the Teamster's though. I've also left the state to find work for jobs in Colorado, Texas, and Ontario. Left for good in 1979 and have never looked back, for work anyway. You might want to consider work in another industry.
Ya turbo i went to take the test and there was about 150 people and i think they were expecting 300 to be there and dam that sucks they accepted 80 and i still didn't make the short list. Try and get me a job in 324 as you are a member sir :usa
Work in Michigan is SLOW!! Even with a CCO, I'm still playing the waiting game. Then to top it off, we're right in the middle of the frost laws. Talked to one rental barn today and they said MAYBE in mid April...................Time will tell!