Hey guys im new to this site and was wondering if i could get some opinions. this is kinda of long but here it is from the beginning. i worked in a shop for a construction company for a year, non union company and i worked on trucks as i learned at UTI. they didnt pay good at at all so after applying and interviewing around i took a job at a rental company in which was a iuoe 825 shop. after about 6 months i was asked to take an interview to work in the shop of a dealership of the same equipment. i took the job and have been there for a little while. i am still young with little experience and obviously as the young guy i load and unload all the equipment and i am very comfortable moving and operating the equipment. but unfortunately have no experience with putting a bucket in the dirt or actually working in a machine. i was wondering what i would have to do to upgrade my book to be a field operator and wondering your guys opinions if you think i might do ok or anyone would be patient with me learning it better etc... honest opinions. and also i had not been in any machine until a year ago and can operate very comfortably.
Person you need to be talking to is your union shop steward. They will have the answers you need on upgrading your status or be able to put in touch with the right person.
i know i should talk to him first but i just want to make sure im not jumping into something that i dont really have a chance at. i dont want to talk to him and him tell my service manager that im looking to leave the company. that can go either way with him. he is a local 825 retired guy himself but could at the same time get upset im even considering leaving. i dont want it to bite me in the ass and be stuck in a ****** situation. thank you for the reply im just looking more for an opinion on my situation than what steps to take.
I too am a member of Local 825 since 1976. Becoming a good operator involves 1) SAFETY, yea I know the drill, "hard hat; safety glasses; vest and safety shoes". NO, I mean THINK before you act. Not only what you can do to property and other people...what can you do to YOU, I have seen the results and remember "what has been seen, cannot be unseen", use your imagination. 2) Experience, how to do the work...it takes a long time for this one, KEEP NOTES EVERT DAY, what are you doing, how do the other trades set-up and take-down the operation, Heavy Laborers 472/172 are some of the smartest men I have had the pleasure to work with. A good pipe/utility foreman is a marvel to behold. Experience is knowing what will happen when you pull that lever, think about that for a few minutes, some times it aint what you expect, have a plan B. 3) TAKE YOUR TIME, with practice comes speed. Watch other operators, what tricks do they use. 4) Become familiar with how the work is done. 825 has a great school with Members as teachers in Cranbury, you can see it from the Turnpike. 5) GET YOUR CCO for cranes; ALL cranes. 6) Become active in the Local, a lot of good men and knowledge there use it. 7) Get to know the Business Agents, don't be a pain in the ass, but be friendly they work on your behalf. And finally, field mechanics are needed and work all the time. Check with you Business Agent for payment for trucks and supplies. Bob
thank you for your reply Bob. that is helpful and i am looking more into trying to get to know other members, meetings and such. i am very cautious just moving the equipment around the yard. there is a guy at work who is going out of his way to help me out and keep me learning always throwing me in a machine and walking me through any situation ive never been in. also i was a union carpenter before i went to UTI but was in interior systems so watching how other trades work will be a new thing in the field. i have been around them but not worked with other trades in the field outside of a building. i also am more on the cautious side of safety but obviously not familiar with machines in an actual working environment. in your honest opinion from my little experience would you be able to say whether the upgrade is something that someone with as little experience would be worth trying and possibly starting problems with my service manager over?
First, you have a Mentor, you are lucky, listen to his advise and direction. I had the great good fortune to work for extremely smart men, Jim Hamill (S.J. Groves & Schiavone), Joe Fox (Conduit & Foundation), Joe Iorio (Brewster & Younkers) and Joe Fitzpatrick and Danny Redmond (Conduit & Foundation) not to forget Hank Adams & Pete Schneidkraut at Kiewit I treasure their friendships and am very glad to call them friends, but I also worked with MANY great tradesmen famous and infamous. Second, winter is coming, stay inside where it is warm. Learn, keep notes and stay warm. Bob
Your best way to learn how to run construction equipment is to get into an IUOE apprenticeship program. Those programs are awesome to say the least. Have you read everything Local 825 has on their website ? They, like most IUOE Locals have a three year apprenticeship program. It would help if know someone who has been a long time member to give you a reference for them.
The original poster says he is already a member of the local, but the shop branch, not outside construction. So, he is an actual member, but one that works in a shop for a dealer, not outside for a contractor. I would try first to upgrade to the outside, rather than go through the program. Unless they changed it, it's a four year program, and if the work gets slow, it will be more than that. And apprentices get paid a fraction of the rate. He says his experience is all as a mechanic, I don't know if they have the demand for them that they used to, but if they do, that might be a way to upgrade? To the original poster, I would attend any union meetings you can to hear the latest information. The only other advice I could think of is to ask Greg the business manager, I think he's the person most qualified to answer your questions and point you in the proper direction. He attends almost every meeting, just introduce yourself to him sometime after a meeting. He's a nice guy to talk to, and he can give you more accurate information than we can on the internet.