Millwrights unite?

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So I dropped my apprenticeship application off at the millwright local today and wondered how many forum members pay their dues to this union. Good experience? Bad? I hear a lot about weldors who are pipefitters or ironworkers but not many millwrights. Oh, and I fully expect good-natured (or not so much?) insults will be thrown around when the issue of union experience comes up so please let fly if you think it'll help an aspiring apprentice. Hornets nest=kicked.
Reply:I have worked as a permit welder for my local Millwrights Union a few times. I made good $$ at those jobs. I'm still on their board as a permit welder but I'm a full member of the ironworkers Union and the steady work with them has forced me to turn down the last few calls for the Millwrights. A millwright apprenticeship is a good thing. If that hall has lots of work in your area, you can't go wrong.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Thanks for the reply! What do you enjoy about millwright work?
Reply:Oh, I should also mention that I'll be submitting an application to the ua local 159 in martinez, ca on Monday. Gotta admit, the work seems steadier and opportunities to weld more a guarantee with the pipefitters. Is that accurate, do you think? I'd be delighted with any opportunity to learn a trade though.
Reply:I'm a union millwright (apprentice).     This is definitely the career for me, as it encompasses most of the things I enjoy doing, like fab work, turning bolts, heavy rigging, and precision work.   Don't expect to be rebuilding gearboxes and aligning drives everyday though, there will be boring, mind-numbing repetitive **** quite often.    (be prepared to torch, zip-cut and grind steel for 8 hours a day, lol)  The important thing is to keep busy.  I'm lucky enough to have a few power plants and car plants in my jurisdiction, so we stay fairly busy and make a lot of money.   As far as welding goes, there are many opportunities in the field.   Most guys have the typical all-position stick ticket, which is good for most of what we do.   If you want to get a tig ticket or two, you can do a lot of stainless in food plants (stainless stick too!) and even get into stuff like crack repair on turbine jobs and the such.    Don't pick a millwright career based solely on welding though, its not the real focus of what we do.  If you want to weld pipe, join the pipefitters.  If you want to weld structural, join the ironworkers.   If you want to work on machinery and enjoy a variety of different welding jobs, the millwrights would be a great choice!
Reply:Thanks for the input folks. Looks like both comments came from Ontario. Anyone from the states/California have insight on the topic too? I imagine it's a whole different ballgame.
Reply:I served my Millwright apprenticeship in Local 102. The hall was in Oakland back then. I liked installing conveyors. The precision work in the oil refineries in the Bay Area was not my cup of tea! When I moved to the Seattle area, the Iron Workers had all the fun work that the Millwrights did in the Bay Area, so I switched to the Pile Drivers union. That was more my style, loved playing with big cranes! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Don't know if it's recently changed but on the west coast here, most of the millwright's heavy rigging and welding was done by boilermakers working on composite crews with them.  Never really saw millwrighting as a welding trade.  A good combination of interesting fabwork and welding would be the boilermakers (if you can handle tight and dirty).
Reply:Oh yeah, old sparks? Wouldn't mind boilermaker either. Don't mind much if i'm learning a skill. Thing is, I heard they want you to have some welding skills pre-apprentice in the boilermakers- or anyway, that's what i heard about a bay area local. I'm kind of a noob. What do you think?
Reply:All the millwrights around here work in the mines. The local is partnered with the carpenters union and they are basically carpenters trained as machinists/welders. They handle the daily plant maintenance that doesn't require electricians. Good money, good benefits, good pensions.
Reply:Sounds like a solid job. What area are you in?  Originally Posted by ironmangqAll the millwrights around here work in the mines. The local is partnered with the carpenters union and they are basically carpenters trained as machinists/welders. They handle the daily plant maintenance that doesn't require electricians. Good money, good benefits, good pensions.
Reply:Ended up making my way back to a lumber mill where I am now a millwright. For the most part I just do the welding a fabricating portion but I can't complain with this job. Although it's not union.
Reply:So far, applications for apprenticeship filed with the millwrights, steamfitters and sheet metal workers.
Reply:Good luck!
Reply:Thanks! Told I'm 46th on the millwright  list. How long did it take to get the process started after your application submission?
Reply:That means your number 46 on the list to go to work. When the halls calls is dependent on how much work is currently happening within your locals jurisdiction. Your dispatch contact can sometimes tell you how busy it is.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Originally Posted by Naj501How long did it take to get the process started after your application submission?
Reply:Millwright wouldn't be a bad trade because it encompasses a bunch of different trades so there's more variety of work.
Reply:My thinking exactly. Just hope there's enough work.