Boilermakers union

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Im thinking about joining the boilermakers union after highschool as i have a good connection with getting in and am wanting some opinions from some of yall on the union, pay scales, work hours, etc. Thanks
Reply:Pay scales will depend on where you are. It can go from 23 to 50 dollars an hour depending on what part of the country you are in.UA Local 598
Reply:You have chosen one of the best and strongest unions in the country! The pay does depend on what area you are in, but I guarantee you it is some of the best you will find. The hours will likely be extensive WHEN you are working. In the area I live in a man can expect to work somewhere in the neighborhood   of six to eight months a year. During those months you can only hope to be working 7-12’s. You hope for at least 6-10’s or 7-10’s, but the more hours you can work is better. You have to get it while you can, because you never know when or where the next job will be. That’s another thing; you should expect to be working out of town at least some of the time. I know this is sounding kind of iffy, but for me it has been the best job I have ever had!
Reply:Im in west ky, we have alot of plants in calvert city ky that always have alot of welding going on, as well as having 3 river ports and multiple dry docks.
Reply:Funny you should mention that, I'm also in W. KY and I can tell you that the Calvert plants are great but you cant count on them for a whole lot of work. If you are serious about being a Boilermaker, and you want to make a decent living you are going to have to venture out of the area.
Reply:How far out of our area do you have to go for work? How long are gone from home on a usual job?
Reply:You can typically go as far as you want, but you can make a decent living and stay fairly close. Quite a bit of our better work is on the Eastern end of the state. As an apprentice you will have to stay within your juristiction. Once you are topped out you can boom out of other locals within a closer area. Typically a job will last in the one to three month range. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. Western Ky is somewhat limited as far as Boilermaker work. Like I said before though, once you are topped out you will have the opportunity to work in Southern Illinois, Tennessee, and other areas that are a little closer. I hope this helps a little.
Reply:Kentucky must be different, although I'm not sure. In Indiana, Local #374, of which I am a member, our apprentices can boom out from the get go if they so desire.
Reply:Its does help a great deal, i like any opinions i can get im just having trouble deciding if i want to be gone from my family for those long a periods of time.
Reply:I will echo the previous posts, Im friends with a few Boilermakers...They show me tips from time to time...Work is typically 8 months a year, 12hrs a day. Pay is very good in Upstate New York, work is all over Christs' creation. Typically Shut-Downs. Work is Long and Hard, when you have it. Some of the best Welders I know of, are in the Boilermakers Union, with Obviously Local 7 being very good as well... ( Welders, Pipefitters, Plumbers )Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:I dont mind hard work, im a timber cutter/welder by trade so im no stranger to it. Bar197 what union are you in? like whats the union number?
Reply:one other thing they did not mention is that we have one of the best retirement packages out there if not the best 20 and out we count hrs worked and not years.it is a job where you can make a good living and feel god at the end of the day when you look back at what you accomplished.but it is not a job for the faint of heart be papered to work in many adverse conditions and at highs that make many think twice ...also with a host of characters who are rough around the edges but true to heart.After the arc has died the weld remains
Reply:I am a member of local 40 out of Elizabethtown. We are the only local in KY. If you live in KY and have so called connections you should know this.
Reply:You can also look into work with the UA (Steamfitters, Welders, Plumbers). In this area of the country, the UA work is more steady. Most that want to will work all year long.UA Local 598
Reply:bar197 i have never looked into the boilermakers union until now because it was just now mentioned to me so that is why i did not know. WHughes i would love to to be able to work year round which is what im looking for and is why im looking at the boilermakers because they have a awsome orginazation. I come from a family thats always had some financial troubles and even more so after the economy tanked and the union is a good way to ensure myself a steady living and a steady job.
Reply:everyone knows that boilermakers work crazy over time _when_ they work. And they go crazy out of town. A lot of them chase power plants. Never EVER turn down work!Ironworkers #24
Reply:Originally Posted by Weldin to liveIm thinking about joining the boilermakers union after highschool as i have a good connection with getting in and am wanting some opinions from some of yall on the union, pay scales, work hours, etc. Thanks
Reply:Originally Posted by bar197I am a member of local 40 out of Elizabethtown. We are the only local in KY. If you live in KY and have so called connections you should know this.
Reply:I have another question, ive been told that i should go to welding school first and then ive been told not to go and to just let the union teach me throughout my apprenticeship. What do you guys say i should do?
Reply:Yes sir, Paradise it is! As far as welding school goes I say you will be money ahead to know how to weld BEFORE you start your apprenticeship. The reason I say this is you will only have about 1 month of school/training per year during your apprenticeship. The rest is OTJ. What this means is the only time you will have to learn how to weld is either on the job (when you have time) or on your personal time while you are at home. Dont get me wrong, on the job is where you will learn the most valuble welding lessons, but starting from scratch like this is tough. Also, if you already know how to weld and can PASS a welding test you will have the opportunity to work a little more. Learn the basics first, and then really learn on the job throughout your career.
Reply:I already know how to weld, smaw, gmaw, all positions except pipe on a angle.I was more talkin about going to tech school for pipe welding.Last edited by Weldin to live; 02-23-2011 at 07:27 PM.
Reply:Well first thing you need to get straight is as a Boilermaker you will not be welding on pipe!  If you are PROFICIENT at welding plate, and I mean able to pass a three position plate test at the drop of a hat, then you just need to learn how to tig weld and learn to pass a TUBE test. To be honest most trade schools wont teach you this. All they want to teach is how to weld on damned ol pipe. I'm not saying that you could not benifet from pipe welding, but its not the same. Also, I am not bashing pipefitters, or pipe welding, I'm just saying pipe welding and tube welding are very different.
Reply:I dont know how to tig so i do need to learn that, as far as plate welding i am good but have definent room for improvement. I may go to welding school for the industrial structure course because it seems like that would help me from what yallve told me.
Reply:Yall have been a great deal of help, ive been reading about the union, researched the local 40 in E-Town and the whole 9 yards but i have the question of how hard is it to be accepted after putting in my application?
Reply:Contact your local pipefitters hall. The UA has a 16 week welding program. Ask them about it. You would be a good candidate.UA Local 598The Boilermakers Trade is dying a slow, painful death.The Pension is severly underfunded and all raises are going to shore it up with additional dollars being deducted from the hourly rate to shore up this Ponzi Scheme pension.  Look for pension default in the next couple of years.  Do you actually READ those pension statements from the Boilermakers?  I do and so does my financial planner. The pension is insolvent and with the lack of work, people quitting the trade and massive numbers of new retiries....it is destined to fail very soon. Corruption is rampant.  Kickbacks, dues increases, indictments, embezzlement, Union big shots travling to Vegas, Hawaii, Florida for gold outings while the memberships starves. Do a google:  'Boilermakers Union Indictment' or 'Boilermakers Union Corruption' and see what you get.  These goons are robbing the membership blind. Lack of Work is and has been the rule since 0bama got elected and started destroying the Coal industry.  Coal plants are shutting down left and right and the ones still running are not going to put any money in them due to the possibility the EPA may force them to close.  The Boilermakers continue to support the 0bama administration despite the members starving and leaving in droves.  My local has lost dozens in the past years and these are good hands we've lost due to lack of work.  The worthless slugs are all that are left as they have noplace else to go as nobody will hire them. The Boilermakers Union is full of drunks, drug addicts, convicted felons and free masons who take care of other free masons and family members.  How do I know this?  I was a Boilermaker for 25 years and it was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.  Nothing but regrets.  You're doing this kid a diservice by telling him to join this horrible, rotten, toxic, corrupt organization.  I suggest the Pipefitters and specialize in TECHNICAL aspects of that trade like controls, HVAC, etc.  Good luck.
Reply:You asked for opinions.I'm going to go in the other direction on this thread.  I don't believe in doctrine of trade unions. Collective bargaining reeks of corruption and socialist values. A union will not live without a business to leach off of. It is a parasitic arrangement. The host (business) will thrive without a union but the parasite (union) will wither and die without the host. A union can't give you anything that the company doesn't offer to the union.The fish is only to see the bait, never the hook.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:Originally Posted by PangeaYou asked for opinions.I'm going to go in the other direction on this thread.  I don't believe in doctrine of trade unions. Collective bargaining reeks of corruption and socialist values. A union will not live without a business to leach off of. It is a parasitic arrangement. The host (business) will thrive without a union but the parasite (union) will wither and die without the host. A union can't give you anything that the company doesn't offer to the union.The fish is only to see the bait, never the hook.
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesYou are terribly uneducated about trade unions.Bill
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesYou are terribly uneducated about trade unions.Bill
Reply:Hello RetiredBoilermaker, welcome to the forum. And if you think the boilermakers are corupt, you obviously never knew any teamsters. The teamsters is the age old fecal matter, at the very bottom, that the sucker truck can't remove from a septic tank! Coruption.........hahaha, the boilermakers have NOTHING on the teamsters! Again, welcome aboard!And I also agree with you, Pangea."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Just a question, but what's with the bar 197 stuff?
Reply:Originally Posted by RetiredBoilermakerI'm not as I was member of the Boilermakers for 25 years.  It's a horrible, rotten trade with rotten people for the most part.  I've never worked with so many convicted felons in my life.  It's a an inmate dumping ground for losers, drug addicts and drunks. If you don't have a family connection, you'll never make a dcent living.  You'll be away from home for months living in fleabag motels in horrible rundown areas.  Paying for it all yourself as per diem is VERY rare.    You won't make much money traveling either because you'll be paying for ALL travel out of your own pocket and you'll destroy a car with 30,000 miles a year.  No mileage or travel pay either.   Then deduct the confiscatory union dues which will be about $5000 or more per year.  Substandard health insurance also despite paying way over market rate.  It's an organization run by crooks and thieves.Plus there is next to no work or not enough to keep half the membership working for even 6 months a year.  There's been next to nothing in regards to work since 2008 and it's not getting any better with all the coal power plants closing.KHere's a few good ones for you.  We had a local Nuke plant outage and they needed about 50 Boilermakers.  We couldn't even man the job because most of our members could not pass the background checks!  Not to mention the ones that failed the drug screens.  Then there was the Canadian local from Edmonton who tried to reqruit USA  Boilermakers to work in the oil sands.  They would pay transportation, meals, a place to stay, etc.  Out of the 35 guys in my local who filled out the paperwork, only SEVEN were allowed to cross the border into Canada due to criminal records or DUI's.  This IS the Boilermakers in 2012.
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446Wait a minute. I have to disagree with some of what he says, but he is right in some aspect of things.And if your local was so bad, what local are you from? Id like to know
Reply:I have to disagree with most of your last post bud. maybe in your local thats hoe it goes, and yes we have some drunks, and drugies, but they absolutely dont pass boose or drugs around the break trailer. Not where im from or any jobs ive been on. Ive never been run off a job by a plant. and safety is still not 100% percent and accidents happen, But we dont work in a pillow factory! And just for your knowledge, i dont drink ( only one or two with a nice meal) not to get drunk. The most ive ever done is tried pot, i take perscriptions when prescribe to me when i have pain(mostly back fro carrying lazy ****s)   and as far as the accidents, they happen, but i dont know if youve noticed that most accidents are from negligence, either in part of the person injured or the person who rigged etc.We are not all bad horrible drunk drug addicts, and i kinda take offense to that, because i take alot of pride in my work, and i work. I hate dead wood, and hate people that stand there and wont work because it not safe because of this this this this this and this, but wont do anything to correct the issue, just bitch about it.are you one of those boilerfakers?
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446I have to disagree with most of your last post bud. maybe in your local thats hoe it goes, and yes we have some drunks, and drugies, but they absolutely dont pass boose or drugs around the break trailer. Not where im from or any jobs ive been on. Ive never been run off a job by a plant. and safety is still not 100% percent and accidents happen, But we dont work in a pillow factory! And just for your knowledge, i dont drink ( only one or two with a nice meal) not to get drunk. The most ive ever done is tried pot, i take perscriptions when prescribe to me when i have pain(mostly back fro carrying lazy ****s)   and as far as the accidents, they happen, but i dont know if youve noticed that most accidents are from negligence, either in part of the person injured or the person who rigged etc.We are not all bad horrible drunk drug addicts, and i kinda take offense to that, because i take alot of pride in my work, and i work. I hate dead wood, and hate people that stand there and wont work because it not safe because of this this this this this and this, but wont do anything to correct the issue, just bitch about it.are you one of those boilerfakers?
Reply:How are they getting guys past the drug screenings? Most companies make people take a drug test. Being a a business owner I have had a lot of run ins with the Unions. They can be just awful to deal with. I had another company before this one that I had to close and one of the reasons is that I was basically forced to sign an agreement. I could never afford to pay the wages they wanted me too, and on top of that I would have a job that had three guys on it and then they would come buy and tell me I needed two more guys on the job. This after the job was quoted and secured. WTF. Anyhow, I plan now on reentering the workforce as an employee but in this area all of the work is pretty much union. Any job that pays anything is union. The few jobs that are not union have very low wages and poor (if any) benefits. Whats a welder to do if they dont want to be in a union?Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:west ky huh, looks like i'll be seeing you work out of local 154 in pittsburgh in the future. Seems that when our list get exhausted every member from OH and KY make their way to the jobs..haha. Its a good job though. Don't get hung up on the welding aspect of it. You do NEED to be a good welder and get your certs but there is SO much more than just welding.Wow i don't know what kind of jobs you guys have been on. I won't deny that we have drunks, convicts, and drug addicts in the local. I can't attest to the travel aspect as work out of our local is pretty secure right now and i haven't had the need to boom out. But our conditions on the job are fairly good all things considered. The laborers keep the trailers pretty clean, the plants have built heated and a/c shantys on the job for us to break in with plenty of vending machines. I guess its all where you work, you may say Pittsburgh is the worst but considering our local is one of the biggest its all relevant. Local xxx may have 10 felons, 2 drunks and 1 drug addict but only have 200 members, where as PGH might have 100 felons, 20 drunks, and 10 drug addicts but have over 2k members. So is it really different?Last edited by claymans13; 01-29-2012 at 11:55 AM.ESAB MigMaster 275Miller Econotwin HFMiller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Originally Posted by PangeaYeah, probably. (Pangea makes jagoff motion). Represented for 3 years by UAW and 8 years by IAM.  You have your opinion; which I think is wrong, and I have mine.You have a nice day now.
Reply:Originally Posted by RetiredBoilermaker I was a boilermaker when you were just a semen stain on the bed in the cheap hotel room where your Boilermaker daddy fathered you.
Reply:Originally Posted by CapozzoliHow are they getting guys past the drug screenings? Most companies make people take a drug test. Whats a welder to do if they dont want to be in a union?
Reply:Its mostly hair now. If it isnt all hair, it will be soon. No way around a hair test.Welding everything, from the crack of dawn to a broken heart.
Reply:Originally Posted by RetiredBoilermakerLet me tell you something son.  I have more years in this trade then you've been alive.  I was a boilermaker when you were just a semen stain on the bed in the cheap hotel room where your Boilermaker daddy fathered you.  You don't know squat as I'm sure you work less than 800 hours a year being from Oswego.  I suggest you go back and read the post little boy.  I said the trailer smelled like Jack Daniels and weed as they go get stoned and wasted (lunch time) and YES, they pass loritabs around on the job and they also sell drugs on the job.  As a young, 25 year old Boilermaker from Oswego, you have not seen sqaut.  I've also worked with lots of flunkies from your local and they were some of the worst, toothless losers I've ever met.  Many of them never even completed the apprencticeship and your union hall looks like a run down S*ithole.  As far as "accidents" just happening?  Make sure you tell that to the safety guy on the next nuke or refinery job and see how long before they run your *** down the road. The rigging accidents are caused by stoned drunk losers who are being pushed by stoned drunk foreman that are getting bonuses to get the job done faster.  You do know that the union foreman get bonuses, don't you?I hope you're not counting on that pension for retirement because its not going to be there son.  Everything you are paying into it (which is not much as I'm sure you're whole local is unemployed right now) is going out to pay retires like ME.  Keep listening to those guys at the hall telling you how great the pension is because you're never going to see a dime of it.Now get in that hole and grind that slag off the tubes.  Don't worry about the asbestos either.  You don't need a confined space monitor or hole watch.  Nobody ever gets hurt because Union means SAFE.I did know some very fine people in the Boilermakers over the years but the losers far outnumbered them for sure.  The thing that really ticked me off was how they covered up for the flunkies who were stoned and drunk all the time.  It was sickening and the plants are not putting up with it these days.  It might explain why the Boilermaker trade has very little work and is losing more work each year.  The Boilermakers are still oeperating like it's the 1960's when it comes to hiring losers.  They need to attract a better quality of people or they will perish.  I doubt there will even be a Boilermaker trade in the next 10 years or so.  Probably merge them with various other trades like Ironworkers and Steamfitters.  As soon as the Boilermakers pension goes broke, that is when it will happen.  Just my opinion.  Now get in that hole and SPREAD THOSE F-ing TUBES!
Reply:Originally Posted by RetiredBoilermakerThe Boilermakers Trade is dying a slow, painful death.The Pension is severly underfunded and all raises are going to shore it up with additional dollars being deducted from the hourly rate to shore up this Ponzi Scheme pension.  Look for pension default in the next couple of years.  Do you actually READ those pension statements from the Boilermakers?  I do and so does my financial planner. The pension is insolvent and with the lack of work, people quitting the trade and massive numbers of new retiries....it is destined to fail very soon. Corruption is rampant.  Kickbacks, dues increases, indictments, embezzlement, Union big shots travling to Vegas, Hawaii, Florida for gold outings while the memberships starves. Do a google:  'Boilermakers Union Indictment' or 'Boilermakers Union Corruption' and see what you get.  These goons are robbing the membership blind. Lack of Work is and has been the rule since 0bama got elected and started destroying the Coal industry.  Coal plants are shutting down left and right and the ones still running are not going to put any money in them due to the possibility the EPA may force them to close.  The Boilermakers continue to support the 0bama administration despite the members starving and leaving in droves.  My local has lost dozens in the past years and these are good hands we've lost due to lack of work.  The worthless slugs are all that are left as they have noplace else to go as nobody will hire them. The Boilermakers Union is full of drunks, drug addicts, convicted felons and free masons who take care of other free masons and family members.  How do I know this?  I was a Boilermaker for 25 years and it was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.  Nothing but regrets.  You're doing this kid a diservice by telling him to join this horrible, rotten, toxic, corrupt organization.  I suggest the Pipefitters and specialize in TECHNICAL aspects of that trade like controls, HVAC, etc.  Good luck.
Reply:Originally Posted by WHughesYou are terribly uneducated about trade unions.Bill
Reply:hair or swab testing is the new deal. and If you wanna witness my drug test, you can come hold it for me big fella. Cause i can pass any test, anytime.
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446I have to disagree with most of your last post bud. maybe in your local thats hoe it goes, and yes we have some drunks, and drugies, but they absolutely dont pass boose or drugs around the break trailer. Not where im from or any jobs ive been on. Ive never been run off a job by a plant. and safety is still not 100% percent and accidents happen, But we dont work in a pillow factory! And just for your knowledge, i dont drink ( only one or two with a nice meal) not to get drunk. The most ive ever done is tried pot, i take perscriptions when prescribe to me when i have pain(mostly back fro carrying lazy ****s)   and as far as the accidents, they happen, but i dont know if youve noticed that most accidents are from negligence, either in part of the person injured or the person who rigged etc.We are not all bad horrible drunk drug addicts, and i kinda take offense to that, because i take alot of pride in my work, and i work. I hate dead wood, and hate people that stand there and wont work because it not safe because of this this this this this and this, but wont do anything to correct the issue, just bitch about it.are you one of those boilerfakers?
Reply:Originally Posted by Sparky#1How does somebody that;s so disgruntled stay in a trade for 25 yrs ? Also their could be 2 sides to this story !!!
Reply:Originally Posted by astaindsoul5446There are lots of guys like him man, we deal with it every job. You just learn to ignore it and keep working.
Reply:Originally Posted by RetiredBoilermakerDrug tests are a total joke in the Boilermakers as the tests are not witnessed.  They sell fake urine kits with built in heaters on them set to body temp.  I've known boilermakers who have their own small children pee in the cup for them.  If the contractors did real drug testing, the Boilermakers would never be able to man any jobs, anywhere.  Same goes for criminal background checks.  To be hired direct by a utility, the prospective employee must pass rigorous criminal background checks.  The same utility is strong armed by the unions and politicians to allow felons on facility property fro outage work.  I know for a fact that the faclity owners are getting very tired of the poor quality of people coming into thier plants.  I'll say it again; if the boilermakers don't start attracting better quality people, they will continue to decline.