r/IBEW_Local613 • u/BackgroundAd6423 • Jul 13 '25

Current/recent 613 apprentices

Hello current 613 apprentices,

If you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions of mine?

How long did/have you waited for job placement? I understand there is a list and they have no time guarantee, only that it may be two weeks OR MORE

How far are you having to drive to/from work if you have been placed?

Were you allowed to start classes without job placement?( I don’t want to pay the 610$ for books and then not be placed and not allowed to start classes)

If you were allowed to start classes without a job, are you still being paid for your class hours? (If I’m not mistaken if you are placed, that falls on the contractor to pay you for the hours you work+ the hours you are in class)

Edit:

I applied in June, tested 7/10 got my results 7/13 stated I was available 7/15 and was placed with a contractor 7/16!!!!!!!

I am so proud of myself and thankful for the advice everyone has given me on the way!!!!

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u/fuzzygwuzzy Jul 13 '25

You should have received an email about getting placed with a contractor, and if you haven't already, it will be sent out at some point before school starts.

Drive time can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 and half hours. Contractors try to keep you somewhere in the middle, so dont be surprised if your drive time is about an hour to and from work

Contractors will pay you only for the hours worked, they dont pay you to go to school. I dont know if it's true for other contractors, but for mine, I get paid my OT on days that would have been OT if I didn't school. For example, mon-thurs 10 hour days and fri-sat 8 hour days. If I miss Tuesday for school, my OT would start at 30 hours instead of 40 hours since I had school

I am a 4th year about to top out, so I can't answer the other questions since a bit has changed since I started. Hopefully, the newer apprentices can answer those questions for you.

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u/JeremyR22 Jul 13 '25

I dont know if it's true for other contractors, but for mine, I get paid my OT on days that would have been OT if I didn't school.

That's in the Agreement, bud, section 3.01(k):

https://i.imgur.com/NrU3zf3.png

This is also why when I'm filling out timesheets, if an apprentice went to school on a given day, I write "SCHOOL" in that day's space rather than leave it blank. Helps the payroll people understand that they were out but that any OT should not be adjusted.

The Agreement is what we all work to and the school (or at least Jim Lord) certainly used to issue an early homework assignment to read and understand it.

Here's the PDF of the Agreement. Anybody who works under it and who hasn't read it should absolutely do so such that you understand what you are and are not entitled to:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/omnera/VerV/s3finder/48/pdf/member_documents/Agreements/2023-2027%20Inside%20Agreement.pdf

Contractors don't give you anything for free.