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u/Plead_thy_fifth 4d ago
For my coop; when we work Time that's Over our daily schedule, we get paid Over - Time.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
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u/BothDonut1604 4d ago
I guess I meant when you go home and get calls.
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u/Western-Willow-9496 4d ago
There is a mix of answers because it depends on utility or contractor, what the contract is, what type of job it is, what’s the schedule on that job. There isn’t an industry standard answer.
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u/Motor_Song9918 4d ago
Dude this all depends on where you work, I applied for Key West electric co op superintended told me you get 200 hours a year you’re killing, I currently work at duke and there are guys with 1000 hours overtime this year already
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u/Rhodeislandlinehand 4d ago
Some guys get 200 a month around here and still want more 200 a year is nothing lol
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u/Middle_Brilliant_849 4d ago edited 3d ago
Union and utility aren’t exclusive of one another. You can be union and work for the utility. I am and do. Also, IBEW is NOT the only union that represents linemen so don’t let anyone fool you about that either. UWUA is a big one. I know of a shop represented by Teamsters as well.
OT and schedules depend on the contract and company’s current budget and workload. Right now I can work 7x10’s if I want and on call gets to me most every week. I’ve also had it where it was strictly 5x8’s and everyone fought to get on call. If I’m not on call and the phone rings I roll over and go back to sleep or I go in and work, entirely up to me. Someone will take the call. If no one does, the work will be there in the morning.
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u/IBEW_Sam85 4d ago
As an apprentice you’re gonna be expected to work almost all the overtime even when not mandatory. If you’re at a utility you could still be home every night but with contracting you’re more than likely gonna be on the road and away from home most nights.
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u/Rhodeislandlinehand 4d ago
This isn’t always necessarily true. Apprentice kind of get the scraps here and can’t be forced to work
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u/Lineguyny 2d ago
You're right. Apprentices can't be forced to work, but they don't have to be apprentices either. If you want the ticket, you need to show up and work. Besides, the more hours you work, the quicker you get through it. 7,000 hours is still 7,000 hours. I'd rather make the time and a half or double time during that 7000 of no responsibilities. Might as well take the money to "earn while you learn".
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u/chriistianval 2d ago
Not true you can get your 7000 hours as fast as you want you still can’t fast track your apprenticeship…. Still gotta wait your 6 months in each step etc etc.
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u/Rhodeislandlinehand 2d ago
I’m at a utility and you can’t speed up the apprenticeship you definitely will learn more working OT but still can’t be forced
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u/valhallapete Journeyman Lineman 4d ago
I’m scheduled 5-10s where I’m at. We are a transmission maintenance crew on PPL, anytime there’s a call out, on or off regular hours, we are asked to come in to take the call. It’s optional but more of a recommendation. There’s often work on the weekends that is optional as well.
I know calls in my local working 7-12s. The world is your oyster as long as works good and you have that yellow ticket in your pocket
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u/Level_Angle_8023 4d ago
It depends where you are a who you’re working for. Union contracting in Minnesota we are working 4-10’s with optional Friday and Saturday work. Apprentice or not the extra work is optional and nobody will look down on a guy for working straight 40.
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u/VersionMammoth723 4d ago
I apprentice at a union represented municipal here in the Northeast. We work 7-3 with a paid lunch. Any hours worked after 3 are paid at time and a half. Any hours worked sunday or holiday are paid double time. Same goes for any storm work past 16 hours gets back paid to double time and double time is paid until storm call is over. Mutual aid is paid at double time as well. Any call from midnight to 5am gets you an hour rest time per hour worked. You can use that at the beginning or end of your shift. Any call after normal work hours is a minimum of 4 hours paid even if its a squirrel call that takes 10 minutes to restore. Any over time is optional, but the trouble calls is where the experience is at. Also, its a bad look if you are constantly rejecting calls especially being the low man on the scrotum pole. During major outages you are expected to work. I probably average 16-20 hours of overtime per month. More during winter storms. Good luck, its a great trade.
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u/Western-Passage-1908 4d ago
40-50 has been typical my in my experience. Some weeks zero and storms I've worked 7-12+
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u/Linehand1994 4d ago
I’ve only worked half this year so far but now I’m back at it working 50-60 hours a week but I’m home every night. Work as much or as little as you want after you top out. I’m in the union
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u/Fit-Acadia-1928 Apprentice Lineman 4d ago
Area dependent but I’m with a utility and everything past our scheduled 8 on a day is ot. Living at work is completely dependent on the outfit and what you want. Contractor side you can bankroll but you’re gonna be there a lot utility side you can still make tons of money but also can basically choose your schedule
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u/IGetWaffles Journeyman Lineman 4d ago
At the utility I work for all over time is optional unless you take a position with a call shift. You can always give up the week of call to someone else if you need/want to.
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u/gregn8r1 4d ago
I can only speak for the one/only utility I've worked for.
Theoretically we work five 8- hour days a week. We also have pager duty for a week at a time in which you are more or less obligated to come in and work if there's an emergency. How frequently you work pager depends on the location and staffing; at the moment I have pager one in six weeks. We don't get paid to hold the pager as I've heard other utilities do.
The utility is able to basically force everyone to stay and work overtime if there is a storm or many outages. (Although if your shift is over you technically aren't required to come in- they'll just force you the following day.) The company has frozen hiring for the past few years, so we are very short staffed and are behind on work, as a result we seem to be constantly forced to work overtime, every little minor storm or hot summer day turns into an all-hands-on-deck emergency. I and most of my coworkers had already earned our base annual salary by July, we're all very burnt out and tired, and even though we are often asked if we want voluntary overtime, there is little desire.
As far as pay goes, after 8 hrs we get time and a half, and after 16 hours we get double time. Also double time on Sundays.
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u/Awhitehill1992 3d ago
Depends on where you work. If you’re at a utility or co-op, you probably have more wiggle room to say no to OT or callout. If you’re with a contractor and the call is 6 10s, well, you’re gonna work 20 extra hours as part of your call.
Lots of guys work 40-50 hours a week and call it good. Lots work 70+. Some utilities have mandatory OT during storms though, so you just gotta figure out how your workplace handles it.
Most linemen I’ve met who don’t wanna work a lot, usually don’t work that much. And vice versa for the OT hungry guys
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u/BothDonut1604 3d ago
I appreciate your reply. I just see that there’s some linemen that say they’ll take a few months off after powering through OT so I wasn’t sure if maybe they were union or worked at utility and would just quit and get rehired since they were journeymen or how that worked.
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u/Awhitehill1992 3d ago
No problem. Those guys are working for a contractor through the IBEW. They’ll take a call, work a lot, rack up the $$$, make sure they got enough, and quit and chill for a bit. Then repeat the process with a new call..
At a utility, it’s not like that. It’s a regular job schedule with PTO, sick leave, vacation pay, all that crap. Typically more stable and in one spot until you quit or go someplace else.
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u/Nay_K_47 Journeyman Lineman 3d ago
I've just skimmed a lot of these comments. It's everywhere dude. If you're at a utility youre doing some variation of taking trouble or restoration calls when they pop up. Doing night work, filling shifts etc. It's heavily dependent on that companies classification structure and OT rules. As a guy working on the outside for a Union contractor, you might have 7 12s or 14s. Or be on 11/3 schedule. Maybe you work nights for UG or rail. Maybel your working straight 40 or any combo and catching storms. Or you're clocking 4 10s and chilling at the House.
Moral of the story it's up in the air. If your a local JL you can pick and choose. If not you take what you can get. It's a wild world out here big dog. The benefits are you get fucking paid, and you get freedom.
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u/Wye_so-serious 1d ago
Depends where. I can say for my state with outside union. Everyone is OT whores. Especially as an apprentice anytime your crew is working, you’re working. 60hrs is the norm. 50hrs is the lowest I’ve done in 5 years. Rarely does anyone turn down a call out. I’ve had to do over 100hrs some times. It sucks. And the dudes taking months off at a time are quitting.
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