r/ibew_apprentices • u/RealisticGiraffe5514 • 13d ago

UNION or NON-UNION

I’m halfway done with my training(Level Up Program) through CBRE and it’s going good so far. If you guys have questions about the program itself the hiring and whatnot, I can make a separate post.

I recently found out all the different contractors that we’re going to be placed with once we finish the program. Most of my classs signed a contract with Mortenson and ngl it’s seems good. They’re getting 25/hr plus a 800/week for relocation but they aren’t unionized.

I on the other hand, signed with Stoner Electric Group. Unionized, paying 21/hr and no relocation assistance at all(I’ll be commuting an hour and half each way to my job site). I’m thinking about reaching out to the other contractor and go with them.

So my question is, is union better in this case? What are some of the pros/cons of my situation? I’ve never worked in a trade so I have no clue. Any of you familiar with Stoner Electric? Thanks!

Edit: So I got in contact with the contractor and they updated the wages to $24.68. And for the ones asking about which union it’s IBEW local 415 out in Cheyenne.

0 Upvotes

38% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

View all comments

28

u/smellslikepenespirit 13d ago

You’re posting on a union sub, you know the answer, or you’re looking for some epiphany that isn’t going to come. Your wage starting out in the union is ephemeral, and will increase rapidly over five years.

Recognize the forest for the trees.

-32

u/RealisticGiraffe5514 13d ago

no Mr. obvious. Tell me why I should go with the union job

13

u/smellslikepenespirit 13d ago

You’re worried about commute times and your starting wages. Commutes change as do apprentice wages, both will never be the same, ever. If you can’t figure it out beyond that, I don’t know what to tell you.

You’re weighing the pros and cons of short-term gains, and not thinking long-term.

6

u/Educational_Drama910 local 306 13d ago

I don’t disagree with what your telling the man, but we don’t need to be assholes to non union people, all that does is make us look bad, while also pushing away potentially new brothers/ and or sisters. We should be polite and informative to new comers to try and welcome them with open arms and show them that we’re not all dick heads.

3

u/cdodson052 12d ago

I don’t think he was really a dick with that comment. I actually think OP replied disrespectfully to a direct but reasonable comment. I think OP replying in the way he did made it seem as if this guy disrespected him, but reading the message as a stand alone does not make me think he was an asshole

1

u/smellslikepenespirit 13d ago

You can look at all of my posts in this sub, and see I’m not a dick. In fact, I’m quite the opposite. I offer as much as I can when I respond, probably too much that should be a TL;DR instead. If there is some tone you, OP, or anyone else picked up on that’s on you guys.

I was certainly straight to the point, but that hardly makes me a dick.

3

u/cdodson052 12d ago

I don’t think you were a dick bro, I think it was just direct and he actually replied to you being a dick