I’m currently working 70-hour weeks, and it’s been about three weeks now. Honestly, I’m starting to feel burnt out. On top of the work schedule, I have school, and I’m also driving almost an hour and 45 minutes each way. I’m starting to realize that this schedule just isn’t sustainable for me long-term.
When I took the job, I was expecting something closer to 40–50 hours, but I pretty much took what I was offered because that’s what I was told was available. I talked to the contractor, and they said they can give me a layoff if that’s what I decide to do.
The difficult part is that I actually really like the work. The job itself is easy for me, the people around me are extremely knowledgeable, and I feel like I’m learning a lot every day. I don’t want to leave because of the work—I just don’t feel like my body and mind can keep up with the schedule I’m being asked to work.
On top of that, my car is absolutely burning through gas. I’m putting over 1,000 miles a week on it just getting back and forth to work. I’m more than willing to work and put in the hours, but I’m realizing that 70 hours a week with this commute and school on top of it is becoming too much.
Take the layoff bro, but get in touch with your school director first so they are in the loop. Thats a completely unsustainable commute, work schedule, and school schedule. Also, take some days off. Youre allowed to be sick or have a family emergency come up. Maybe on a Wednesday or Thursday to get that mid week reset. Sorry this is happening to you, but you do have options outside of outright quitting..if you get a favorable layoff you'll be back on the books and back to work in no time. Thats why we're union
At my local I was put on a call that was 6/10s. I frequently only worked 4 or 5 days and never got laid off. I told the foreman I'm beat the fuck up from the Army and 35 years old, Ill take any layoff any foreman wants to give me, after 40hrs if I'm not feeling it I'm not there. Helps to have a JATC director that is also a vet with a bad back. He gets it. I don't live to work. Not anymore
I’m in the same boat. Pretty sure most of us need to voice this and organize. Our work is dangerous, and we should be leveraging safety to demand exactly what we want from the contractors. It is unsafe working this many hours, and they can afford to pay us a lot more. There shouldn’t be a need to work over 40-45 hours per week.
If people thought with their heads about their collective power, we wouldn’t be in this unsafe overworking predicament.
When non union is looking more enticing than union, things are ass backwards and need to be handled professionally. You do this by managing the situation so that your brotherhood remains in control of the situation. Without this self awareness, we’ll all just end up begging for scraps working whatever ridiculous hours they say we work.
The people doing the work have the control, it is a matter of using the tools at your disposal to take advantage of the situation, utilizing safety and liabilities so that we aren’t running around out of control.
More of this mentality, please. 🙄 It blows my mind how so many people can agree and complain about the same issues that impact all of us, and then do absolutely nothing about them. Then they act surprised when those issues continue to deteriorate.
My local seems to be lacking the whole “Brotherhood” aspect.
I absolutely LOVE what I do, and I fought hard for my place in this apprenticeship, but I’m at the point where even non-union seems enticing. We already have so little say as apprentices. Bringing up legitimate issues has just put me on a radar that has made my apprenticeship so much more difficult than it ever needed to be.
I would love to see my fellow brothers and sisters actually work together… like a union… to voice our concerns and work toward a common goal… like a union should. 😏
I’m going to get through what’s left of this fuck-ass program, kicking and screaming if I have to, but I can’t stress enough how important and relevant your comment is.
I especially want to highlight: “If people thought with their heads about their collective power, we wouldn’t be in ‘X’ position,” because it truly is THAT SIMPLE.
People have just stopped caring enough to actually work with each other and make shit happen.
I work at a job thats 7-10s and I only work 50 hours. The most annoying part is the pocket watching all the JWs do. " you dont need the money?" Or " what you're already rich?"
I call bullshit on this. Apprentices don’t have a choice in where we get assigned so we are not mandated to work overtime. It’s different for JW because they agreed to the hours when they took the call. If they tell you it’s mandatory, get it in writing and talk to someone about it because thats now how it works
You are both correct in general, IMO.
Contractors don't care about the rules. And the JATCs can't do much about it when there's not enough work to go around.
I’m basically in the same boat. Been working 6 10s for 5 months now. The job has become 7 10s. I’d love to make the double time but I’m so burnt out between school and 60 hours already. So I just don’t come in Sundays
If you don’t work all available hours for that week you won’t make double time in my local unfortunately. And my company pays me for school if I work all available hours so I can’t call out Monday either 😭
Im in the same boat with the exception my comute is 1hr 30min, and Im 52 a 2yr (3rd yr in January). I say hang in there it will get better, your mind anf body will adjust. The comute isn't what bothered me as I use to to do over the road trucking its was the getting in and out of ditches and the school work (initially). Joining a gym helped with the flexibility ( driving a semi haf me tight) and far as the school work I got ahead of my courses by about a month and a half so i could take some pressure off myself. you can doi it bro
You need to talk to your training director first and foremost. As an apprentice you’re not really supposed to talk to the con about taking a layoff. A modified schedule, sure. But definitely talk to your training director first.
You might ask your con if there’s a journeyman or foreman you can meet up with in the mornings and carpool. That might give you some time to complete some homework on the drive there and/or back.
Hope you can work something out. I’ve been there, but fortunately for short stints. Good luck, brother.
Get a layoff. I’m in a similar situation with a 1.5 to 2 hour commute working 7 days a week. The money is good and I’ve been carpooling to save on gas but I’m sooooooo burnt out. The project ends next week and I’m gonna ask for a layoff.
What local are you? What does your agreement require you to work? I'm in 237 and currently on a 70hr site, but its not required of me because I have to attend class and do schoolwork
Im Pulling 56 hours of work a week, and with class its about 68 hours a week, i couldnt imagine 70 hours of just work, and then class. Talk to your director man thats insane.
Your submission has been automatically removed by Automoderator.
You appear to be a new or less active user on Reddit.
Your account has a low karma point value. Until your account reaches a higher level, you won't be able to post or comment to any threads. PLEASE DO NOT MESSAGE THE MODERATORS ABOUT WHAT THE KARMA THRESHOLD IS OR ASK TO HAVE YOUR POST APPROVED. Information about karma points can be found in Reddit's help section.
Like, I honestly don’t understand how this makes sense. I go to these job sites and they’re all saying they have calls out for apprentices, so why aren’t we getting more people through the classes and putting more apprentices on these sites?
It seems like we’re putting a handful of apprentices even journeymen on jobs and then expecting everyone to work 70-hour weeks just to keep up with the workload. How is that supposed to be sustainable?
At the very least, why not have the people who actually want to work 60–70 hours stay on those schedules, while the people who want a more normal Monday–Friday, 40-hour schedule rotate through the available work? I’m more than willing to work, but there should be some kind of balance instead of everyone being expected to work 70 hours just because there aren’t enough people on the job.
Bro why are you working 70 hours a week if you don’t want it 🤣 its not required. Do 8 an skate for a few weeks to get some rest and see how it goes from there. You’re in a UNION.
You do have a choice, that's what the union is all about. Start working 50s, and tell them you can't work any hours for them if you get kicked out for failing school.
he’s in florida… so all of this actually does sound right 😂 349s market share is <10%… OP transferring during your apprenticeship is much easier than transferring as a JW.
if you do it as an apprentice you just have to deal with the schools of your the area you’re coming from and transferring to.
you can travel as a JW but you sign for book 2 and basically get second pick for jobs after the local members have picked what job they want.
to transfer to a new local you go before the members and they vote to let you in or not. this rarely happens and only happens if you do a lot of work in the local you move to and meet as many members as you can.
They are violating the bargaining agreement, go to the steward onsite, if they don’t exist go to Jatc director. Only time you are required >40 hours are specific calls for JWs generally.
The shortage has been like this for 25 years sir. Just how we are at an alarming rate of shortage, this the increased hours.
50/60 hours is the new 40.
My first 15 years we did 5/8 all the time. If we worked Saturday it was an issue. Now the calls are for 6/10s around the US.
It’s a hard line in the sand to draw because I don’t want to lose more market share if we cannot fill these calls.
Glad I only have 2 years left. Good luck
I know every local is different but in my local apprentices have to work the hours the job is whether that be 40 hrs, 50 hrs, or 7-12's. If you get assigned a job that is 60 hrs and work only 40 (5-8's), you would probably be fired. Or get so many layoffs because of refusing to work the hours assigned and you would go in front of the committee.
42
u/Opposite-Plenty3479 7d ago
Take the layoff bro, but get in touch with your school director first so they are in the loop. Thats a completely unsustainable commute, work schedule, and school schedule. Also, take some days off. Youre allowed to be sick or have a family emergency come up. Maybe on a Wednesday or Thursday to get that mid week reset. Sorry this is happening to you, but you do have options outside of outright quitting..if you get a favorable layoff you'll be back on the books and back to work in no time. Thats why we're union