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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / steam fitters union
- - By and4rik (**) Date 06-07-2008 01:31
  I recently signed up for a pipe welding program with the local union.  The class is 16 weeks 8 hrs a day for no pay, experience only.  But succesfull completion gets me ahead of the waiting list for a 5 year apprenticeship and a small increase in starting wages, I think about 16$ per hr.   This all sounds fine, but I am woundering if this is a good choice for me.  I have about 3 years welding experience, 6 months at the local tank building shop.  I can read prints and am extremely meticulous with my work.  I have seen posts stating that jouney level pipe welders are making  around $39/hr plus a per diem.  Where else could I get the training required to achieve journey level certification with out going through the local union.  The local community college has good teachers, but on the job training is more of what I am looking for.   I recently applied for a field position with another refinery services company, I was told that pay goes from 16 to 37 per hour with a per diem.  But my experiences with the last shop leads me to belive that a steady increase in wages and on the job training is not always guaranteed. 
   Is union the way to go?
Parent - - By Tnwelder (**) Date 06-07-2008 02:18
and4rik in my opinion the union is the way to go yea maybe you will not be getting payed but it will get you in the door and get you in a great union. The UA is the best union for pipefitters and pipe welders. But also it all depends on what you want dont forget that. You are the only one who can make that decision.  I do know one thing is that every job in my area are leaving and going to mexico for cheaper labor and some are welding jobs so with the union it is not going to move.  Keep in touch and tell me how it goes.
Parent - - By and4rik (**) Date 06-07-2008 03:02
Yeah, the more I think about it the more I think this is a good way to learn the trade.  Where else am I going to get a solid jump start (the class 16 weeks) and consistant training through the apprenticship.  And after the apprenticeship I dont have to stay in the union.  The thought of fighting to get otj experience like I've had to do in the past is not very appealling to me.  And usually the guy doin' the teachin' doesn't know a thing except how to hide his mistakes ;0
  My goal right know is to learn the trade so I can go anywhere there is work.  wheather that's in Alaska or the Carribean or locally:)
Parent - - By Kix (****) Date 06-11-2008 12:40
If you can get on with the Steamfitters, then go for it brotha.  If you like to see big things and see what makes this world go round, then grab your hood and get to ahh arcin and sparkin.  When you're making 3k a week on those big shut downs someday, you'll look back on what your doing now and be really glad you stuck with it.  Good luck!!
Parent - - By js55 (*****) Date 06-11-2008 13:36
The oil patch and Steamfitters is where I started. Still have my book on min dues. 16 weeks at 8 hrs a day, unless your impaired somehow, you will be proficient with that time and a good teacher.
The work in the Steamfitters was often hard, it was hot, it was cold, it was high, it was dirty, it was often long hours, I was on the road alot, and I still look back on it as some of the best years in my life, and met people who are still some of my best friends.
Parent - - By tighand430 (***) Date 06-11-2008 14:08
Hell, thats the fun of the job.  Get to see things that some will never see or could imagine.  Lot of fun out on the road, probly why I can't hold on to a girl for more than a month.
Parent - - By Kix (****) Date 06-11-2008 15:11
Yeah, that was pretty cool getting to see the stuff that makes this world go round like refineries, steel mills, chemical plants, power plants, pump stations, food processing plants etc etc.  Don't get me wrong, I landed the occasional refrigeration unit on a store every now and again, but that was welcomed as well.:-)  My friends and family have no idea the things I have seen and how cool some of it was to work on.  When you are coming out of a place looking black as night and blowing dirt boogers at the end of the day, it's nice to know it's not forever and you'll be out of there in a few days or weeks and on to the next one that is hopefully new construction.;-)  Hell, if you like to travel, you get to pick and choose which jobs you want to go work on and how much money you want to make.  The best is when you get pared up with a guy that keeps your gut split from laughing all day and everyday.  Man, there are some characters out there pipefittin.  I'm seriously considering going back to working with the tools and arcin and sparkin.
Parent - - By js55 (*****) Date 06-11-2008 16:25
A few things I remember.
An Ice Cream plant with a million gallon refrigerator, and knee deep in test popsicles and bon bons.
Power plant steam blows and sonic balls.
A borax plant with dump trucks the size of my apartment, and a hole in the ground exceeded only by the Grand Canyon.
Geothermals on a Navy missile base with Range closiers that allowed us to get paid while kicking back in a park.
Wind turbines that made an entire mountainside sparkle at sunrise.
A pipeline getting it on in the California desert because if the desert tortoise started migrating the whole project would be shut down. Immediately.
A plant that recovered oil out of dirt.
Red Adair and a well blowout and an all nighter with poker and beer.
The competative comraderie in a fab shop where welders were knockin out over 200 diameter inches of pipe per 8 hour shift. And passin RT.
Hot slab pipe bending.
A cogen that built everything 10 feet off the ground, underground pipe just laying on the ground, and then back filled the entire project grounds to final elevation. Whackers everywhere man. The noise was overwhelming.
Driving 120 miles in the morning with the sun on your face and a 120 miles in the evening with the sun on your face working 7-12's.
Verticle pipe extrusion where seamless pipe would pop out of the top of a 35,000 ton press with the pipe on fire 80 feet in the air.

And the people.
Yeah. I'd say it was worth it.
Parent - By Kix (****) Date 06-11-2008 20:20
See what I'm talking about!!  Cool sit huh..  I laid a natural gas pipeline along the Mississippi in the dead of winter once.  I really liked that job, all huddled up nice and warm in your houch with the snow falling all over.  We got a couple card games in while we were waiting for the Laborers to dig my bell holes. We saw a barge smoke a bridge embankment and run a ground on that job.  It shook the ground too.  Ahhhh memories..
Parent - - By bosruten (*) Date 06-11-2008 17:22
"And after the apprenticeship I dont have to stay in the union."   Nice.....drop that line on em when you start your training with the UA!
Parent - - By tighand430 (***) Date 06-11-2008 17:31
After the five year apprenticeship, you'd be vested. Best thing would be to stay and see how you like it. If ya quit right after apprenticeship and try to come back, it'll bite you in the ass.
Parent - By and4rik (**) Date 06-11-2008 20:21
thanks for the advice...
Parent - - By Kix (****) Date 06-11-2008 20:23
X2 on that one.  Well, lets say if you did drop that line on em you'd of said the last twelve words you'd ever say to whoever was teaching you.
Parent - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 06-12-2008 04:38
   Shortly after I finished My tool & die apprenticeship I left that company and went to work for a company where one of My night school instructors was a superintendant [He had recruited Me and 2 others from Our night school class]. This DID PISS OFF the company where I served the apprenticeship. In truth, I did what was REQUIRED of a journyman in the old days in Europe.
Parent - - By and4rik (**) Date 06-12-2008 23:35
My thought was not to just up and quit as soon a the apprenticeship was over.  There are alot of things about union work I dont understand.  I tried reading the UA constitution but some of the verbage was a bit difficult to understand.  There was one section that did catch my eye.  It refered to working with another local and the procedures or permits required.  Anyone have experience in this or other related areas of union processes and procedures?
Parent - - By tighand430 (***) Date 06-13-2008 02:39
Yeah. What that's referring to is when your a traveler. When your a journeyman, you can travel and work a job in any jurisdiction that has an open call for you. You have what is called a travel card that you take with you to the other local and sometimes they ask you to turn it in while you're there and some times they just look at it and say ok.  You get their pay scale and the benefits in their contract are reciprocated back to your home local. The verbage is written up by lawyers for legal purposes so the average fella usually don't understand every little word in it but you can have a steward or bm tell you what it means. Any others ?s, shoot. Been in this racket for a couple of years as a fitter/welder with the UA so I might be able to help you out.
Parent - - By and4rik (**) Date 06-13-2008 02:50
yeah, what's a bm or a steward?
 
I also found these guides for piping and plumbing at the ua local in oakland, check 'em out if you like.
http://www.ua342.org/uastar.html
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 06-13-2008 04:13
He means "BA" which is the Business Agent, and "stewart" is your local union job site representative who primarily keeps the peace, or files grievances on your or any other fellow union member's behalf between labor and management, otherwise known as the "Union Steward" which is the correct way to spell the title... I hope this clarifies things a bit! ;)

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - By Kix (****) Date 06-13-2008 12:09
A.K.A. the Stew, stew-ba-roon-oo, stew-ba-riciuos. ;-)  Good guy to know sometimes.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / steam fitters union

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