[elementbldrs]

Don't know what compels me to post this, but between the guys on my site, and the ones I see posting on here, nothing these days pisses me off more than reading about union guys doing side work. You whine about play by the rules, and then you go and break them. I really cant stand the hypocrisy.

Both as a business owner that employed non union employees, as a one time union member, son of a lifetime union member, and current superintendent on a commercial job with mixed union, non-union subs... I really want to smack the taste out of the mouth of the union guy who talks about sidework.

There. Venting done.

 

[Gary H]

I hear you there. Some of our biggest contractors around here have day jobs. Such as fireman, police officers, and auto workers. They last for awhile then hunting season starts and are no where to be found. I

 

[dom-mas]

Uh oh, i hope TNTservices doesn't read this...I'm sure he'd correct you about the use of the word hypocritical.

Ok I'm done

 

[Jaws]

I hear you there. Some of our biggest contractors around here have day jobs. Such as fireman, police officers, and auto workers. They last for awhile then hunting season starts and are no where to be found. I

Being a cop, fireman or mechanic , whats wrong with doing side work? I would, I have the skills and insurance is cheap.

 

[dom-mas]

It only sucks when they do the jobs for friends at a lose just so they can buy equipment and bring down their taxes

 

[elementbldrs]

Its the tradesman who sells his services on the side for a wage he is not willing to sell to an employer on his dime.

 

[Sprtman]

These days, I have more union people applying for a job, than non union by far. Reckon "Right to Work" is working. I never hire a union man though, I automatically do not hire democrats as they are the opposite of everything I stand for and I assume all union workers are them.

 

[elementbldrs]

As far as employing them, i have probably 80 on my site right now. They consistently produce better work, and the subs can ramp up their staff at a moments notice, which is a huge help on my schedule, but back to my gripe, is the side work.

Carpenters demand 48 an hour on the job, but under cut a guy on the side for 20. A legit guy. I see red real fast when the union guy is bragging about this ****e in the manlift. I usually blow up... Then their foreman comes over and whines to me that his guy is whining to him about what i said. I just tell them to eat a bag of dix and go on chewing on the next guy. Trying hard not to tell them more of how i feel.

 

[Deckhead]

As far as employing them, i have probably 80 on my site right now. They consistently produce better work, and the subs can ramp up their staff at a moments notice, which is a huge help on my schedule, but back to my gripe, is the side work.

Carpenters demand 48 an hour on the job, but under cut a guy on the side for 20. A legit guy. I see red real fast when the union guy is bragging about this ****e in the manlift. I usually blow up... Then their foreman comes over and whines to me that his guy is whining to him about what i said. I just tell them to eat a bag of dix and go on chewing on the next guy. Trying hard not to tell them more of how i feel.

Well that's just crazy... No self respecting union carpenter is going to eat a whole bag of dix unless you give him two 15 minute breaks and supply the table and chairs to sit at while consuming them. No wonder they don't like you, I bet there wasn't a dining table any where in sight.

 

[Easy Gibson]

The most egregious Union incident I ever had was poking around at a trade show set up trying to lend a hand to my wife's company. It's a major union site in NYC so obviously I couldn't touch anything. That didn't stop them from asking to use my levels, as NOT A SINGLE PERSON had one. I only saw red though when after getting the walls of her booth up, they were pissed when my wife asked them to patch the hole they put in the wall assembling the pre-fab panels. I watch this guy lumber to the back and produce a bucket, dump an ENTIRE BAG of hot mud into it, pour an entire gallon onto that bag, then disappear to go look for a stick. When she finally caught on to what was happening my wife screamed at him and said she'd do it herself, found him a stick to stir it with(bring a drill? who brings a drill to a jobsite?). At this moment that motherfvcker says, "It's my break time." and walks away.

I wanted to hold his head in that bucket until it set around him.

 

[Inner10]

Well that's just crazy... No self respecting union carpenter is going to eat a whole bag of dix unless you give him two 15 minute breaks and supply the table and chairs to sit at while consuming them. No wonder they don't like you, I bet there wasn't a dining table any where in sight.

Post of the year right here. :laughing:

 

[Calidecks]

Well that's just crazy... No self respecting union carpenter is going to eat a whole bag of dix unless you give him two 15 minute breaks and supply the table and chairs to sit at while consuming them. No wonder they don't like you, I bet there wasn't a dining table any where in sight.

That's funny you say that, when I was in the union they did that exact thing. We had an area with table and chairs. We also had a full time catering truck that never left.

Not to mention, everybody including the subs did stretching exercises in the morning with the safety guy leading. Must of been 2 or 3 hundred guys out there stretching. Hell they had a guy who's only job was to keep ice in the drink coolers throughout the jobsite. Drove around on a golf cart.

The company is nationwide named DPR Construction.

 

[JDavis21835]

Well that's just crazy... No self respecting union carpenter is going to eat a whole bag of dix unless you give him two 15 minute breaks and supply the table and chairs to sit at while consuming them. No wonder they don't like you, I bet there wasn't a dining table any where in sight.

I thought all you had to do to get a carpenter to eat a bag of dix was to tell him it wasnt his job :jester:

Ive worked both sides of the fence, both have their pluses, both have their minuses. As far as side work, I could care less as long as a guy carries a licences, and insurance like those he competes against while he moonlights.

 

[Calidecks]

I thought all you had to do to get a carpenter to eat a bag of dix was to tell him it wasnt his job :jester: Ive worked both sides of the fence, both have their pluses, both have their minuses. As far as side work, I could care less as long as a guy carries a licences, and insurance like those he competes against while he moonlights.

Because you never once when you were a young carpenter did a side job? I can tell you that my competition isn't the young carpenter doing a side job for extra money. Most people that won't pay a contractor what it costs, isn't ever going to hire my company anyway.

 

[FramingPro]

Well that's just crazy... No self respecting union carpenter is going to eat a whole bag of dix unless you give him two 15 minute breaks and supply the table and chairs to sit at while consuming them. No wonder they don't like you, I bet there wasn't a dining table any where in sight.

Thats by far the best thing i have read in a long time.

 

[Jaws]

Because you never once when you were a young carpenter did a side job? I can tell you that my competition isn't the young carpenter doing a side job for extra money. Most people that won't pay a contractor what it costs, isn't ever going to hire my company anyway.

Yes, I did.

But, I didnt sign up in any union either. If I did, I would practice what I preach, doing an un insured, non union job is precisely what they preach against. When they do a side job, its hypocritical and a lie. A man should back his word up, hell or high water, and not just when it is convenient.

Im unbiased. Union could never make it down here. :thumbsup:

 

[thesidingpro]

I have a friend that's a union electrician. He sends me texts asking for cash work when the union doesn't have any work for him. I called him out on it one day when he was preaching about how if you not a union your a scab... blah blah blah...

Same guy wants to wire my basement on the side. I'll probably let the guy. He know's his stuff but It's so ass backwards to me.

 

[renov8r]

I'm not keen on unions. To me they seem to cause trouble plus every union guy here is on high rise projects. Most of them can't even work in house, let alone on a remodel project, they wouldn't know where to start. I talk to some of them on the site that is currently on, and I ask around to see if any will do some side work for me if I need. The attitude they have is like no I have a full time job and don't have time for side work. I wanted the sprinkler guy to go check out the sprinkler system at the restaurant I do general repairs and maintenance for, he wouldn't even budge. Today he finished at 12,. He works 36 hours a week, Monday to Thursday and says he has no time for side work.

 

[rselectric1]

I have a friend that's a union electrician. He sends me texts asking for cash work when the union doesn't have any work for him. I called him out on it one day when he was preaching about how if you not a union your a scab... blah blah blah...

Same guy wants to wire my basement on the side. I'll probably let the guy. He know's his stuff but It's so ass backwards to me.

Same here. On a particularly busy month about 3 years ago I had 2 union guys working for me who couldn't get any work from the hall. I don't do cash so I hired them for this period as part time employees and they were all freaked out but still did it.

SlowX 100 but the work was always perfect. 20 minutes for an EMT offset bend into a 1900 box was the norm. No thanks.:no:

 

[smalpierre]

the union guys I know work for a few months, get laid off and collect unemployment for a few ... while they are on unemployment they will take side jobs for less than union scale to make up the difference in what they are used to making.

One got a fl contractors license, between gigs. he whined about inspectors... they are too picky about electrical, he lost his ass on a roof because they made him double nail decking to comply with current code, yada yada. When I suggested that he should know and account for these things he blew up and said its easier to work for the union, and there's no money in contracting.

If there's no money in it, how do they afford to pay guys more than what he made? Then they trash talk us guys like we are lazy idiots, all we do is talk to people, they can do SO MUCH better at being the boss...

And if selling the jobs is so easy, how come they can't sell their work for what we sell it for?