how many operators are union?

quite a few on here and quite a few not

Chicago local 150

chicago local 150 here 2

new orleans local 406

I have been in Locals 3 12 712 and 302 and now 242

local 49rs

local 12

not me

san diego california

union is the only way

pretty good joe how many years you have in ?

local 12 and local 701

Local 12 San Diego Representin with V-Dawg

Local 3

Byggnads avd 12 .

Local 18 district 3 Columbus Ohio

chicago local 150

825 New jerz

Art

I know there's a lot of other good company's to work for that are non-union but Local 12 were getting paid $38.75 an hour with all our benefits for Vacation holiday, insurance, and towards our retirement were getting around $55.00 an hour plus we get paid more depending on the boom size your running. Art I have a lot of respect for you and your company and this isn't going towards you so don't take this the wrong way but I've hired a lot of operators from our competetors down here in So Cal from the non-union companys, you should know who they are, that have been pumping concrete for 20 years and our only getting paid $16.00 to $30.00 an hour and there company were shorting them in there pay every way that they could. With the union we get paid job time the $38.75 or after 8 hours over time for travel when a lot of the other guys are getting minimum wage to travel. The only perk that I see about being non-union from an owners perspective is there able to cut the price because there employees are getting paid less! Then the thing is to with being Non-union you can't go on union jobs well you can but if the contractor or the company gets caught it's a big fine and with the Union we can go on union or non-union jobs. I've heard that B.B has a good retirement package/plan but nothing compares to the unions if you worked 35 years in the union at least for Local 12 say you retire at the age 55 you would be getting paid about $3,500 a month plus your social security. If you got in the Union at 18 and stayed in until you were 65 47 years in you'll easily be getting $10 to $12,000 a month. I haven't seen a 401K plan or any other plan that matches that at least not yet and still be able to have your Health insurance when your retired I haven't seen a non-union company with that yet. Plus for our health insurance we get $6,000 coverage on our dental plan per person in your family and a P.P.O or H.M.O your choice and the union covers all cost you don't have to have a co-pay when you go to see the doctor like I've seen with a lot of non-union company's. Like I said Art no disrespect to you this is just my opinion on the Union/ Non-Union ordeal and I know a lot of people are gonna disagree with me saying that Non Union plans are better but like i said I've hired a lot of guys that have been non-union from a lot of different company's across the U.S. that have had bad health and dental plans and had to work 70 80 hours a week to get paid what we get in a 40 hour week being Union. I know the guys from Local 12 that our on this site will agree with me on this subject here! And I'm not saying that were the highest paid union cause I know Chicago and New York our but the other good thing about being Union is every year we get a raise in our pay weather it be our hourly wage or health or retirement plan and we get to fight for what we want in our contract for the year we don't have to go and ask our boss for a raise we get one every year or some kind of perk that goes with our contract. This is why V-Dawg said union is the only way and I have to agree with him just not cause we work together and were friends but I think Oregon-Fan from Vegas and the other Local 12 and other Union brothers will agree union is the only way to go.

So Cal  

I respect the union,but its not the only way to go ,I can fight my own battles,I think yall have a pretty good deal from what it sounds like ,good for yall but theres other companies that do their best to provide what they can for there employees,down here last I checked non-union was making more than union but the union is not very strong here,so in Ca maybe the way to go but not the only way to go

It always interests me when union people start talking about there big wages and benefits. Who pays these big wages and benefits and if you are going to say the employer or the contractor you would be wrong it is the end user. I think the best test for a union member is to be his own general contractor on his own house. Would he use all union labor? Would be interesting to see if he is will to pay 30%, 40%, 50% or more for his house using union labor. 

Now I am not trying to piss anyone off here I just think this is some food for thought.

I was a member of the Op Eng # 3 for 22 yrs! Not only was I paid a FAIR wage,I had great benefits! Now I've used this example before to explain the difference between a union and a non-union employee! Take a concrete finisher! A union finisher is trained to do ALL types of concrete work.He can do set up,custom form work,different finishes, lay-out ect ! He needs 500 plus hours classroom hrs + 3500 OTJ hours to get his journeyman's card. He gets these hours at the same time! He works during the day and studies at night.In the Union world of Ca this applies to almost all crafts,except concrete pumpers.We go up through the levels based on hours,as there is no formal classes for our trade! But I digress. One union man can do all the phases of his craft IN A WORKMANSHIP like manner. Here in non-union country we hear" I can only finish,or I only know how to set-up,or i don't do custom work! The workmanship suffers. Around here they can't pay good money but they can pay to have the job done twice! I built a house here,and the craft is the shits! Everyone has had to come back and fix the job they did the first time! Union has its benefits,because we are held to a HIGHER STANDARD

if there so great why didn't they build your house,because you were paying the bill,no problem with the unions just thats your choice, not mine if we had good representation here I may be singing a different song,the union here is a dying craft and no benefit to being in it,like I said before, I can fight my own battles I dont need a union to do my bargaining for me and as I said in Ca probably a different story,but down in the south we do things a little different we fight for what we believe in and if the union did the same maybe they would still be a power in the workforce here,they let right to work laws pretty much shut them down and in my generation they haven't really even tried to rebound,like was said they dont have training programs for our craft hell, here they dont even have a payscale for our craft sound like representation I dont need.Just my opinion nothing else.  

I wander,just a thought,who has the better safety records union or non union,no talk about safety in all this debate,can the unions enforce there safety codes when charging such high rates,probably so,I hope so,I think it is a personal preference,but when the unions went down here all the union hands that cursed the non union hands were rite in line for those non union jobs,as we all were called scabs picket line jumpers,so as for as I'm concerned you union fellows are part of an organization what will you do when it falls,you'll be looking to take our non union work as soon as you can

UUmmmmmm.....  I think all  Smoothoprtr  was wondering was who is union....

time to take the A.D.D. meds...

local701... BTW

Why don't we just keep hiring immigrants for 5 dollars an hour. All this talk about i can fight my own battles is a bunch of crap, 1 voice isn't as strong as thousands of voices.

Art I agree with you if everything was union everything would go up in prices though if everyone was union you would be getting a better pay scale retirement and health benefits so in a way if every single store was union and company, the U.S dollar would go up and everybody would be getting close to the same pay not every operating engineer union gets the same pay scale but gas prices also vary across the states and the cost of food items also vary . Though do you go to Vons, and Albertsons their boulth union and their are other stores and gas company's that are union similar to the constuction industry where there's some union some non-union contractors and pump company's. Technically as being part of the union were not supposed to shop at non-union stores or use non-union contractors on our own house but some people still do. Though if everybody was Union there wouldn't be much competition only with who has the better operators and equipment or who has a lot of cash in there pockets to send there pumps out for free.

18 I back you up on that definently

local 18,

so are you voicing your opinion or is it someone elses idea of what they think you want.

NO I'M NOT UNION AND I'M PROUD TO VOICE MY MY MY OWN OPINION AND MY BUSINESS.SO YOU ARE UNION AND PROUD OF IT,GOOD FOR YOU,I'M NON UNION AND PROUD OF IT 

lets make peace I'm not opposed to workers having representation , if this is whats best for you great ,I guess if we had a choice to be union or non union with one having better pay,benefits,etc I would have to make a choice,for now we dont have a choice so if thats howyall do it I'm happy for you.Good luck 

damn art why you gotta bring baseball into the picture

hey soCal i dont do alot of rated work on cape cod a couple of weeks ago i did shitty thing is that i had to take a cut in pay to do it dont under estimate the non union co.when you dont really know them all i will never go to a union co. again did that back in the 80s not good boston local 4 won't come talk with us on the cape so there lossjust my opinion not trying to start problems just letting you know

I am union,And like it.I have worked both.I worked in Texas for 5 years non union.Never heard of them (union) down there.Now i'm union in Chicago. The way I look at it if you never seen or heard of then don't worry about.Every one here is tring to make a livin.We are not on here to argue about whos better. We are here to make everyone better by helping each other.so what some are union or non union.WE ARE ALL PUMP OPERATORS.

Ruck

i'll stick with the union , better pay , good benif.

i already worked for a non union company , it was worthless , i got a chance to go union and i quit the same day and went to work fo the union company the next day, best move i ever made !!!!!!!! 

I LUV THE UNION BUT TO BE HONEST NOT ALL OF US MAKE THE BIG BUCKS IM NOT COMPLAINING BUT HERE IN BISMARCK N.D. I MAKE 20.20HR AND TOP OF THAT ALL THE  OTHER BENNIES AND MY TOTAL PACKAGE IS 30.84 AND HR AN WHEN I WORK ON POWER PLANTS I GET HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AND THAT IS 23.80HR THE OTHER EMPLOYEES  LIVE IN MOOREHEAD M.N GET 23 SOMETHING AND HR AND THER ONLY 186 MILES FROM ME AND THE TRUCKS MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY WHETHER THEIR HERE OR THERE AND WE ARE THE SAME COMPANY MY TRUCK IS A 36M AND WE CHARGE 155HR + 3$ A YRD AND WE ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN BISMARCK SO HOW BOUT THAT

So this just keeps going back and forth! Can we agree that all of us are happy being pump operators and we also make a good living union or not? When I go to work in the morning I dont think about the money, I love my job and have a blast doing it. You know it takes a special breed to do what we do!

Say what u may but we all know that we'll work union or non-union as long as we can pay the bills.I'm from Orlando and i worked many years as non-union then moved to Vegas with the union,if i have a chioce i'll stay union just for the benifits,money is good too but i have a 9yr old daughter and so shes important to me,more than some new truck or car is.