Whos hiring and where, pay, hours, Certification tests given, tig, mig, stick?
Post Reply
USPSAPepperPopper
  • Posts:
  • Joined:
    Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:42 pm

I am a union carpenter/millwright in the St. Louis, MIssouri area. Journeyman scale is $34.63. The benefits package is over $10/hr. Health insurance alone is over $6/hr.

Our monthly dues is $23.

Now, what comes off our check stubs is 3%, that's called dues check off.

Here in the St. louis area the goal for each plan year is 24 million man hours.

Let me say that one more time: 24 million man hours.

I have no idea how many apprentices we have or how many journeyman work like an inside the shop scale or work residential framing houses. So let's just say that the average hourly wage is $25.

Take $25 times 24 million man hours.

= $600,000,000

Okay, now take 3% of that

= $18,000,000

That is a lot of money!

I have only worked a grand total of 8 weeks this year.

Now take a look at what my union "business agents" are making:

http://www.unionfacts.com/local/employees/2637/CJA/0/

I bet I won't even see $40,000 this year.

My best year was two years ago when I made $63K.

The last job I was on I got laid off after 10 days . The people they kept working were the business agent's sons. Nepotism is alive and well in union circles.

I am looking at other opportunities.

Why should my 3% go to people who aren't going to get me work?

Or a better question is why are so many of them making $90K plus a year for doing what?
Post Reply