Article published Friday, March 11, 2005 from the TOLEDO BLADE:
Electricians' union claims firm underpaid workers
BOWLING GREEN - A Rossford-based electrician's union has filed three complaints against a Carey, Ohio, contractor, claiming the company failed to pay prevailing wages to its workers on three projects in Bowling Green.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 8 filed the complaints this week in Wood County Common Pleas Court against Vaughn Industries LLC regarding work done at Bowling Green State University on the renovation of the Offenhauer residence hall, an electrical upgrade at Rodgers Quadrangle, and a fire alarm improvement project at the Administration Building.
Local 8 said Vaughn paid its workers below the fixed prevailing wage and failed to deliver to the projects' prevailing wage coordinator certified copies of its payroll on the projects.
The complaints seek back pay for affected employees, penalties to be paid to the state commerce director, attorneys' fees, and an order enjoining Vaughn from contracting with any public entities for work.
Friday, March 11, 2005
IBEW Local 332 (San Jose, CA) Aids Research into Utility "Distributed Generation" Future
Research and Markets: Distributed Generation Here to Stay
Press Release Source: Research and Markets
Thursday March 10, 10:09 am ET
DUBLIN, Ireland, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c13731) has announced the addition of Distributed Generation Case Studies to their offering.
The report provides a look at commercial distributed generation applications from the customer's viewpoint. It was developed through interviews with 33 organizations that have implemented or are in the process of implementing photovoltaic, fuel cell, gas turbine, microturbine, or wind systems.
This report is intended to provide significant value to companies who are considering implementing a distributed generation solution, companies who want to understand how distributed generation applications are working, and companies who want insight into customers' views on distributed generation.
For each of the case studies, the organization was asked to:
- describe the project, the system, and the service providers used - discuss the reasons why they selected the specific distributed generation solution - describe any issues they had to deal with in getting the project approved, funded, or implemented - evaluate how the system has performed - discuss the interconnection process and any net metering or sale back arrangements - provide lessons learned for others looking to implement distributed generation solutions to consider
The organizations which took part in the project represent a broad cross- section of energy consumers. They include colleges, offices, buildings, museums, energy service companies, government agencies, manufacturers, data centers, hotels, casinos, hospitals, ranches, and even a religious order. While these organizations are very different in their composition and decision drivers, there are a number of common threads that are evident in discussing their decisions to implement distributed generation.
Out of the case studies come a number of interesting findings. The most common reason for implementing a distributed generation solution was environmental concern. A number of the commercial organizations surveyed have organizational policies on reducing the environmental impact of their operations and view distributed generation as a means of demonstrating their commitment to these policies. In addition, some companies were looking to reduce emissions for regulatory reasons pertaining to their status under federal or local environmental protection rules. Many of the non-commercial organizations surveyed also wanted to demonstrate their commitment to the environment, as well as educate the public about distributed generation technologies.
Overall, the results in this report indicate that distributed generation is here to stay. While the technologies are generally not cost-competitive without grants and rebates, they are coming down in price. As more installations occur, "teething problems" will become less common, application expertise will increase, and installation/ interconnection will become simpler. It appears that a bright future awaits these technologies, and it's only a matter of time before they become commonplace.
Organizations surveyed include:
4 Times Square - The Condé Nast Bldg Atrium Hotel Bentley-Simonson Cape Charles Sustainable Tech. Park Chabot Space and Science Center ChevronTexaco Data Center City of Burbank, CA City of Jeannette, PA Dakota Station Fetzer Winery First National Bank of Omaha Fountain Valley City Center Harbec Plastics IBEW 332 La Quinta Inn and Suites Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Ledgewood Creek Vineyards Los Angeles Harbor College Masonic Village Mauna Lani Resort Mohegan Sun Casino Neutrogena OCM BOCES Parker Ranch Pasadena City College Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Pierce College Sacred Heart Monastery Santa Rita Jail SC Johnson South County Hospital Yale University Yosemite National Park
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c13731
Laura Wood Senior Manager Research and Markets press@researchandmarkets.com Fax: +353 1 4100 980
Press Release Source: Research and Markets
Thursday March 10, 10:09 am ET
DUBLIN, Ireland, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c13731) has announced the addition of Distributed Generation Case Studies to their offering.
The report provides a look at commercial distributed generation applications from the customer's viewpoint. It was developed through interviews with 33 organizations that have implemented or are in the process of implementing photovoltaic, fuel cell, gas turbine, microturbine, or wind systems.
This report is intended to provide significant value to companies who are considering implementing a distributed generation solution, companies who want to understand how distributed generation applications are working, and companies who want insight into customers' views on distributed generation.
For each of the case studies, the organization was asked to:
- describe the project, the system, and the service providers used - discuss the reasons why they selected the specific distributed generation solution - describe any issues they had to deal with in getting the project approved, funded, or implemented - evaluate how the system has performed - discuss the interconnection process and any net metering or sale back arrangements - provide lessons learned for others looking to implement distributed generation solutions to consider
The organizations which took part in the project represent a broad cross- section of energy consumers. They include colleges, offices, buildings, museums, energy service companies, government agencies, manufacturers, data centers, hotels, casinos, hospitals, ranches, and even a religious order. While these organizations are very different in their composition and decision drivers, there are a number of common threads that are evident in discussing their decisions to implement distributed generation.
Out of the case studies come a number of interesting findings. The most common reason for implementing a distributed generation solution was environmental concern. A number of the commercial organizations surveyed have organizational policies on reducing the environmental impact of their operations and view distributed generation as a means of demonstrating their commitment to these policies. In addition, some companies were looking to reduce emissions for regulatory reasons pertaining to their status under federal or local environmental protection rules. Many of the non-commercial organizations surveyed also wanted to demonstrate their commitment to the environment, as well as educate the public about distributed generation technologies.
Overall, the results in this report indicate that distributed generation is here to stay. While the technologies are generally not cost-competitive without grants and rebates, they are coming down in price. As more installations occur, "teething problems" will become less common, application expertise will increase, and installation/ interconnection will become simpler. It appears that a bright future awaits these technologies, and it's only a matter of time before they become commonplace.
Organizations surveyed include:
4 Times Square - The Condé Nast Bldg Atrium Hotel Bentley-Simonson Cape Charles Sustainable Tech. Park Chabot Space and Science Center ChevronTexaco Data Center City of Burbank, CA City of Jeannette, PA Dakota Station Fetzer Winery First National Bank of Omaha Fountain Valley City Center Harbec Plastics IBEW 332 La Quinta Inn and Suites Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Ledgewood Creek Vineyards Los Angeles Harbor College Masonic Village Mauna Lani Resort Mohegan Sun Casino Neutrogena OCM BOCES Parker Ranch Pasadena City College Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Pierce College Sacred Heart Monastery Santa Rita Jail SC Johnson South County Hospital Yale University Yosemite National Park
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c13731
Laura Wood Senior Manager Research and Markets press@researchandmarkets.com Fax: +353 1 4100 980
IBEW Local 58 (Detroit) Pickets Archdiocese Project over failure
Unions picket St. John's project
BY TONY BRUSCATO, STAFF WRITER, PLYMOUTH NEWS
Nearly two dozen union plumbers and electrical workers Monday morning picketed outside St. Johns Golf & Conference Center at Five Mile and Sheldon roads in Plymouth Township, where an 118-room hotel is being constructed.
Union workers are dissatisfied with non-union companies that have been hired by the general contractor, Frank Rewold and Sons, Inc., of Rochester, Mich. Not so much because the non-union companies beat the union companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of work, but because they don't believe the non-union companies are paying union scale wages.
"They always preach on how people should be paid wages and pensions and health and insurance, and you get something like this and they don't," said Carlo Castiglione, business representative for Plumbers United Association Local 98. "That's got to change."
Castiglione and his counterpart, Gary Hellmer, business rep for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said nearly a dozen jobs are being affected.
"I don't feel we got a fair shake in the bidding process," said Hellmer. "Area standards are a concern."
Project manager Richard Scheck would only confirm the plumbers and electricians working on the hotel are non-union. He wouldn't elaborate on wages.
Although the hotel is being constructed on property owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, spokesman Richard Laskos said," The building is being built by a group of private investors. The Archdiocese of Detroit has no financial interest in the building."
tbruscato@oe.homecomm.net (734) 459-2700
BY TONY BRUSCATO, STAFF WRITER, PLYMOUTH NEWS
Nearly two dozen union plumbers and electrical workers Monday morning picketed outside St. Johns Golf & Conference Center at Five Mile and Sheldon roads in Plymouth Township, where an 118-room hotel is being constructed.
Union workers are dissatisfied with non-union companies that have been hired by the general contractor, Frank Rewold and Sons, Inc., of Rochester, Mich. Not so much because the non-union companies beat the union companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of work, but because they don't believe the non-union companies are paying union scale wages.
"They always preach on how people should be paid wages and pensions and health and insurance, and you get something like this and they don't," said Carlo Castiglione, business representative for Plumbers United Association Local 98. "That's got to change."
Castiglione and his counterpart, Gary Hellmer, business rep for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said nearly a dozen jobs are being affected.
"I don't feel we got a fair shake in the bidding process," said Hellmer. "Area standards are a concern."
Project manager Richard Scheck would only confirm the plumbers and electricians working on the hotel are non-union. He wouldn't elaborate on wages.
Although the hotel is being constructed on property owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, spokesman Richard Laskos said," The building is being built by a group of private investors. The Archdiocese of Detroit has no financial interest in the building."
tbruscato@oe.homecomm.net (734) 459-2700
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
IBEW Local 23 (Fort Wayne*) Membrs/News Staff Laid Off as NBC Affiliate WISE-TV is Sold and Local News are Eliminated
Indiana TV Station Lays Of Most Of News Staff
Wednesday March 9, 7:42 PM EST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP)--NBC affiliate WISE laid off most of its television news staff - some 25 to 30 people - after an agreement was finalized for the same broadcasting company to manage it and the city's ABC affiliate WPTA.
All reporters and camera operators and some anchors lost their jobs Tuesday, said Ron Bame, business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 23, which represents WISE and WPTA employees.
"We're going to lose all the reporters and all the photographers (at WISE), so there'll be no one to generate local news," Bame said.
Based on the two stations' news reports about the changes, a total of 50 to 60 workers have lost their jobs, but no WPTA - Channel 21 - employees were laid off.
New York-based Granite Broadcasting Corp. announced Tuesday it had finalized the sale of WPTA to Malara Broadcasting for $45.9 million. Granite bought WISE, Channel 33, from New Vision Television for $44.2 million this week.
In December, the Federal Communications Commission approved the deal and a shared services agreement for the operation of the stations between Malara and Granite. Granite will manage operations at the stations, according to the two stations' news reports.
With the Channel 21 station logo on the wall behind her, WISE anchor Linda Jackson called Tuesday evening's newscast the 21Alive News on WISE 33. The 6:30 p.m. newscast on WISE repeated stories from WPTA's broadcast a half-hour earlier.
WISE started on Nov. 21, 1953 as WKJG and was the first TV station in northeast Indiana.
The deal will make the two stations operate more profitably and efficiently, Granite said in a news release. It also said that linking the stations will improve and expand local news coverage.
Dow Jones Newswires
03-09-05 1942ET
© 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday March 9, 7:42 PM EST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP)--NBC affiliate WISE laid off most of its television news staff - some 25 to 30 people - after an agreement was finalized for the same broadcasting company to manage it and the city's ABC affiliate WPTA.
All reporters and camera operators and some anchors lost their jobs Tuesday, said Ron Bame, business manager for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 23, which represents WISE and WPTA employees.
"We're going to lose all the reporters and all the photographers (at WISE), so there'll be no one to generate local news," Bame said.
Based on the two stations' news reports about the changes, a total of 50 to 60 workers have lost their jobs, but no WPTA - Channel 21 - employees were laid off.
New York-based Granite Broadcasting Corp. announced Tuesday it had finalized the sale of WPTA to Malara Broadcasting for $45.9 million. Granite bought WISE, Channel 33, from New Vision Television for $44.2 million this week.
In December, the Federal Communications Commission approved the deal and a shared services agreement for the operation of the stations between Malara and Granite. Granite will manage operations at the stations, according to the two stations' news reports.
With the Channel 21 station logo on the wall behind her, WISE anchor Linda Jackson called Tuesday evening's newscast the 21Alive News on WISE 33. The 6:30 p.m. newscast on WISE repeated stories from WPTA's broadcast a half-hour earlier.
WISE started on Nov. 21, 1953 as WKJG and was the first TV station in northeast Indiana.
The deal will make the two stations operate more profitably and efficiently, Granite said in a news release. It also said that linking the stations will improve and expand local news coverage.
Dow Jones Newswires
03-09-05 1942ET
© 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, March 07, 2005
IBEW Local 1 (St. Louis) Offers New Bosnian Immigrants Training for High-Paying Jobs
Immigrant Bosnians give local labor trades a boost
By Jeffrey Tomich, Of the Post-Dispatch, Thursday, Mar. 03 2005
Milan Todorovic's story isn't unlike thousands of other Bosnians who moved to
St. Louis over the last decade. He lived in Germany for most of the 1990s while
war raged in and around his native Teslic, a small mill town 150 miles north of
Sarajevo, then emigrated to the United States almost five years ago on the
advice of a friend in Phoenix.
Also like many of the other estimated 35,000 Bosnians who now call St. Louis
home, Todorovic works in construction. He's a trim carpenter and member of
Carpenter's Local 417, who spends his day applying crown molding and wood trim
to sprawling new custom houses in Chesterfield and Ladue.
While St. Louis has about 50,000 construction workers, there is perpetually a
need for more, industry leaders say. And Bosnians who landed in the city over
the last decade in search of high-paying jobs - many of them already skilled
carpenters or electricians - have helped meet the demand.
"Quite a few of them come over here with several trades or degrees," said John
Gaal, director of training and work force development for the Carpenters
District Council of Greater St. Louis. "All of them are great hands. They have
a great work ethic, and they're great craftsmen."
There are so many Bosnian construction workers that PRIDE, a St. Louis labor
organization, is in the process of adding a link to its Web site to translate
the content into Croatian. Gaal said 41 of an estimated 2,000 students enrolled
in the training program are Bosnian. No one keeps track of area-wide employment
by nationality, but the construction industry is believed to be among the
largest employers of Bosnians in St. Louis.
The city's Bosnian population is second only to Chicago's, said Beth Radtke of
the International Institute, a nonprofit agency in St. Louis that helps
immigrants learn English, find jobs and start their own businesses.
The International Institute was among the organizations that sponsored
thousands of Bosnian refugees who moved to St. Louis from 1993 to 2003. More
are coming still, relocating from Chicago or New York because they have
relatives here or because housing here is more affordable, Radtke said.
For Todorovic, 37, and his family, the opportunity to move to the United States
was one he couldn't pass up, even if it meant leaving extended family behind.
"Going back to a broken country wasn't an option," he said.
Todorovic and other Bosnians say they face a common obstacle in adjusting to
their new lives and new jobs: English.
"The language barrier is the biggest issue," said Muhamed Muminovic, 22, who
helped his 43-year-old father, Muzafir Muminovic, start a home remodeling
business from their south St. Louis house last year.
The family emigrated to St. Louis almost four years ago from Split, Croatia, a
city on the Adriatic Sea. After seven years in Germany, they returned to
Croatia for three years, but odd jobs helping patch together homes damaged
during the war didn't pay well enough to maintain the living standard to which
they'd become accustomed.
Today, the father-and-son team runs Multi Construction Services from the
family's small home off Gravois Avenue. They advertise only by word of mouth
and the blue logo on their white van. Sometimes, Muzafir Muminovic learns of
jobs at Cafe Bolero, where Bosnian plumbers, masons and other tradesmen gather
for coffee each morning.
"Like every beginning, it's hard, but it's getting easier now," said Muhamed
Muminovic, who helps his father handle paperwork and sometimes serves as a
translator.
Muzafir Muminovic, who has worked in construction for almost 20 years, said he
takes almost any job, from interior remodeling to roofing and installing
floors. He taught himself about the building code and picked up new skills by
reading repair books from Home Depot.
Not only are Bosnians making their presence felt in the city's construction
industry, they're also becoming fixtures in the city's labor unions. Todorovic,
the carpenter, is even teaching Occupational Safety and Health
Administration-mandated safety training classes in Croatian for groups of
Bosnian immigrants.
Many Bosnian newcomers, including Adnan Mahmutovic, 27, from the small town of
Zvornik in eastern Bosnia, initially took factory jobs or other lower-paying
construction jobs to get on their feet. Later, they honed their skills as
electricians, carpenters and plumbers through union-run apprenticeship
programs.
"You came to this country with two suitcases and you needed a job right away,
so you took whatever you could get," Mahmutovic said. He and countryman Renato
Eterovic, 37, later joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Local 1 after some initial reluctance and doubts about whether they'd be
accepted as immigrants who spoke with an accent.
After two years as journeymen electricians at Sachs Electric, the program
enabled them to qualify for better benefits and wages, part of which they send
back to family in Bosnia.
"It was the best thing we ever did," he said.
Reporter Jeffrey Tomich
E-mail: jtomich@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8320
By Jeffrey Tomich, Of the Post-Dispatch, Thursday, Mar. 03 2005
Milan Todorovic's story isn't unlike thousands of other Bosnians who moved to
St. Louis over the last decade. He lived in Germany for most of the 1990s while
war raged in and around his native Teslic, a small mill town 150 miles north of
Sarajevo, then emigrated to the United States almost five years ago on the
advice of a friend in Phoenix.
Also like many of the other estimated 35,000 Bosnians who now call St. Louis
home, Todorovic works in construction. He's a trim carpenter and member of
Carpenter's Local 417, who spends his day applying crown molding and wood trim
to sprawling new custom houses in Chesterfield and Ladue.
While St. Louis has about 50,000 construction workers, there is perpetually a
need for more, industry leaders say. And Bosnians who landed in the city over
the last decade in search of high-paying jobs - many of them already skilled
carpenters or electricians - have helped meet the demand.
"Quite a few of them come over here with several trades or degrees," said John
Gaal, director of training and work force development for the Carpenters
District Council of Greater St. Louis. "All of them are great hands. They have
a great work ethic, and they're great craftsmen."
There are so many Bosnian construction workers that PRIDE, a St. Louis labor
organization, is in the process of adding a link to its Web site to translate
the content into Croatian. Gaal said 41 of an estimated 2,000 students enrolled
in the training program are Bosnian. No one keeps track of area-wide employment
by nationality, but the construction industry is believed to be among the
largest employers of Bosnians in St. Louis.
The city's Bosnian population is second only to Chicago's, said Beth Radtke of
the International Institute, a nonprofit agency in St. Louis that helps
immigrants learn English, find jobs and start their own businesses.
The International Institute was among the organizations that sponsored
thousands of Bosnian refugees who moved to St. Louis from 1993 to 2003. More
are coming still, relocating from Chicago or New York because they have
relatives here or because housing here is more affordable, Radtke said.
For Todorovic, 37, and his family, the opportunity to move to the United States
was one he couldn't pass up, even if it meant leaving extended family behind.
"Going back to a broken country wasn't an option," he said.
Todorovic and other Bosnians say they face a common obstacle in adjusting to
their new lives and new jobs: English.
"The language barrier is the biggest issue," said Muhamed Muminovic, 22, who
helped his 43-year-old father, Muzafir Muminovic, start a home remodeling
business from their south St. Louis house last year.
The family emigrated to St. Louis almost four years ago from Split, Croatia, a
city on the Adriatic Sea. After seven years in Germany, they returned to
Croatia for three years, but odd jobs helping patch together homes damaged
during the war didn't pay well enough to maintain the living standard to which
they'd become accustomed.
Today, the father-and-son team runs Multi Construction Services from the
family's small home off Gravois Avenue. They advertise only by word of mouth
and the blue logo on their white van. Sometimes, Muzafir Muminovic learns of
jobs at Cafe Bolero, where Bosnian plumbers, masons and other tradesmen gather
for coffee each morning.
"Like every beginning, it's hard, but it's getting easier now," said Muhamed
Muminovic, who helps his father handle paperwork and sometimes serves as a
translator.
Muzafir Muminovic, who has worked in construction for almost 20 years, said he
takes almost any job, from interior remodeling to roofing and installing
floors. He taught himself about the building code and picked up new skills by
reading repair books from Home Depot.
Not only are Bosnians making their presence felt in the city's construction
industry, they're also becoming fixtures in the city's labor unions. Todorovic,
the carpenter, is even teaching Occupational Safety and Health
Administration-mandated safety training classes in Croatian for groups of
Bosnian immigrants.
Many Bosnian newcomers, including Adnan Mahmutovic, 27, from the small town of
Zvornik in eastern Bosnia, initially took factory jobs or other lower-paying
construction jobs to get on their feet. Later, they honed their skills as
electricians, carpenters and plumbers through union-run apprenticeship
programs.
"You came to this country with two suitcases and you needed a job right away,
so you took whatever you could get," Mahmutovic said. He and countryman Renato
Eterovic, 37, later joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Local 1 after some initial reluctance and doubts about whether they'd be
accepted as immigrants who spoke with an accent.
After two years as journeymen electricians at Sachs Electric, the program
enabled them to qualify for better benefits and wages, part of which they send
back to family in Bosnia.
"It was the best thing we ever did," he said.
Reporter Jeffrey Tomich
E-mail: jtomich@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8320
IBEW Local 77 (Seattle) Requires rigorous Training for Line Work
Linemen climb to the top of their class
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0306/biz/stories/02biz.htm
By ALISON BOGGS, The Associated Press
March 6, 2005
SPOKANE, Wash. No matter how strong their desire, some students don't realize they're not cut out to be linemen until they're standing on two metal spikes high up on a utility pole.
This semester at Avista Utilities' Jack Stewart Lineman School, four students dropped out of the course too far along for any of the 14 people on the waiting list to get in.
That's too bad, because the industry needs them.
A nationwide shortage of linemen has been building for years, and the situation's no different in the Inland Northwest. As legions of aging utility workers edge closer to retirement, the construction industry continues to boom, boosting demand for power line installation. Making matters worse, a number of utilities discontinued apprentice programs in years of corporate downsizing, meaning fewer workers are proceeding through the ranks.
"There will continue to be a shortage until we can get people pumped through," said Don Guillot, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 77, which represents linemen in Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. "We do have a problem, but we are trying to address it."
Partially behind the backlog is the amount of time lineman training takes. Students who complete a four-month course like Jack Stewart and go to work for a utility are just beginning. They must work another four years to attain journeyman status and years more to gain the institutional knowledge currently flowing out of utilities with the retirement exodus.
Mike Hanson, training administrator for Avista's linemen, said the company has been aware of the pending problem for years.
The company has an active apprentice program and the Jack Stewart Lineman School was created in 1993 to address the pending shortage. Inland Power and Light, which recently has been hiring several linemen per year, will begin reaching out to local high school students this spring, hoping to attract more people to the trade, said Marketing Manager Dan Villalobos. Guillot said the IBEW is increasing recruitment of apprentices at high schools and job fairs and is trying to encourage utilities to expand apprentice programs.
Being a lineman is lucrative for those with the fortitude to scale a pole 55 feet high and handle power lines. Graduates fresh out of the training programs are labeled ground men and usually stand to earn $11 an hour in this region. However, within a couple of years, if all goes well, workers earn apprentice ranking and watch their pay rise to $20 an hour. After a couple more years, they can achieve journeyman status and get another $10-an-hour boost.
That's more than $62,000 a year, not including overtime.
Jeremy Lundberg, 33, landed a spot in the current class at Jack Stewart, drawn by the promise of future earnings. At his former job at a paper mill, he said, he would have topped out at $30 an hour after many years of work. The Spokane man sees the promise of that wage within four years as a lineman, and more after that.
"It would have taken me a long time to see top dollar," Lundberg said of his last job.
His brother-in-law is a lineman for Inland Power, and Lundberg thought it sounded like good work. The married man with two young children said he's prepared to go anywhere for a job.
Lundberg's willingness to move virtually guarantees him a job. Job placement from Jack Stewart is 80 percent but rises to 100 percent if graduates are willing to relocate, Hanson said. California, Utah, Colorado, Montana and southern Idaho will collectively need close to 400 linemen a year for the next five years due to construction alone, he said. And some of the other states offer much higher wages, though they're frequently accompanied by a higher cost of living.
"Some places are offering six months of wages as a signing bonus," Hanson said.
Upfront costs for lineman training are fairly steep. Jack Stewart holds two four-month sessions each year that cost $5,700 for in-state students and $6,500 for out-of-state. Linemen also are required to buy their own gear, which runs another $850 or so.
But the jobs appear to be constantly in demand. Though linemen say winter is the slow season, the February issue of the Northwest Public Power Association's trade magazine, Bulletin, has nine lineman job openings, mostly in Washington. Avista hired nine of the students from the last Jack Stewart session, but students are not guaranteed local positions.
Paying to attend a training program shows potential employers how serious a student is, Villalobos said. An Avista spokeswoman said it's fairly rare for the company to hire someone who hasn't attended a training program.
After hiring program graduates, utilities continue to spend thousands of dollars each year training their linemen until they become journeymen. Hanson said Avista spends $70,000 per year training its apprentices. When the students first go to work for a utility, they initially need to be under someone's supervision all the time, said lead line instructor Bill Magers. For that reason, the power lines students practice on at the school are not energized.
"You gotta have what it takes before we get to the electricity part of it," he said.
The Jack Stewart school was named for a former Avista lineman known for mentoring his younger colleagues. Students must be 18 to register and though most are men, four women have graduated from the program since it began.
Safety is a top concern and the class size is capped at 26 to keep the student-to-instructor ratio low. The instructors don't gloss over the potential dangers of the job. On the classroom wall hangs a memorial photograph of a former student who died while stringing power lines for a helicopter company.
The program is intense, meeting eight hours a day, five days a week. Half is spent in the classroom; half outside on the training grounds, climbing poles, tying knots and rigging gear. Two sessions are offered per year: January through April and June through October. There's more room, generally, in the summer session, instructors said. In four months, the students earn 49 college credits through Spokane Community College, which joined with Avista to create the program.
"When you take 10 to 18 credits, that's a heavy load," said Linda Poage, who manages SCC's apprentice division.
The school also trains students for other possible careers, perhaps with cable or phone companies or in other trade positions at power companies, said Magers. He and the other instructor, Dave Valandra, have worked to make the program more compatible with other utility companies' needs and more applicable to other career fields.
"All the other bargaining unit jobs (at Avista) require what we teach here," said Valandra, who recently retired from 33 years as a lineman for Avista. The course includes instruction on flagging, CPR and forklift operations, among other skills.
But for some, it doesn't seem like work at all.
Jake Booth is 20, from Davenport, Wash., and is so excited to be in the program, he says over and over how "awesome" it is. An adrenaline junkie who rides motorcycles and snowmobiles, Booth said he's wanted to be a lineman since he was little. He went to college for two years, but hated it. He likes the lineman school because it's more hands-on.
"The first day you're out climbing," Booth said. "They put you right out there and let you start doing it."
Valandra, however, cautions the students against thinking the work is all about being outside and working with their hands.
"It's not just climbing poles," said Valandra, 57. "That's not what we do for a living. We work electricity. Climbing the poles is one way to get to the work."
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0306/biz/stories/02biz.htm
By ALISON BOGGS, The Associated Press
March 6, 2005
SPOKANE, Wash. No matter how strong their desire, some students don't realize they're not cut out to be linemen until they're standing on two metal spikes high up on a utility pole.
This semester at Avista Utilities' Jack Stewart Lineman School, four students dropped out of the course too far along for any of the 14 people on the waiting list to get in.
That's too bad, because the industry needs them.
A nationwide shortage of linemen has been building for years, and the situation's no different in the Inland Northwest. As legions of aging utility workers edge closer to retirement, the construction industry continues to boom, boosting demand for power line installation. Making matters worse, a number of utilities discontinued apprentice programs in years of corporate downsizing, meaning fewer workers are proceeding through the ranks.
"There will continue to be a shortage until we can get people pumped through," said Don Guillot, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 77, which represents linemen in Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. "We do have a problem, but we are trying to address it."
Partially behind the backlog is the amount of time lineman training takes. Students who complete a four-month course like Jack Stewart and go to work for a utility are just beginning. They must work another four years to attain journeyman status and years more to gain the institutional knowledge currently flowing out of utilities with the retirement exodus.
Mike Hanson, training administrator for Avista's linemen, said the company has been aware of the pending problem for years.
The company has an active apprentice program and the Jack Stewart Lineman School was created in 1993 to address the pending shortage. Inland Power and Light, which recently has been hiring several linemen per year, will begin reaching out to local high school students this spring, hoping to attract more people to the trade, said Marketing Manager Dan Villalobos. Guillot said the IBEW is increasing recruitment of apprentices at high schools and job fairs and is trying to encourage utilities to expand apprentice programs.
Being a lineman is lucrative for those with the fortitude to scale a pole 55 feet high and handle power lines. Graduates fresh out of the training programs are labeled ground men and usually stand to earn $11 an hour in this region. However, within a couple of years, if all goes well, workers earn apprentice ranking and watch their pay rise to $20 an hour. After a couple more years, they can achieve journeyman status and get another $10-an-hour boost.
That's more than $62,000 a year, not including overtime.
Jeremy Lundberg, 33, landed a spot in the current class at Jack Stewart, drawn by the promise of future earnings. At his former job at a paper mill, he said, he would have topped out at $30 an hour after many years of work. The Spokane man sees the promise of that wage within four years as a lineman, and more after that.
"It would have taken me a long time to see top dollar," Lundberg said of his last job.
His brother-in-law is a lineman for Inland Power, and Lundberg thought it sounded like good work. The married man with two young children said he's prepared to go anywhere for a job.
Lundberg's willingness to move virtually guarantees him a job. Job placement from Jack Stewart is 80 percent but rises to 100 percent if graduates are willing to relocate, Hanson said. California, Utah, Colorado, Montana and southern Idaho will collectively need close to 400 linemen a year for the next five years due to construction alone, he said. And some of the other states offer much higher wages, though they're frequently accompanied by a higher cost of living.
"Some places are offering six months of wages as a signing bonus," Hanson said.
Upfront costs for lineman training are fairly steep. Jack Stewart holds two four-month sessions each year that cost $5,700 for in-state students and $6,500 for out-of-state. Linemen also are required to buy their own gear, which runs another $850 or so.
But the jobs appear to be constantly in demand. Though linemen say winter is the slow season, the February issue of the Northwest Public Power Association's trade magazine, Bulletin, has nine lineman job openings, mostly in Washington. Avista hired nine of the students from the last Jack Stewart session, but students are not guaranteed local positions.
Paying to attend a training program shows potential employers how serious a student is, Villalobos said. An Avista spokeswoman said it's fairly rare for the company to hire someone who hasn't attended a training program.
After hiring program graduates, utilities continue to spend thousands of dollars each year training their linemen until they become journeymen. Hanson said Avista spends $70,000 per year training its apprentices. When the students first go to work for a utility, they initially need to be under someone's supervision all the time, said lead line instructor Bill Magers. For that reason, the power lines students practice on at the school are not energized.
"You gotta have what it takes before we get to the electricity part of it," he said.
The Jack Stewart school was named for a former Avista lineman known for mentoring his younger colleagues. Students must be 18 to register and though most are men, four women have graduated from the program since it began.
Safety is a top concern and the class size is capped at 26 to keep the student-to-instructor ratio low. The instructors don't gloss over the potential dangers of the job. On the classroom wall hangs a memorial photograph of a former student who died while stringing power lines for a helicopter company.
The program is intense, meeting eight hours a day, five days a week. Half is spent in the classroom; half outside on the training grounds, climbing poles, tying knots and rigging gear. Two sessions are offered per year: January through April and June through October. There's more room, generally, in the summer session, instructors said. In four months, the students earn 49 college credits through Spokane Community College, which joined with Avista to create the program.
"When you take 10 to 18 credits, that's a heavy load," said Linda Poage, who manages SCC's apprentice division.
The school also trains students for other possible careers, perhaps with cable or phone companies or in other trade positions at power companies, said Magers. He and the other instructor, Dave Valandra, have worked to make the program more compatible with other utility companies' needs and more applicable to other career fields.
"All the other bargaining unit jobs (at Avista) require what we teach here," said Valandra, who recently retired from 33 years as a lineman for Avista. The course includes instruction on flagging, CPR and forklift operations, among other skills.
But for some, it doesn't seem like work at all.
Jake Booth is 20, from Davenport, Wash., and is so excited to be in the program, he says over and over how "awesome" it is. An adrenaline junkie who rides motorcycles and snowmobiles, Booth said he's wanted to be a lineman since he was little. He went to college for two years, but hated it. He likes the lineman school because it's more hands-on.
"The first day you're out climbing," Booth said. "They put you right out there and let you start doing it."
Valandra, however, cautions the students against thinking the work is all about being outside and working with their hands.
"It's not just climbing poles," said Valandra, 57. "That's not what we do for a living. We work electricity. Climbing the poles is one way to get to the work."
IBEW Local 1547 (Anchorage, AK) considered "Top Job"
Featured Top Job
TEMPORARY CONSUMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Alaska's largest electric utility is recruiting for a Temporary Consumer Service Representative. This position is responsible for responding to member inquiries and requests for service. In addition, provides skillful responses to inquiries from other departments and outside agencies. Qualifications: * High school diploma or equivalent. * Prior office experience with public contact. * Must be familiar with general office procedures and business terms. * Must be able to type 35 wpm net and use a 10 key calculator with accuracy. * Good communication skills and a service oriented attitude. This position is subject to the terms and conditions of the Office & Engineering Agreement between Chugach and IBEW, Local 1547 and will remain open until filled. Applications are available on our website at: www.chugachelectric.com/inside/employment.html and must be submitted with verifiable references to: Human Resources Department Chugach Electric Association, Inc. 5601 Minnesota Drive P.O. Box 196300 Anchorage, AK 99519-6300 Anyone needing assistance with the application process should contact the Human Resources Department at 762-4768. An Equal Opportunity Employer For All
TEMPORARY CONSUMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Alaska's largest electric utility is recruiting for a Temporary Consumer Service Representative. This position is responsible for responding to member inquiries and requests for service. In addition, provides skillful responses to inquiries from other departments and outside agencies. Qualifications: * High school diploma or equivalent. * Prior office experience with public contact. * Must be familiar with general office procedures and business terms. * Must be able to type 35 wpm net and use a 10 key calculator with accuracy. * Good communication skills and a service oriented attitude. This position is subject to the terms and conditions of the Office & Engineering Agreement between Chugach and IBEW, Local 1547 and will remain open until filled. Applications are available on our website at: www.chugachelectric.com/inside/employment.html and must be submitted with verifiable references to: Human Resources Department Chugach Electric Association, Inc. 5601 Minnesota Drive P.O. Box 196300 Anchorage, AK 99519-6300 Anyone needing assistance with the application process should contact the Human Resources Department at 762-4768. An Equal Opportunity Employer For All
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