Maintenance Supervisor

[em1]

I am an-ex 20 year Nuke EM who is considering a career change from Hourly pay as a Distribution System Operator (in the 30's) to an Electrical Maintenance Supervisor at a Nuke Plant (Salary plus bonuses).  Shiftwork is getting old as a DSO, but has anyone had any experiences or observed the job of the Electrical Maintenance Supervisor at a Nuke Plant. I know that you work long hours during outages, but was wondering about the stress during the normal periods. 

[alphadude]

you will give time to the company, work when they say you need too-with or with out compensation, work long hours during outages-with or with out compensation-

regular time periods- planning for next outage, day to day employee problems, shift schedules, pm logs- you get rated on how much of a backlog you have, emergent work-if the utility is proactive this is undercontrol-if they run it till it breaks for max profit- its day to day. 

make sure the salary is high enuff so that when the techs make a whole lot more money than you do because of OT- you can deal with it.

the stress level is the same for all line supervisors- don't trip the plant, is this on the schedule, send people to training but get the job done any way etc, build cases on the slugs, and so on...

[Joe Ferguson]

As a First Line Supervisor with Exelon (which is the largest nuclear fleet) you will enjoy the following.........

- you can be the 2nd or 3rd supv. of what is supposed to be a 4 man supv. team (they never completely fill the 4th, so right from the start your SOL).
- you will enjoy 10-11 hour days when it's not your Duty Week.
- you will enjoy 11-13 hour days when it is your Duty Week (this IS non-outage)
- you will be given your very own pager almost immediately and they will place you on the ERO roster.  That means atleast 1 week out of the month, you can't be more than an hour from work and you can't have 1-drop of alcohol.
- when it's not your duty week, a buddy will tell you he needs help.  He needs you to cover his week because he has concert tickets.
- you will be handsomely rewarded with about 20 vacation days each year plus the normal holidays ('cept ya can't use all of them cause something important will come up and they are gonna "need you here")
- you will be told about the great bonus structure and incentive programs where you can earn between 11-15% for 'doing good', then you will get about $2300.00 in February followed by the "I wish it could be more...." speech because the company had a tough year.
- your kids won't know ya.
- you and your wife will fight.

Best of luck, man.

[Roll Tide]

As a First Line Supervisor with Exelon (which is the largest nuclear fleet) you will enjoy the following.........

But to keep it in perspective (even for such a difficult place): it will mean more family time than you had when deployed...

Tag sounds like first-hand experience in a "challenging environment". Most plants aren't quite that tough (but there are shades of it at every plant).

[xobxdoc]

As a First Line Supervisor with Exelon (which is the largest nuclear fleet) you will enjoy the following.........

- you can be the 2nd or 3rd supv. of what is supposed to be a 4 man supv. team (they never completely fill the 4th, so right from the start your SOL).
- you will enjoy 10-11 hour days when it's not your Duty Week.
- you will enjoy 11-13 hour days when it is your Duty Week (this IS non-outage)
- you will be given your very own pager almost immediately and they will place you on the ERO roster.  That means atleast 1 week out of the month, you can't be more than an hour from work and you can't have 1-drop of alcohol.
- when it's not your duty week, a buddy will tell you he needs help.  He needs you to cover his week because he has concert tickets.
- you will be handsomely rewarded with about 20 vacation days each year plus the normal holidays ('cept ya can't use all of them cause something important will come up and they are gonna "need you here")
- you will be told about the great bonus structure and incentive programs where you can earn between 11-15% for 'doing good', then you will get about $2300.00 in February followed by the "I wish it could be more...." speech because the company had a tough year.
- your kids won't know ya.
- you and your wife will fight.

Best of luck, man.

They don't call it the fleet for nothing!!! It's pretty much the same at Constellation.

[Rennhack]

As a First Line Supervisor with Exelon (which is the largest nuclear fleet) you will enjoy the following.........

Exelent post.

[Kev3399]

As a First Line Supervisor with Exelon (which is the largest nuclear fleet) you will enjoy the following.........

- you can be the 2nd or 3rd supv. of what is supposed to be a 4 man supv. team (they never completely fill the 4th, so right from the start your SOL).
- you will enjoy 10-11 hour days when it's not your Duty Week.
- you will enjoy 11-13 hour days when it is your Duty Week (this IS non-outage)
- you will be given your very own pager almost immediately and they will place you on the ERO roster.  That means atleast 1 week out of the month, you can't be more than an hour from work and you can't have 1-drop of alcohol.
- when it's not your duty week, a buddy will tell you he needs help.  He needs you to cover his week because he has concert tickets.
- you will be handsomely rewarded with about 20 vacation days each year plus the normal holidays ('cept ya can't use all of them cause something important will come up and they are gonna "need you here")
- you will be told about the great bonus structure and incentive programs where you can earn between 11-15% for 'doing good', then you will get about $2300.00 in February followed by the "I wish it could be more...." speech because the company had a tough year.
- your kids won't know ya.
- you and your wife will fight.

Best of luck, man.

Exelon demands alot from their people. I guess you could draw the conclusion that this is the same at every plant in the industry........

I have no experience with maintenance. However, it does seem to be a very reactive job, vice proactive.

[emnuke]

Yes--I have heard about Exelon-------Specifally I am trying to find out about average hrs/week for Electrical Supervisors at Riverbend (Entergy) or Beaver Valley (First Energy Corp) I am assuming 50-55/week for the entire year?? Anyone know anyone in Maintenance at either of these plants?? Thanks

[Joe Ferguson]

Sorry- I have no contacts there.  You are right, you can expect about 50+/- hours per week as a supv in any discipline.  There is alot of admin duties before your crew gets to work and then again after they leave.  First in - last out, right?  The big 'E' is a little different than other utilities when it comes to their management style.  They don't just ask alot from their supv.'s - they demand it.  Generally, utilities are basically the same regardless of where you go.  Some utilities actually care about their employees, and others just say they do.

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

Well, I just got hired in as a Mechanical Maintenance First Line Supervisor at Exelon, and to tell you the truth, I couldn't love it more.  I actually enjoy waking up, at four in the morning, and going into work which is a first.  This is my first post Navy job and I was a six and out so shoveling horse crap for $10/hr would be better.  Honestly though, I couldn't imagine finding a better job, the pay is excellent and the people I work with are even better.  I have been doing it for a short time but I am really happy with the job.  I could see myself there for a long time to come.  Things that rotag said are true though, with the exception of the annual bonus incentive which I know for a fact is a lot more.  It all depends on how you take the negatives with the positive.  To some people the glass is half-full and to others the glass is half-empty, I guess you have witnessed the two ends of the spectrum.

-Adam

[Joe Ferguson]

I'm with ya Adam.  I'm sure your are going to do great there. 

Although, if you just hired on....................you haven't received that annual incentive bonus yet, have ya? (it'll happen around mid-February). 

Here's the thing......the Navy recruiter about 6 six years ago said 'you would travel the world' and 'have the experience of a life-time' too didn't he?  Just like the HR lady In Kennett Square or Cantera said 'you can make 15% of your base' per year in bonuses, right?

I appreciate your enthusiasum, but take the hook out of you're mouth, man.

I know at least 3 Maintenance Supervisors that also get up at 04:00 and made less than 2%/yr and no Maintenance Supervisors that made over 4.5%.

Knock em' dead,
rotag

[s1wlightning@msn.com]

You may be right, but to tell you the truth, I am getting paid a lot more the I expect right out of the navy and would have done it for quite a bit less.  It could depend though if your east or midwest.

[emnuke]

s1wlightning--I agree--anything seems better than the Navy--I did 20 years of the indentured servitude and I know how may hrs you can work-----but that is not the bench mark that I compare jobs against now as I once again have the rights of a civilian and am paid hourly as a Distribution System Operator.  I am trying to investigate and ascertain just how much an hour I will actually be making as a "salaried" worker.  I am not thinking about getting into management for the friggin title--I don't give a hoot.  Time is money as far as I am concerned and if I get less per hour for management than being an Operator--I don't want to be in Management. I will have 380 hrs overtime this year and with my bonus will make just about 100k. Dividing my total hrs in the year into total monetary compensation I averaged about $40/hr for the entire yr---------so if a company wants me to be a supervisor and including the outages and all the extra hrs I put in come out to like 3000 total hrs for the year( I believe it will be that much from what I have heard---definitely more than the 8 hrs extra a week I am putting in now)---they need to pay me total monetary compensation of 120k or greater for the year--if they don't they are asking me to volunteer hours for the company and/or are making promises of "well --you gotta pay your dues now to move up in management later"---ie we might as well be back in the Navy with promises of making Chief to put in all the insane extra hrs--and Homey don't play that game any more. I have heard Exleon treats its managers like crap--from many people--some of who have worked there, so I belive Rotag.  You may have different circumstances and hopefully the jobs I am looking at are more similar to yours than Rotags--because if not--Fuhgeetaboutit. So in conclusion--Does your total monetary compensation equal or exceed $40/hr for the entire year as a Maintenance Supervisor?  As I said--time is money.

[Kev3399]

s1wlightning--I agree--anything seems better than the Navy--I did 20 years of the indentured servitude and I know how may hrs you can work-----but that is not the bench mark that I compare jobs against now as I once again have the rights of a civilian and am paid hourly as a Distribution System Operator.  I am trying to investigate and ascertain just how much an hour I will actually be making as a "salaried" worker.  I am not thinking about getting into management for the friggin title--I don't give a hoot.  Time is money as far as I am concerned and if I get less per hour for management than being an Operator--I don't want to be in Management. I will have 380 hrs overtime this year and with my bonus will make just about 100k. Dividing my total hrs in the year into total monetary compensation I averaged about $40/hr for the entire yr---------so if a company wants me to be a supervisor and including the outages and all the extra hrs I put in come out to like 3000 total hrs for the year( I believe it will be that much from what I have heard---definitely more than the 8 hrs extra a week I am putting in now)---they need to pay me total monetary compensation of 120k or greater for the year--if they don't they are asking me to volunteer hours for the company and/or are making promises of "well --you gotta pay your dues now to move up in management later"---ie we might as well be back in the Navy with promises of making Chief to put in all the insane extra hrs--and Homey don't play that game any more. I have heard Exleon treats its managers like crap--from many people--some of who have worked there, so I belive Rotag.  You may have different circumstances and hopefully the jobs I am looking at are more similar to yours than Rotags--because if not--Fuhgeetaboutit. So in conclusion--Does your total monetary compensation equal or exceed $40/hr for the entire year as a Maintenance Supervisor?  As I said--time is money.

Its hard to compare salary positions with hourly wage positions as you are trying to explain above. More often than not you will find that the dollars/hr of a supervisor doesn't quite add up to the regular dollars/hr of a worker/operator/technician. Thats unfortunate in some cases.

I'll give you my 100% opinion on the discussion.(ie, don't get mad.....just offering a viewpoint) Maybe you're not the best fit for a salary management position? If you're a Manager/Salary Supervisor......than the last thing you should be worried about is your dollars/hr for any given time period.(1 Day or 1 Year) You should be concerned with the overall big picture of the Dept or Company that you are working for. You should be side by side with the people who work for you, even if they are getting paid overtime or more than you. Be a supervisor who is there because you enjoy managing people/projects and thrive off of the responsibility required of you. Don't do it because you want to make more money or get more $$$ out of your hours at work.

Now, do I believe that supervisors should get paid less? No, its just unfortunate that salary positions can have that huge downside.

[Joe Ferguson]

Well said Kev3399.
A manager/supervisor makes the same decision a technician or mechanic makes. 
A good manager / supervisor takes that career course because he/she is a leader of men and derives satisfaction by being a coach and helping others succeed.  The other career path requires no leadership and limited thought.  Where ones destiny is decided by their stewards ability to regotiate. 

rotag

[Fermi2]

Actually everyone here has good points. It all depends on what you want out of your job and life. Can't blame anyone for doing what makes them happy.

Mike

[Kev3399]

Actually everyone here has good points. It all depends on what you want out of your job and life. Can't blame anyone for doing what makes them happy.

Outstanding emphasis I left out. Where do you want to end up in your career/life? Its a decision we all have to make, sometimes more than once. I tortured myself with indecision for almost 9 months on my decision to stay or exit the Navy.

[emnuke]

Its hard to compare salary positions with hourly wage positions as you are trying to explain above. More often than not you will find that the dollars/hr of a supervisor doesn't quite add up to the regular dollars/hr of a worker/operator/technician. Thats unfortunate in some cases.

I'll give you my 100% opinion on the discussion.(ie, don't get mad.....just offering a viewpoint) Maybe you're not the best fit for a salary management position? If you're a Manager/Salary Supervisor......than the last thing you should be worried about is your dollars/hr for any given time period.(1 Day or 1 Year) You should be concerned with the overall big picture of the Dept or Company that you are working for. You should be side by side with the people who work for you, even if they are getting paid overtime or more than you. Be a supervisor who is there because you enjoy managing people/projects and thrive off of the responsibility required of you. Don't do it because you want to make more money or get more $$$ out of your hours at work.

Now, do I believe that supervisors should get paid less? No, its just unfortunate that salary positions can have that huge downside.

I believe with increased responsibility and longer hours should come more money---of course you should be dedicated to the company--but if they don't pay you proportionally for your increased time and increased resposibility--they obviously are not so dedicated to you to the extent that they require of yourself--then what we have is a "cultish" atmosphere of "what you can do for your company is the most important thing that matters in your life". I am not so gullible to believe that money is not my main concern with employment, as with any private company---their net income is "their" main concern, with secondary concerns of employee morale to ensure productivity maintains high enough for this net income. Of course one could use the carrot theory and say "salaried personnel are working longer and harder than the hourly guys to get advanced and make more money than the hourly guys eventually with that huge salary and bonus", but I ask "Why doesn't the company pay proportionally more presently also? The reason why is pretty evident--the company wants to save money off people believing in the carrot theory. If you never get that carrot--which a huge amount of people don't---you get: a huge amount of additonal stress and hrs and the company gets: a labor cost savings.  Tomorrow never comes

[Kev3399]

I believe with increased responsibility and longer hours should come more money---of course you should be dedicated to the company--but if they don't pay you proportionally for your increased time and increased resposibility--they obviously are not so dedicated to you to the extent that they require of yourself--then what we have is a "cultish" atmosphere of "what you can do for your company is the most important thing that matters in your life". I am not so gullible to believe that money is not my main concern with employment, as with any private company---their net income is "their" main concern, with secondary concerns of employee morale to ensure productivity maintains high enough for this net income. Of course one could use the carrot theory and say "salaried personnel are working longer and harder than the hourly guys to get advanced and make more money than the hourly guys eventually with that huge salary and bonus", but I ask "Why doesn't the company pay proportionally more presently also? The reason why is pretty evident--the company wants to save money off people believing in the carrot theory. If you never get that carrot--which a huge amount of people don't---you get: a huge amount of additonal stress and hrs and the company gets: a labor cost savings.  Tomorrow never comes

I agree to disagree with you. My head hurts now.......cults and carrots. 

Best of luck to you in whatever you choose.

--anything seems better than the Navy--I did 20 years of the indentured servitude

Also, please don't spin military service with a term directly correlated to slavery and punishment. Like alot of people on this forum, I volunteered and served proudly. Thank you.

[Marlin]

Also, please don't spin military service with a term directly correlated to slavery and punishment. Like alot of people on this forum, I volunteered and served proudly. Thank you.

+ Karma 

[emnuke]

I agree to disagree with you. My head hurts now.......cults and carrots. 

Best of luck to you in whatever you choose.

Also, please don't spin military service with a term directly correlated to slavery and punishment. Like alot of people on this forum, I volunteered and served proudly. Thank you.

Sorry Kev3399--in my experiences (probably not the same as yours since you don't have near as much time on the pond) it was "slightly" less than indentured servitude at many times--I don't believe semi-slavery is a word, so I used the closest word that defined it.

[Kev3399]

Sorry Kev3399--in my experiences (probably not the same as yours since you don't have near as much time on the pond) it was "slightly" less than indentured servitude at many times--I don't believe semi-slavery is a word, so I used the closest word that defined it.

You're right, time on the pond isn't quite the phrase to describe the experiences of an ETC.

I support opinions and viewpoints though.   

[emnuke]

You're right, time on the pond isn't quite the phrase to describe the experiences of an ETC.

I support opinions and viewpoints though.   

Ahhh-"ETC" --that explains our difference in attitudes--I wasn't in the elite kahki fraternity, but only an E-6 who now enjoys no longer being taken advantage of by the likes of them (ie hourly pay) Good Luck ---As I believe you will now excel in the salaried, managerial-type environment that you so endeared.

[hamsamich]

the way alot of my chiefs and officers treated me and my blue comrades it WAS like indentured servitude.  the guy did his time, he can call it whatever he wants.  I served proudly as well, but that will never change the reality of my and alot of other blueshirt's position.  good for emnuke to tell it like it was for him.  everything is relative, just like whether or not any of you can enjoy the job of first line supervisor at most nuc plants, which in my opinion (I've never done it but seen many of them in pain, including 2 very close friends with GREAT POSITIVE  attitudes), sucks.  if given my choice of Technician or First line?  Technician by far.  If given my choice of 6 more years in the Nav or First Line at Commercial Nuke?  First Line by far.

[Kev3399]

Ahhh-"ETC" --that explains our difference in attitudes--I wasn't in the elite kahki fraternity, but only an E-6 who now enjoys no longer being taken advantage of by the likes of them (ie hourly pay) Good Luck ---As I believe you will now excel in the salaried, managerial-type environment that you so endeared.

Well, we have digressed here. This isn't really beneficial to the original purpose of this thread. For that, I am equally at fault.

Shoot me a PM if you want to.