NPUA

[techtoolong]

I would save for my retirement and maybe stay at my own home once in awhile.  I have one income and I will never be able to retire at this rate.  I do not have a boat , motorcycle, second home or any of that B. S.  I do however have a job in the industry.

BTW your IRS problems were your own.  You should have paid your taxes.

[MR BIG]

Next is the $35/hr.  I know its sounds good, hell I'd love to pay it – as the old saying goes in this business "pay it and they will come" but I can assure you just because they promise it doesn't mean it will happen.  First they would have iron out a CBA with the vendor and after that the vendor would have to get utility approval, which I might add maybe easy to do on a back-up for a half dozen or a dozen techs, but to get a full crew...I don't think so.  The reason I state that is because we have tried and it hasn't happened.  Does this mean we won't continue to try to get the highest possible wage our clients will allow? No.  Does this mean we will stop trying to educate our clients on the ever changing dynamics of this industry and what we think we need to do as far as increasing compensation? No.  This means we will continue to champion pay and overall compensation changes that will benefit our work force and give them the ability to earn what they feel they should be earning. 

All I ask is to at least do yourself justice by doing the research and taking a close look at THIS group and make an educated decision before rushing blindly like lemmings off the cliff just because they "promise" $35/hr.   


As always,

Eric
I wish people on hear would stop making up stories (is that called a lie) The FACT is that it isn't just a promise ($35.00/hr) Techs have already worked four different plants at that wage. How can reality be a promise. Yeah it was a back-up, but it takes time to develop a business. Did Bartlett start off with 90% of the business?.....NO. How can you say you are trying to help the tech out there get higher wages when you are the lowest bidder and lowest pay to the tech in the industry in the majority of your contracts? Come on Eric. I have thought of you in the past as pretty straight up, but be honest here.

I expect you to run a business to make a profit, but don't skew things to make yourself look better than the next guy. It compromises your credibility. And that's a hard thing to do after what Bruce used to do to us in the past. You have a tough job to turn that around.
Good Luck to you.

[techtoolong]

Well said MR BIG

Eric a sounds sort of like this


"A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" – Herbert Hoover
That is what Bartlett and Atlantic can do for you.

[Camella Black]

I would save for my retirement and maybe stay at my own home once in awhile.  I have one income and I will never be able to retire at this rate.  I do not have a boat , motorcycle, second home or any of that B. S.  I do however have a job in the industry.

BTW your IRS problems were your own.  You should have paid your taxes.

Once again your lack of education, experience or research is showing... the tax problems are well noted by anyone working in this industry pre 1985 or so; I.R.M. the big guy on campus back then faced an audit and many of the workers got caught up in the fracus due to the way our per diem was paid and filed.

I do have a job in the industry also.... as the spouse of a 30+ veteran, my livelyhood depends upon him so therefore what affects him concerns me, I am sooooo tired of repeating myself.

Now, if the NPUA could put in writing that they have paid medical leave, paid vacation 2 weeks plus please, 401k and a health insurance plan that would follow up from plant to plant along with life insurance then I might jump on the band wagon.

[techtoolong]

I have been in the business that long.  I even went to IRM school.   IRM was busted for deeming techs were self employed and the techs for not making their quarterly tax payments on their own or for collecting and not reporting Per Diem that was illegal due to tax laws. You do not even know what the NPUA is offering.  We do not get vacation now, Atlantic does not even pay holidays and I am getting rich off of that $200.00 dollar contribution Bartlett makes to my 401 K.
You cannot jump the bandwagon,  you have to be in the business to vote.

You are not in the business any more than Michelle is President by being married to one.  

[Old HP]

Hey lets lighten up on Camella.  She is just sharing here opinions and experiences in the industry. Some of us have been around the block so many times that we tend to not trust anyone.
Eric has been very up front with some answers and the questions are still the same as they were with the IBEW attempt in 1990.
The big thing to remember as we work at the numerous outages( that are understaffed or inadequately staffed ) is poor planning on the utilities part does not have to force us to accept pushing the envelope of proper job coverage. 

                                               Old HP

[techtoolong]

When you make statements like this you picked a fight
" Once again your lack of education, experience or research is showing..."  Camella Black to 25 plus year SR. Tech.

If she cannot run with the Big Dogs she should stay on the porch

[Nuclear NASCAR]

4. Please learn to be respectful, tolerate and support each other.  NukeWorker.com's goal is to help others, not see how many people we can annoy. Do not initiate arguments or tension. This will only cause the triggering of other members and make this site less professional.

I think this is better advice than "She started it!" which is what your last post sounds like.   

[techtoolong]

This advice goes both ways.

[Camella Black]

I have been in the business that long.  I even went to IRM school.   IRM was busted for deeming techs were self employed and the techs for not making their quarterly tax payments on their own or for collecting and not reporting Per Diem that was illegal due to tax laws. You do not even know what the NPUA is offering.  We do not get vacation now, Atlantic does not even pay holidays and I am getting rich off of that $200.00 dollar contribution Bartlett makes to my 401 K.
You cannot jump the bandwagon,  you have to be in the business to vote.

You are not in the business any more than Michelle is President by being married to one.  

BTW I just wanted to say I was serious about the bennies I mentioned....


1. Okay so you have been around the block, good for you then you really should be ashamed and to set the record straight many, many techs got caught up in the IRM tax mess while filing quarterly taxes and with tax accountants at hand.

2. Well Bo why don't you tell me what the NPUA is offerering as the only person I've heard give me a straight answer that wasn't laced with b.s. and sarcasm was Frank through a personal email (thanks Frank).

3. I don't know about you but my husband gets 2 weeks vacation hours a year and that is way more than we've seen in 30 years.

4. Right now aside from a few staples and lack of a medical release there is nothing stopping me from returning to this business. I may not have worked in years or that long but I hold both a BA and Associates degree on top of years of special training through both FEMA and the state for Haz/Mat, Emergency Management, Incident Command, etc. I believe I could find a job, thats not the point thought... once again I asked a question and the bullies came out to play.

Oh and BTW, Michelle may not run the White House but I bet if she asked a question every Tom, Dick and Harry oh and Katie would rush to hear her answer; I can also bet that President Obama listens to that sweet little whisper in his ear at times too. Good Night.

[Camella Black]

When you make statements like this you picked a fight
" Once again your lack of education, experience or research is showing..."  Camilla Black to 25 plus year SR. Tech.

If she cannot run with the Big Dogs she should stay on the porch

I did not mean to offend you, this is a common statement in my area which basically says you spoke without having all the facts; your replies on this thread led me to believe this. As far as having 25 years in the business I had already been exposed to the business for a decade before you began so I have seen a lot and heard a lot.

The last sentence is funny, so very funny because I am known to run aren't I Tom? I'm trying to be good, honest.   I'm going to the porch now.

[HenryBlack]

Eric
I wish people on hear would stop making up stories (is that called a lie) The FACT is that it isn't just a promise ($35.00/hr) Techs have already worked four different plants at that wage. How can reality be a promise. Yeah it was a back-up, but it takes time to develop a business. Did Bartlett start off with 90% of the business?.....NO. How can you say you are trying to help the tech out there get higher wages when you are the lowest bidder and lowest pay to the tech in the industry in the majority of your contracts? Come on Eric. I have thought of you in the past as pretty straight up, but be honest here.

I expect you to run a business to make a profit, but don't skew things to make yourself look better than the next guy. It compromises your credibility. And that's a hard thing to do after what Bruce used to do to us in the past. You have a tough job to turn that around.
Good Luck to you.

I believe $35.00 per hour is still something made up to make one party look good and another look not so good. The back-up for 4 outages in the two years that I have been hearing about the NPUA is not a very good track record in my opinion. A lot of the NPUA spokespersons talk about it like they are the "Company" that members will be working for. I am pretty sure that NPUA is supposed to be a representative of their members and not the "Company" that they are working for. If they are trying to be a company that bids on contracts with the utilities then just say so and I will submit my resume to you and we will see what happens. However if you are going to be my representative with a real company like Bartlett, then "No Thanks". I have heard too much demeaning and unprofessional chatter for me to want NPUA to represent me.

If she cannot run with the Big Dogs she should stay on the porch

Tech, I am not even going to answer this one even though I want to. I am sure Camella;(Notice the spelling), can run with the big dogs if she takes a mind to. Even though she may not be in the business, I can assure you that she knows the  business as good or better than most that are active in it now. Her Dad, Mother,two brothers, son, sister-in-law, and me, not to mention that she was a JR. RP at Millstone in the 80's have all been in the business. Maybe she can't vote in the NPUA, but I can and I will tell everyone this much;  The way things are being handled now by you folks, then my vote will be "NO".

[techtoolong]

I am not on the board of NPUA or do I officially represent them.  I just think it is time for a change.

Bartlett's vacation policy is if you work 50 of 52 weeks you get 1 week of vacation.  However this is excluded from some contracts so if you hit one of those outages those weeks do not count.  Henry must have a special deal. 

Bartlett was recently awarded the EXCEL contracts which were previously Atlantic's and it involved a loss of returnee, safety and long term retention bonuses.  It also was a 10% pay cut from the previous contract.  This would be moving in the wrong direction

[mostlyharmless]

A fine way to represent. All I hear is 35/hr  defensive and demeaning rhetoric. NPUA does seem to represent itself as a business. Not a representation of working folks. This indicates self interests, which is what I suspect is at the heart of all unions, power,control, and put as much into union leadership pockets as possible. Now this does not mean all union members are this way, there are many good union folks, but the union leadership ends up acting like an entrenched govt bureaucracy, interested only in self preservation and enrichment.
There is no such thing as benevolence. No one is looking out for my good. I must either accept the union, with its flaws,reject it or try and change it. But regardless I must look out for myself. I resent the fact that the union leaders set themselves up to make a lot more than the people they represent. This is very telling.
The pressures of the market place will drive up wages. When I started it was 16/50 for seniors,of course this varied on location. What is it now? A good bit more. But no one is going to make a lot of money with short outages. And the utilities are not going to stop looking for ways to save money. Can a union guarantee you more outages? Can a union alter the outage schedules? A lot of industry has left this country. Did the unions prevent this? Look at the state of union run jobs now.How is the auto industry going? How is the education of your children going?
Sound like anti union? Not really, just pro independent thought. Just don't want to get caught up in an organization that is no better than the ones they criticize.
Think for yourself,rely on yourself. Not Bartlett not unions,not the utilities.

[HenryBlack]

Bartlett's vacation policy is if you work 50 of 52 weeks you get 1 week of vacation.  However this is excluded from some contracts so if you hit one of those outages those weeks do not count.  Henry must have a special deal. 

No special deal, but if you work more than one year straight then you are entitled to 2 weeks. I work for Bartlett at Duke-Energy, and have been here for 4+ years now. That is how I get two weeks. Their policies are different at some utilities, so I don't know what it is with excelon. Take care and be safe!

[techtoolong]

That must be A Duke contract item because of the core techs.  It is not the general policy.  Everyone else is work 50 weeks straight and collect 1 week.  You have to be careful to have hours in all the weeks because if you miss 1 due to illness or death you lose the vacation.

[biloxoi blues]

Not sure but, doesn't the 50 weeks have to be in the same calendar year  to get the one week vacation?  I think the vacation was set up for the management (region cordinators) and the people at the bartlett office.  Im sure this includes the core techs also.  I could be wrong again.  This is in reference to the Bartlett vacation.  The vacation time for the traveling road techs is called unemployment.

[HenryBlack]

Not sure but, doesn't the 50 weeks have to be in the same calendar year  to get the one week vacation?  I think the vacation was set up for the management (region cordinators) and the people at the bartlett office.  Im sure this includes the core techs also.  I could be wrong again.  This is in reference to the Bartlett vacation.  The vacation time for the traveling road techs is called unemployment.

At least here it isn't that way. As I understand it,  you have to work 50 out of the first 52 weeks you are here, then you are eligible for 40 hours  pay for vacation. Not the calendar year but the first 52 weeks.  The weeks don't have to be in a row as long as you don't miss more than two. The second year as long as you don't miss more than one week every 6 months then you are entitled to 80 hours. The traveling techs here get treated the same as core techs in this regard.  I am sure if this is wrong someone will correct me, but this is the way I understand it. I don't know how it is other places but I do believe some of them have policies similar to these. Generally traveling Techs don't stay in one place long enough to become eligible, and in that case I guess unemployment is their vacation pay.

[hamsamich]

35$ an hour and higher per diem is not made up.  What is it with people?  I guess you can think what you want to think but all I can say is WOW.  35/hr is available.  But not all the time.  Hopefully someday it will be (all the time).  We can be part of something that may help it become more of a reality, or we can continue to make stories up.  Now whether or not they had pay problems or got less work, well that is an issue.  I read these forums and scratch my head about certain people.  Can we please get real here?

[HenryBlack]

Oh well, I think I rather make $25- $30 per hour 52 weeks per year, than to make $35 per hour 12-16 weeks per year. It would be nice if every person at every outage made $35, but i just don't see it happening in the very near future. I believe that more people will jump on the bandwagon when you folks prove that you are doing what you say you are. This will of course take time and the we will see if you can get everyone $35 per hour. It is possible that everyone will be making that anyway by then. We all know that supply and demand is what drives the wages up and this fall the demand isn't that much more than the supply. Next spring though is another story because the demand may be two times what the supply is, and then wages will naturally go up anyway.  I guess it will be a "wait and See" time for most.

At the present time which companies do you have  a contract with and do they have any contracts for outages this fall or next spring. I am not talking about back-up contracts but primary contracts. Just wondering for my own info so I can tell if what you are saying about wages is coming true. Also what benefits do they offer if any.

[grantime]

By the way what happened to the NPUA contract company- I3? From what I gather they aren't even answering the customers calls or emails.

[Jr8black3]

Hate to say this, I think every person can see what is going on,are there alot of techs worth 35.00 an hour or more, yes there are, are there rookie SR. Rps like me that arent Yes,, There are folks worth the money, but there are alot that need to get their wings,,I've been in this business along time but I don't know what all the old timers know, I get the chance to learn anytime I get to learn from one of them, heck it might be a smart ass comment but I learn from them, they don't know it cause I show no care, but I do..

Who cares about me anyway,,just a washed up deconner turned RP..<<No nothing..

Were all a family no matter your feelings on this subject.

[Rennhack]

By the way what happened to the NPUA contract company- I3? From what I gather they aren't even answering the customers calls or emails.

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,25329.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/job/job/hp-techs-3.1-and-18.1/12761/
http://www.nukeworker.com/job/employer/i3/2395/

[Jr8black3]

LOL Mike prolly thinks I'm worth 6/30 Typical decon rate when I was good,,, but then again I was never good at it..

guess what I got to do it today, after their 5 tries, I was like hmm breakfast.. So I did it,, first time poof gone,, I guess I never forgot where I came from.

[cairnit]

Henry, I worked long term (over 2 yrs) at Browns Ferry for Bartlett. Have worked for them for quite a few years and am used to asking the usual questions when accepting job assignments; what's the hourly pay/per diem/length of assignment/hours worked? Never thought there wouldn't be any vacation or holiday pay, thought it was standard with Bartlett to give some type of vacation pay after working some much time and at least some holiday pay; we didn't even get the plant recognized holidays as paid.