The Concept of Organizing, may not be that far from Reality.
Some still cringe at the attempt of the 90's and don't want to venture back into the same scenerio. During that attempt, the organizers didn't view the full scope of the business and the people involved. Lots of Techs, Lots of Avaliable Assignments, Lots of Companies and a Transient Work Force. Within a week after the strike start date, most of the Techs I knew who walked, were employed with another company, at another site. The official organizers had no concept of a work force that could simply pick up the phone and obtain a job, then travel 3000 miles for an assignment the following day! I believe, not verified, the organizers assumed the people they represented, would stay in place and support the negotiations. Economical Preservation is a major driving force for anyone! Another stumbling block of the times, not available in todays market, was the utilities ability to stand through long outage periods with little financial impact. In todays world, an hour equates to about $20,000.00, thats a number with a bite to it!
Also in the 90's, the scope of the attempt was Nation Wide! Today's agenda only needs be site specific and a hand full of Techs. Todays outages staff with an average of 50 to 60 Contract Techs. Twenty percent have a big say in their future, especially with a timely delivery of terms. I know, as some of you read this, the concept of the blackball list is rolling in your head. Has it existed, YES! Does it exist today, YES! Will it exist in the future, YES! Make no mistake, one companies Blackball list, is another companies assets! No company can afford a blackball list, or should I say Probation list, to long in length! I don't think many techs overlooked the past seasons employment postings, of the secondary companies. The companies that have little focus on the Commercial Health Physics Industry, yet they posted for positions. Maybe they felt like it was time to venture into the commercial industry, or maybe the utilities decided it was time to preserve the existance of competition! Who Knows?
Unionize and teach the Bastards a lesson! WRONG! Many have the concept that a union is a venue to teach the employer a lesson, it's not! Bringing problems to the table and negotiating solutions is the real agenda, what's fair and what's not! Companies want to know the problems of the employees and address them in part, if not 100%. No company wants to be in a position of pissing off half their staff and watching the cars leaving site for the last time! Everybody knows the current agenda with the utilities, lighter and tighter staffing, with a stop watch schedule! No matter what anybody believes, when the breaker opens, the money clock is ticking! Nobody wants to be off the clock, not the Utility, VP, Department Manager, or the Contract Companies!
Everybody wants a Guaranteed agenda, while expecting a better future! Nobody is knocking on my door offering increased wages and benefits! I have to go out and solicite the benefits and wages I will work for! I guess that makes me a true traveler, since compensation out weights loyalty! Of course loyalty is directly proportional to compansation! The HP technician industry is somehwat unique when it comes to offers, solid numbers with no negotiation at all! No guarantees for anything! In fact, your not even 100% sure if you have a job until show up day and then your not even sure for how long! Sitting and waiting may not be in the best interst for anybody in the profession. Time will tell!
Now I'll roll into my Professional Theory! Are Health Physics Technicians Professionals? Do you consider yourself professional? Do your peers consider you a professional? Do the companies press the Professional speech on you, at the start of the outage? If you answered yes to any of the questions, why don't the contract companies consider the profession, Professional? Check it out, contact a company and tell them your looking for a Rad Engineer position, they will send you to the Professional Division! I've always found it strange that only a handfull of site postions, have to meet routine testing and qualification standards, yet some are not considered Professionals! I'm kind of a dinosaur, but I always figured, the more you test my credential and the more I prove myself, the more professional I am! Another aspect of the Professional agenda is the site reception. Here's an old Physics concept, every action has an opposit and equal reaction! Treating Techs like second class citizens, can only lead to one resolve! This whole concept make you wonder, who's selling you and as what?
Have a Great Day, RG
