Career Path > Outages

Backup Contracts?

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Rennhack:
Well said troy.

PWHoppe:
Well Said Beer Court

We all need to take a look at our own actions.

Already Gone:
Thanks, I hope you notice that some of those things could describe me too.

Rennhack:
"Some" ??

RAD-GHOST:
1099, W2, W4, or a pink slip doesn't influence the situation.  Like Beer Court said, it's the loyalty issue.  Your a hero when they their staffing and pain in the arse when their not!  I will agree that I have never seen a contract company devoted to anything other than itself, but that's just business!  If the industry goes to a single player, I don't know how things will play out!  Some say the Technicians will have more control, I say different!

A major source of irritation, is hearing the Utility Management, explain how the Contract Company supplied such Quality Technicians.  I may be wrong, but I always explain that it is the Technicians themselves that supply the quality, not the contract company!  No Contract Company has a single red cent invested in my Qualifications or Education!  Today, that situation is becoming more intense!  I've seen many job postings requiring several qualifications, outside of the Health Physics venue, all at a cost of time and money to the Technician.  Obviously more avenues open to the Technicians who have them, but like I said, the contract companies aren't supplying a cent!

You get what you pay for!  Since many utilities have retreated behind the Co-employment issue, their complaint's fall on deaf ears!  If they ask for 3.1 seniors, they get 3.1 seniors!  3, 5, 10, 15, or 20+ years doesn't mean a thing, just 3.1 Technicians at 3.1 wages!  Contract companies concern themselves with Quantity first and Quality second!  To them, 3.1 is 6,000+ hours, their obligation is met!  They also ask a couple of caned question concerning limitations, but anybody can answer them anyway they want!  Once the techs arrive, they aren't going to be turned away!

The attitude of the old timers, the 22 year Technician, I'm with him!  In the past decade, I've been approached at several sites and been asked to keep an eye on the green seniors, the ones drawing the same wages as me!  What the people asking, don't realize, is it is impossible to carry a secret venue of overseeing other technicians when you have a job to do yourself!  Short outages, bring short staffing!  It's kind of hard to be in two places at one time!  Not to mention the reception you will get if you intervien, or interject yourself in the other technicians way of doing business!  I won't allow anyone to put themselves in a position of jeopardy, but then again I'm not going to physicly wrestle with anyone either!  If I see a better way of doing business, I'll offer it once, never twice!

I agree with the staffing description that Beer Court stated, it sucks!  I have even fallen under some of that criteria on occassions, but never without prior notice!  Then again, I can't think of a tech who hasn't!  What the industry doesn't seem to realize, is that the techs who work without restriction, are usually considered the problem children!  Whether they realize it or not, you can't have a dozen techs carry a 40 tech outage!  The dozen techs are going to get tired with the situation!  As a Supervisor, if you find yourself calling the same tech, on every job that comes along, let the lights go on!  Either you need a bigger staff, or start utilizing your other resources!  It's always nice to call someone you trust, but you can't keep beating on the same tech!  After a while they get irritated and eventially look for a quick out!  It's especially nice when one of these techs hears how management, wouldn't give certain techs any responsibility, simply because it isn't worth the trouble to ask, or they don't trust them!

As far as the logistics of the Technician work force?  I'd place my money on enough techs located near plants!  As far as the East Coast and Midwest goes, I feel fairly certain that their are more than enough techs, located with a 50 mile radius, of all sites, to adequately staff!  That situation would allow one company, the ability to eliminate Per Diem completely and apply the additional costs of commuting onto the Technician!  I believe the fifty mile radius also applies to the unemployment issues!  If a company could do it, they would do it!

Hey Alphadude, heard your heading west to Yankee country, C Y ou there!

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