Blackballed?!

[MidnightMeterMan]

Is it true that companies will Blackball you for working for a different company?

Is it acceptable to work for a different company if your usual company doesn't have work at that current time? 

Lets hear what everyone has to say on this topic.

[retired nuke]

Is it true that companies will Blackball you for working for a different company?

Is it acceptable to work for a different company if your usual company doesn't have work at that current time? 

Lets hear what everyone has to say on this topic.

my experience is over 10 yrs old, but...

If you skip on a job you have confirmed for, to go with another company - likely you will not be on the "favored sons" list for the original contract. It may not be "blackballed" but it will feel like it..... The amount of notice you give, and the professional behavior you exhibit when you have to do this may limit this feeling. Being a no-show makes you and the contractor look bad to the utility. They (the utility) will remember, even if the contractor doesn't.

I have backed out of a job, and not been penalized, by taking an unpopular spot for the original company at another time - kinda earning my way back in.

Right now the industry has more techs than work - so dragging on a job will probably not pay off in the long run....

Just figure that you will reap what you sow...

[Eric_Bartlett]

Is it true that companies will Blackball you for working for a different company?

Is it acceptable to work for a different company if your usual company doesn't have work at that current time? 

Lets hear what everyone has to say on this topic.

since you posted this under "Bartlett-Blackballed" I feel the need to respond...

Working for another company will not impact your eligibility with our company, in fact if we don't have work for you, taking a job with another company will only get you more experience thus making you more marketable in the future.   

With that said you have to take into account we have an obligation to take care of those techs that most recently supported us, so if I have a choice between Tech A whose last job worked was for BNI and Tech B whose last job worked was for Shaw or QNS or whomever, I will urge my recruiters to hire Tech A.  The reasons are twofold - 1. it takes someone off our unemployment rolls & 2. it rewards the individual for working for us/supporting us in the past. 

I understand that sometimes by this methodology it may seem like someone is being blackballed, but should we switch it up and hire techs coming off of other jobs with our competition prior to techs coming off of our own jobs it just wouldn't make good business or people sense.    There are of course exceptions to every rule as there are times when we are persuaded to do just that at our clients request. 

I hope I have answered your question to your satisfaction.  If you feel like BNI is blackballing you, please give me a call directly so we can talk and i can look into the situation.  I cant guarantee you'll be happy with my answer, but it will be an honest one.

As always,
Eric

[hoghunter]

I have worked for a few over my 30+yrs and as Eric kind of  said each company is going to keep their people going first and at the same time try and keep the utility's happy ( such is life), because with all said this is a business  even though we know times are hard!We as humans want to complain and fuss if things aren't just as we want and with that just due to the fact you go from one company to another and can't get in remember you are one of many after that same spot and with time as they are the spots are few and Farr between. I wouldn't call that BlackBall

[Chimera]

Is it true that companies will Blackball you for working for a different company?

Is it acceptable to work for a different company if your usual company doesn't have work at that current time? 

Lets hear what everyone has to say on this topic.

While the Companies may not "blackball" you, the site you burned may not want you back.

[ski2313]

You reap what you sow.

[hoghunter]

the site you burned may not want you back.


Although this is true I don't think just working for another company after finishing one and then confirming to another would be bridge burning, but look at it like this, you take your car to the same shop you and that shop trust and are devoted to each other. Then one day you need work done and the shop takes another over you because he gets more pay out of it, would you not be angry!but in the end when all settles that same shop you trusted will be back working on yours- so the utility's count and trust on some returning when they don't WELL WE ALL KNOW?

[61nomad]

Let me say this.. I very recently "confirmed" for an outage starting 3 months from now. Personally, I believe the commitment timeframe has been stretched too far. Being out of work with a family to suport, if something decent comes along I will take it. I am replaceable and I would expect that if I gave Bartlett a month to find a somebody else that would be sufficient to avoid hard feelings. I would be interested to here Eric's take on the long commitment time.

[hamsamich]

I know this guy he wasn't aiming at bartlett he just didn't know where to put the question....since bartlett has most of the contracts though it may be the best place for it.

[Chimera]

The days of "double secret probation" are long gone . . . but the memory lingers on.

[Eric_Bartlett]

Let me say this.. I very recently "confirmed" for an outage starting 3 months from now. Personally, I believe the commitment timeframe has been stretched too far. Being out of work with a family to support, if something decent comes along I will take it. I am replaceable and I would expect that if I gave Bartlett a month to find a somebody else that would be sufficient to avoid hard feelings. I would be interested to here Eric's take on the long commitment time.

I, as many techs will confirm, am willing to work with anyone regarding situations like this - but when someone confirms and holds a slot for 2-3 months an then backs out within a couple of weeks of the start date it does cause problems as security has already started, the site most likely has already assigned the individual to the area they will be covering, etc...  When it comes right down to it we aren't in business to hold slots for someone until something better comes along so the practice of confirming early for Plant A w/BNI, holding the slot for 2-3 Mo's then backing out to go with Brand X to Plant B is highly frowned upon and could result in us choosing not to utilize your services in the near future or only as a low priority rehire.  With that said I am always willing to work with someone as long as we get enough notice to replace them, especially if they are just looking to swap BNI sites.  I understand situations change over time especially confirming 4-5 mo's out.  My recommendation is unless you are dead set on going to site A, or you even have the slightest inkling that you may want to go somewhere else other than site A but are waiting on site B to open, don't confirm in for site A - that way it saves all parties the grief of having to go through the back-out scenario.  I know it's a crap shoot and may not seem fair, but I have a staffing department, with at times in excess of 30 plants to staff in a season, to run and we need to work by some sort of standard.   May not be what you wanted to hear, or it may be exactly what you expected me to say, either way as mentioned earlier I am willing to hear out and work with individuals as long as they can try and give me adequate notice to have a legitimate chance of backfilling the slot they are about to vacate.

Eric

[BWSlayer]

Well Eric, what you are talking about is ILLEGAL and you folks at BNI have always thrown tantrums back to the Bruce days

[Marlin]

Well Eric, what you are talking about is ILLEGAL and you folks at BNI have always thrown tantrums back to the Bruce days

Can you be specific as it relates to at-will employment? If not at-will employment, what are the terms of your contract that he is violating? Please explain, what law is he breaking?

[Eric_Bartlett]

Well Eric, what you are talking about is ILLEGAL and you folks at BNI have always thrown tantrums back to the Bruce days

What exactly is illegal and how?  Or are you just one of those S&%t bomb throwers that throw the bomb then hide behind your anonymity?

Eric

[bill10249]

Well, It has been a while since I have commented but it is time for my two cents worth.  I can tell you from experience of over 30 years in the industry. Barlett never did me wrong and I worked for them all from NSSI, to RAd services and IRm in the olden days. when Bruce was there he would always take my call and if they had work I never felt blackballed. I always met my commitment to any company i worked for and  they met thiers to me.  I know it has changed over the years.  I am getting ready to retire from DOE work and hope to work some short term stuff to buy more corvettes. The 2014 stingray looks soooo good. 

[BetaAnt]

Does anyone remember the Diablo Canyon IBEW 1500 strike. Bruce admitted to the probation (blackballing is such an ugly name). NLRB ruled in favor of the IBEW. Techs receive compensation due to lost wages from the 'probation'.

Now, the recruiter withdraws your senior resume and gives the job to a junior. That happened recently (w/i 18 mos). It's no longer probation or blackballing. It's called "Oops, we lost your resume and now all the slots are filled". 

It still happens and will always happen when a bunch of narcissistic type A personalities are put in a position of scheduling people. Any perceived slight will bring rapid retribution and little recourse (at-will employment). When any company states that "We don't do that", they are either lying, uninformed, delusional, or stupid. 

@Eric, You have always been a straight shooter but some of your contemporaries lack comparable ethos.   

Have a great day,

BA 

[BWSlayer]

Thank you BA, I concur. Eric. not throwing S#it bombs, you folks play politics and always have. Site coordinators also blackball and act like aholes in public. I know of three specific instances recently from friends. I also was denied work at Turkey point for the unit three last outage because "I was not a returnee" The motley crew of individuals that you supplied there..at least half had no right whatsoever even holding a meter. That applies the the recent unit four outage also. I can cite names, instances, and scathing activities. Bottom line you have a business and you have to fill slots with warm bodies, I can't cite you specifically, but politics and probation are rampant...............word

[Lip2303]

 Eric was good to me the one time I dealt with him. I was having trouble getting in to any outage due to a slow season and lack of commercial experience. He personally took my situation on and I was placed within two days. Bartlett, as a whole, then understood when I had to leave two weeks prior to completion of the outage due to getting a house position.

 I do not always have perfect spelling or grammar, but when you are trying to make a point or talk bad about someone, you should learn to spell and write in coherent sentances (let the disecting of my grammar/spelling begin!).

[Marlin]

Thank you BA, I concur. Eric. not throwing S#it bombs, you folks play politics and always have. Site coordinators also blackball and act like aholes in public. I know of three specific instances recently from friends. I also was denied work at Turkey point for the unit three last outage because "I was not a returnee" The motley crew of individuals that you supplied there..at least half had no right whatsoever even holding a meter. That applies the the recent unit four outage also. I can cite names, instances, and scathing activities. Bottom line you have a business and you have to fill slots with warm bodies, I can't cite you specifically, but politics and probation are rampant...............word

You accused him of breaking the law, you still haven't said how when you are an at-will employee.

[BWSlayer]

well Marlin the Moron if I have to explain to you why it's illegal to discriminate against employees and put them "on secret probation" it's obviously beyond your comprehension to begin with.

[Eric_Bartlett]

Well Eric, what you are talking about is ILLEGAL and you folks at BNI have always thrown tantrums back to the Bruce days

What exactly is illegal and how?
Eric

Thank you BA, I concur. Eric. not throwing S#it bombs, you folks play politics and always have. Site coordinators also blackball and act like aholes in public. I know of three specific instances recently from friends. I also was denied work at Turkey point for the unit three last outage because "I was not a returnee" The motley crew of individuals that you supplied there..at least half had no right whatsoever even holding a meter. That applies the the recent unit four outage also. I can cite names, instances, and scathing activities. Bottom line you have a business and you have to fill slots with warm bodies, I can't cite you specifically, but politics and probation are rampant...............word

You accused him of breaking the law, you still haven't said how when you are an at-will employee.

Thank You Marlin for trying to keep this conversation on point...now back to BWSlayer, please explain what is illegal in my previous post, because if there is an illegal practice going on, I would like to know so I could put an end to it or is your definition of "Illegal" something along the lines of what ever doesn't benefit you must be illegal - just trying to understand your side.

Thanks
Eric

[RDTroja]

well Marlin the Moron if I have to explain to you why it's illegal to discriminate against employees and put them "on secret probation" it's obviously beyond your comprehension to begin with.

In other words... "Nothing illegal was done, but if I attack my opponent, maybe nobody will recognize that I have no clue what I am talking about."

[Eric_Bartlett]

well Marlin the Moron if I have to explain to you why it's illegal to discriminate against employees and put them "on secret probation" it's obviously beyond your comprehension to begin with.

How is what I posted in any way discrimination?, and as far as "secret probation" goes I have addressed this time and time again - if I'm not going to use you I will tell you and I will tell you why, there is nothing secret about it.

[Marlin]

well Marlin the Moron if I have to explain to you why it's illegal to discriminate against employees and put them "on secret probation" it's obviously beyond your comprehension to begin with.

You are a little slow so here is the definition of at-will employment:

At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can immediately terminate the relationship at any time with or without any advance warning, and with no subsequent liability, provided there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship and that the employer does not belong to a collective bargaining group (i.e., has not recognized a union). Under this legal doctrine any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.

You got it yet There is nothing illegal about probation. Without a union or a contract you are an at-will employee.

[Eric_Bartlett]

Understood - he can always call me 800-225-0385 x1289 or 508-591-1289 or shoot me an e-mail, ericb@bartlettinc.com as I really am curious to hear his side.

take it slow,
Eric

[Rennhack]

How is what I posted in any way discrimination?, and as far as "secret probation" goes I have addressed this time and time again - if I'm not going to use you I will tell you and I will tell you why, there is nothing secret about it.

I got an early termination once while working for Bartlett.  That resulted in me being on 'probation'.  They were very clear about it.  They were also very clear about what I needed to do to get off probation.  Basically, just go work another job with some other company and not get fired, if I remember correctly.  Nothing secret.

As a follow up, I did work a job for another company after that, and did not get terminated.  Then Bartlett hired me again, just like they said they would.

[hoghunter]

Eric: Don't let the drama starters get to you! I've worked with BNI for around 20+ yrs with a few others added in. BNI has been good to me and you yourself has went above to help me as well as others over the yrs. People are human and in nature wants all their way. Each company may have ways we don't like but even Micky-D's has them to. Bottom line is you can't please everybody and we have choices and sometimes we make good and sometimes we make bad ones.Take care and don't listen to the drama

[SATConsultant]

I have never worked for Bartlett through Eric, but have worked for them on many occasions through Bruce, Bill T. and Marie.  I have had only one occasion where I had a problem with them and won't go into the management person involved.  Bartlett like all other contract companies have there pluses and minuses.  Working for them or not is your decision and no one elses.  If you go to work for them then do your job.  If you don't like the job well then go elsewhere but don't blame the Company you left, just leave.  Understand though, they have the right to determine if they want to risk hiring you again.  Our business is tough and getting tougher, my opinion is that if you have problems with a Company don't call them because for sure they won't call you.  Your poblem not theirs.  Pick your poison.

[Rennhack]

BWSlayer seems to be a troll, with nothing to contribute.  When coached by Marlin, the forum moderator, he told the Marlin that he was a moron.  And when Tom, the forum Admin sent him a PM advising him of the forum rules and policy's, was told to "go F#$% himself". (without all the special characters)

So... This guy doesn't seem to want to function in a civil society, and his account has been deleted.  No Trolls.   

It's ok to say that you think Bartlett or any other company is acting wrong.  In fact we encourage you to speak your mind.  However, when you tell the forum staff to "go F#$% yourself" when being coached on the forum rules, RIGHT AFTER calling the forum moderator a moron, you are no longer welcome here.

Irony: Getting Black Balled because of a thread titled Black Balled.

[Eric_Bartlett]

Eric: Don't let the drama starters get to you! I've worked with BNI for around 20+ yrs with a few others added in. BNI has been good to me and you yourself has went above to help me as well as others over the yrs. People are human and in nature wants all their way. Each company may have ways we don't like but even Micky-D's has them to. Bottom line is you can't please everybody and we have choices and sometimes we make good and sometimes we make bad ones.Take care and don't listen to the drama

Not to worry my friend, i actually find that type of discussion enlightening, if not entertaining.  after 24 years I have heard more than my fair share of complaints, accusations and innuendos.  Just was hoping he would explain himself so I could get further insight but as Mr. Rennhack pointed out in his post he obviously doesn't want to play nice with others so oh well, I will chalk him up to what I figured he was in the beginning, an undesirable that can only make BNI look good by working for another company.

[Ksheed]

WOW, that escalated fast! I don't have a side at all in the discussion, but it made for some comical reading. Thanks to all who participated.

[Smart People]

GREAT!! Now that the trollfest is mostly complete, let's go back to the OP.

Is it true that companies will Blackball you for working for a different company?

Most companies recognize that they are not the only game out there, even Bartlett.

Personally I can never come close to calling myself "true blue" as i am known for following whoever dangles a paycheck in front of my nose. But also, if a company keeps me working, I'll keep working for them. My experience with Bartlett over the last 23 years has been pretty positive. It's not who you work for but how you work and how you present yourself.

What have people done that would make Big Blue or any other company not want to hire you back unless absolutely necessary. (lets face it, if they have to fill a slot, they will):

No Show- Confirm but never show up. This includes backing out at the last minute, but that can be dealt with.

Show up, pick up your perdiem advance and disappear. I've seen it happen.

Drag up right in the middle of an outage with no notice.

Show up, work and leave with a bad attitude.

burn bridges on the way out.... I had a co-worker who had been at a site for about 3 years. when he got a better job offer, instead of giving his boss a notice, he started giving an ultimatum. when that didn't work out, he threw a flame thrower on all his bridges, threw his team under the bus and reneged on a personal dept to his boss....always try to leave gracefully.

I'm sure there are more.
 

Is it acceptable to work for a different company if your usual company doesn't have work at that current time? 

No company owns you, especially when they are not paying you. They understand you have bills to pay. It's true, as Eric says that those who are currently or recently working for them get priority. That is not exclusive to Bartlett.

when i come off a job with another company and call Bartlett, they have never not tried to find me a position.

[Rennhack]

I'm sure there are more.

How about (happened at a site I was at this spring, and the guy was a local to the plant he burned):  Come in a month early for training, and leave the day before an outage starts to go to another outage.  How is a site supposed to get another person through training in time for the outage?  That guy not only stuck it to his employer, he stuck it to the site, and to his coworkers who had to do their job and his because there as no time to replace him.  I bet he won't be at the NEXT outage there, but the site will forget, and let him back.  The employer?  Well, they have to fill slots, but I bet he isn't at the top of the list.  Would his coworkers ever recommend him for a sweet job?  Never.

when i come off a job with another company and call Bartlett, they have never not tried to find me a position.

[thenukeman]

I  have  not  worked  for  Bartlett  for  awhile.  But,  when  I  did  they  treated me  fairly.   Because I  showed  up  on  time  always, played well  with  others,  did  not  whine  about  work  and made  myself  available  for  work  instead  of  hiding.  I  bet  Bartlett  treats  all  their  techs   better  that  do  this!!!  Just  a  thought and  my  2  cents  worth.  I  have  not  known  any  tech  that  did  the  above  have  trouble  finding  work.  So   my  advice  is  be  a  Road  Warrior  not  a Road  Whiner  and  you  will  go  far!!!

[Old HP]

The Nukeman just hit on a valid point. However your job performance does not always effect where you work next. It more often comes down to timing and convenience of the recruiter. Sometimes it seems that we are not wanted or "blackballed" when in fact it is just and issue of the recruiters being overwhelmed with staffing too many jobs and taking the path of least resistance and filling slots with the next caller and not the person who has been contacting them on a regular basis. We all know that if the plants are getting away with using fewer techs and expecting them to do more, that it is only natural that the staffing companies are doing the same.

[hamsamich]

Bartlett is a company trying to make money, and keep the customer and the employee relatively happy to continue doing business.  But the employee gets caught up in BS not always at fault also.  Life isn't fair, and however hard we want to think "you reap what you sew", it just isn't always the case.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_phenomenon

[MidnightMeterMan]

First and foremost you must take care of yourself..

With that being said, we should all go about doing things the right way. Things come up and plans change..We owe it to the company that keeps us employed to inform them ASAP if we back out of an outage or intend on working somewhere else for whatever reason.

Back in 2010 I was confirmed to go to Callaway...6 weeks before my report date I got a 6 month Job offer in my hometown. I called Joey and explained to him of my current situation, he thanked me for letting him know in advance and he said he would have no problem filling that spot. Since then Bartlett has still kept me working. I'm honest with the recruiters and hope they are honest back...

Sometimes we should put ourselves in there shoes...They are getting hundreds of calls a day and everyone wants to go to Plant 1 or Plant 2, Not everyone can go.

I'm done with my Rant! 

[Smart People]

I was at an outage for three days.

The day i showed up for a six week outage, I got notice that I had been approved for a year long job with another company.

I let my site coordinator know immediately and asked to be released. He talked with house management and since I had always been a good worker there and well liked, they gave the approval.

Of course the contract company would only pay me minimum wage for my time. I had no problem with that (it was in the offer letter for the training phase).

It's usually the best policy to be honest and straight forward.

The year long job lasted for almost 2 1/2 years so it worked out well for me.

[HeatherB.]

This thread is laughable... Blackballed? Probation? Ooops we lost your resume?

We're arguing semantics & synonyms here.

And while I appreciate Eric Bartlett's appearance here on these message boards, I certainly haven't gotten any professional feedback surveys from his company. From ANY of the companies... I've worked for them all. Aren't they interested in what happened at their site? Don't they want some undiluted input as to how their techs and their site coordinators are really representing Bartlett in the field? Do they really trust the exit-interview process? (also, laughable at best.) And even more important, how would they guarantee to protect & reward the techs that told them the ugly truth?

If any of the companies really & truly care about their techs, their agents in the field, their most prized commodity... then they should be spending this summer down-time reaching out (letters, e-mails, texts, etc.) and asking for some CANDID input from us. IMHO, they can only limp along on so many contracts. Sad when the RPM's admit this too. That's why its best to sidestep the contractor companies & keep networking with your utility friends. The middle man scenario is losing it's appeal quickly.

Or is ignorance bliss? 

[Marlin]

Or is ignorance bliss? 

Apparently 

[GLW]

This thread is laughable... Blackballed? Probation? Ooops we lost your resume?

We're arguing semantics & synonyms here.

And while I appreciate Eric Bartlett's appearance here on these message boards, I certainly haven't gotten any professional feedback surveys from his company. From ANY of the companies... I've worked for them all. Aren't they interested in what happened at their site? Don't they want some undiluted input as to how their techs and their site coordinators are really representing Bartlett in the field? Do they really trust the exit-interview process? (also, laughable at best.) And even more important, how would they guarantee to protect & reward the techs that told them the ugly truth?

If any of the companies really & truly care about their techs, their agents in the field, their most prized commodity... then they should be spending this summer down-time reaching out (letters, e-mails, texts, etc.) and asking for some CANDID input from us. IMHO, they can only limp along on so many contracts. Sad when the RPM's admit this too. That's why its best to sidestep the contractor companies & keep networking with your utility friends. The middle man scenario is losing it's appeal quickly.

Or is ignorance bliss?  

lighten up Heather, you've gone from "Rookie of the Year 2009" to cynical, seen it all and it all sucks, rugged individualist in only 4 years,...

hell, most juniors can't get the time in four years anymore unless they impress a utility type and get selected to stay around between outages,...

so you're pretty fortunate in today's marketplace compared to many of your contemporaries,...

few, if any of them, are privy to RPM insights concerning business, contracts, and feedback,...

few, if any of them can stick it in the services companies eye and rely on their utility connections to get them work,...

some, if not most of them, have to compete without a home team booster club guiding them to the reserved parking spots,...

some, if not most of them, do still rely heavily on the staff augmentation companies to place them in jobs,...

so, for them, there's a lot of good, even keeled temperance to be gleaned in this thread,...

I'm just saying,...

you can get all cynical and call yourself Blah Blah Blah in the here and now,....

but you'll always be "HeatherB. - Rookie of the Year 2009" to me,...

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,21283.msg112554.html#msg112554

[HeatherB.]

Ooooh GLW, you misunderstood my Jerry McGuire-esque mission statement. I'm not cynical & I don't want to "stick it to" anyone, I just see such room for improvement. In this day & age, there are very easy ways to collect constructive data & information from all those eyes & ears out in the field.

Unless I've missed something, NONE of the companies are grasping the opportunity to improve the simple things. And I'm an observant type. I take notes. I notice things like Supervisors & RPM's who are vested in their techs (contractors, even!), wanting to know how things are going, venturing into the fray to ask questions & glean some insight for themselves. I'm impressed to see Eric Bartlett on here offering his administrative perspective. Seems like a stand-up guy. And he's right, it doesn't serve his company or the industry well to "blackball" the hardworking techs. It's in his best interests to have the top techs, the most effective site coordinators, the best accountability methods for BOTH in the industry.... correct? Maybe we need some Secret Shoppers to keep people honest these days. HA!

I have no home team booster club, and have been working hard without any friends nor family paving the way for me. "Rookie of the Year" was an adorable nickname, I've been called worse. Most sites ask me back BECAUSE I work hard, want to learn & ask (sometimes uncomfortable) questions.

In other professions, trying to improve the effectiveness of your field is considered an invaluable trait by co-workers... but trying to belittle that effort with cries of "Cynic!" just tells me you might have a little something to be worried about. Watch out.... I take notes. (*see above) LOL!   

[suprtrpr69]

They are this way because they can be this way.  WE allow them to be this way.  I allow them to be this way.  I can't afford to sit out in protest to effect change.  The ONLY thing that will EFFECT change is a union.  Then again, enough people can't get together due to geographic issues.  It doesn't matter if you are pro union or not.  A union will bring change.  It won't ALL be GREAT for the tech, but it will bring an END to the insane monopolistic and arrogant BS that we put up with.

Bartlett isn't the only company like this.  Recently, a fellow tech got a hold of me and told me to contact DZ about a project they were staffing at a plant.  I called and told the recruiter this person told me to call.  That person later told me that the recruiter was MAD that he told other people about it.  REALLY???

[spikeree]

Over the years I have worked for all the Hp contract companies from NPP, D&D, DOE, FUSRAP you name it! I have had a few bumps along the way but that’s life on the road.
In my impetuous youth as a newly minted senior tech I have pissed off big blue in the mid 90’s(Eric), I hope this is all behind me, as i got older and wiser i view life differently.

I have adopted a simple creed to live by; "be a man and honor my commitments, do my job and do it well" Because in the end all we really have is our word and honor.
So plan your outage season carefully, remember it’s not just you out there!

“Life is hard it’s harder when you are stupid”

[jasper]

 I can only add my experience. I have in the past had a lot of time in the Nuclear Plant as well as Coal plants.  I did come out of the field around 2001.  About 3 years ago I decided to come back and of course I have tried everything to get in with Bartlett. To this day , I have called, emailed and even had a conversation with Eric. I even took a job in NC as a firewatch to try and get back in. Last Fall I was called again by PMI and asked to return to NC , I did accept. I was on my way to the job when I got the call that my father in law had passed away. I left a message for my recruiter and finally a few days later got in touch with her. ( I know she was swamped, I don't feel she was ignoring me) Now, I have not been contacted for any outage work since. Again, trying to get in at St Lucie, I got the same as someone else "returnees only" then I was told they were "waiting on a number for decon,etc" still have no idea about FME contact or if they have the contract.    I know there are a lot of people in the field, but when you hear  of all the young people, newbies showing up at these plants, it makes you wonder who knows who. When I say young I mean 18 or 19 not 25. People who have never been inside a nuc plant. I have also heard people bragging about how after the outage started and all the slots were" filled" folks getting their children or other relatives in spots that they  a) were already filled or b)just breaking into the business, never been to any kind of plant.   I'm not here to bash anyone or any company I have worked for a couple of them and at the time, they kept me busy, I had my own laborer crew and FME crew in those days,  we did it all  . Be mindful of your work, do your job and stay out of the politics. You will have a good career.