DeNuke

[RRhoads]

BC
you say that
"The gov't per-diem rate for that area is around $300.  So, $105 isn't that great"
I remember when the rate was like..$14 & $50 for a SR HP tech & like $6 & $40 for a JR HP tech with Bartlett...
So the money is pretty descent.
Competition is a good thing..even if is just ONE outage...Even the Bartlett office people agree...
I believe that you do a safety gig...maybe you were once a road tech...but i don't think it is fair to slam a new company for what they pay.
Remember....they paid Mike to post on HIS web site!

[Druid]

Since the posting is gone I don't know what area it was, but only Vail, CO in winter has a government per diem rate around $300. After that you have levels around $250 for Manhattan, beach areas(MA, MD and NJ) in summer and some other ski areas, then the next batch is around $200.

[Already Gone]

BC
you say that
"The gov't per-diem rate for that area is around $300.  So, $105 isn't that great"
I remember when the rate was like..$14 & $50 for a SR HP tech & like $6 & $40 for a JR HP tech with Bartlett...
So the money is pretty descent.
Competition is a good thing..even if is just ONE outage...Even the Bartlett office people agree...
I believe that you do a safety gig...maybe you were once a road tech...but i don't think it is fair to slam a new company for what they pay.
Remember....they paid Mike to post on HIS web site!

Yeah, and gasoline was $0.35 a gallon when I got my license.  What does that have to do with today?
Just to please you nitpickers, I looked up the the actual per diem rate for Westchester County NY.  It is $168.  So, they are paying you 62.5% of the GSA rate for the area.  Compare that to the $85 - $95 that most outages pay, where the GSA rate is $91.  The per-diem for this job is not bad.  It is also not great.  What did I say that was incorrect?  I didn't think so.  The point is that they may or may not pay that rate at another site.  The per diem rate is usually set by the customer utility, so DeNuke should get neither credit nor blame for this dollar amount anyway.  So, it is flat WRONG to say that they are paying those rates "for outages". 
I've been an RP for a lot of years, and a lot of those were on the road.  I haven't been out of the loop for a whole year yet.  It's a little premature to bury me.
But back to the topic, this job posting is NOT in competition with Bartlett.  The job is totally outside the scope of the regular outage contract (which is held by Bartlett).
And I AM NOT SLAMMING THE COMPANY!!!!!
When are you people going to learn to comprehend what your read?
I am slamming someone for suggesting that they pay that kind of money for regular outage RP work on a regular basis.  That is setting the bar higher than the company in question can jump.  If anything I am defending the damned company by reigning in the heightened expectations that the rumor mill can put on them.
If somebody called a talk show and said,"Johnny Smith Chevrolet is selling cars for a dollar" there could be a riot of people trying to get to the lot to get their $1 car.  But, if the real story was that they were selling ONE car for a dollar to the person with the winning number, that kinda changes the story.  Still, they are giving someone a chance to get a practically free car.  That is what they want you to know.  They DO NOT want a million people to get pissed off because they didn't sell everyone a new Malibu for a buck.

[volfireman07]

Yesterday they had 2 Tech jobs posted.  The rate for one was $30/hr.  I think the other was $22 or $25/hr.  In both cases, they offered an additional $3.50/hour IF you stayed until the job ended.  I am assuming you had to be there on the start date which was short notice.  I have had to fill jobs on short notice and paid more than I normally would to keep my client happy.  I make sure I tell the candidate that this is not the normal pay for the work being done.

I also give the estimated completion date so the contract employee can look for the next job.  This has caused problems since most of the jobs I staff run long.  One has run more than a year over and one is several months past the original completion date.  I imagine that is one of the reasons for the $3.50/hr bonus.  It is hard and expensive to replace someone "near the end" of the job.  A lot of knowledge is lost.

[RDTroja]

Just to please you nitpickers, I looked up the the actual per diem rate for Westchester County NY.  It is $168.  What did I say that was incorrect?

Ummm... my guess is where you said it was "around $300". Granted, $168 is closer to $300 than to $1, but not by much. This topic started out with a statement that you took exception to due to what you perceived as an inaccurate assesment of dollar numbers and what they meant. You didn't make it any better by throwing out an inaccurate number of your own, so don't take offense too quickly. If you are going to 'slam someone' for inaccurate statements and in the process make one of your own, your credibility is what takes the hit.

This topic sort of fell into a 'what I earned when I started' vein, which has absolutely nothing to do with today (or the original post) and it was not supposed to... just another example of a straying topic. On the way we went through our favorite 'hold out for more' topic as well... another wounded horse due a good flailing.

What we seem to have learned (besides insight into several personalities, good or bad) is that 1) the original numbers were accurate and for a 3.1 qualified tech -- but only one. 2) there is indeed a 'new kid on the block' who just might be doing some good for our profession. 3) they apparently will have more jobs to offer in the future, but we have no idea yet what kind or at what price.

And one more thing... that job posting most certainly IS in competition with Bartlett. They do far more than put quantities of techs in outage slots. I am working for Bartlett at a non-outage job and in a non-3.1 slot as are many others including, I believe, a certain Webmaster we all know. I am sure Bartlett would not be in a hurry to hand over those positions to another company and would have been happy to fill the position that started this whole conversation in the first place.

Most of us comprehend what we read quite well, thank you. Perhaps some of us need to think faster than we type.

[RDTroja]

I deleted all the posts (including my own) that strayed into "how little I made on my first job." If someone wants to start that topic, it could be interesting to hear what some of us old farts made back in the days of wooden reactors, but it does not belong here.

Thank you, Mr. Webmaster, for the golden opportunity of deleting one of YOUR posts (the first to stray totally off topic, BTW!) 

[Already Gone]

This topic started out with a statement that you took exception to due to what you perceived as an inaccurate assesment of dollar numbers and what they meant.

You see, Roger, this is exactly what I mean.  I did not take exception to any such thing.  I could give a rat's ass if DeNuke is paying a quarter and a cheeseburger for this job.  What I took exception to ( I am repeating this an awful lot) was the broad assertion that they were establishing the rate in question as a "going rate".
My one and only objection in this entire thread is that somebody went off and started a rumor that could be potentially damaging to someone's business interest.  The statement that DeNuke was paying "$33/105 for outages" was patently false, and I said so.
As far as the per diem goes, I think I made my point that DeNuke (or any company for that matter) does not establish a single per diem rate for all jobs, that the rate in question, while low for Westchester County NY, is still higher than anyone should expect as a lot of other sites.
When (hopefully soon) DeNuke is actually in direct competition with Bartlett at all staffing levels, nobody has a right to be pissed at them for only paying $22/90 or whatever.

And you are (once again) correct about the holding out issue.  Techs need to decide as individuals what is best for them.  Sometimes that turns out to be individual action, sometimes it is collective action.  Either way, the fate of the techs is in the hands of the techs.  Sitting by the phone, hoping that some new company will come in and (defying all business logic ) rescue us from low wages and scanty benefits ain't going to solve our problem.  E2, Atlantic, DeNuke, Shonka... et. al. will not be some kind of new Messiah for the oppressed RP techs.  THe most that anyone has a right to expect from them is that they will have integrity, treat us fairly, and keep us working.  If they can do that, their part is over.  The rest is up to us.

If someone is not as confident as you are about getting work, maybe they ought to ask themselves why.  If they can't get what you're getting, could it not be because they don't give what you're giving?  Holding out is one thing, but it doesn't mean anything unless they miss you when you're gone. 

[RDTroja]

You see, Roger, this is exactly what I mean.  I did not take exception to any such thing.  I could give a rat's ass if DeNuke is paying a quarter and a cheeseburger for this job.  What I took exception to ( I am repeating this an awful lot) was the broad assertion that they were establishing the rate in question as a "going rate".

That is the 'assessment' I was referring to... not the numbers, not the job -- the 'inaccurate assessment of dollar numbers' by someone else -- specifically that they represented a sea change in the going rates. And that is what you took exception to. I happen to agree. If people get the impression that it is a going rate for outages, there will be a lot of hate and discontent to follow.

[Shonkatoys]

Mike,  I  am  speaking  for  myself  not Shonka or  DeNUke,  but,  I  can  see  how that  can be  misinterpretted.  I  really think  that  standards  need  to be  brought  up. Like  giving  more  money  for  a  NRRPT, 22 dollars  is  ok  for a  knitter  at  the  control point. Holding  out  for  money  can  be  a  choice,  Improving  yourself to get  you  out  of  a  tech position is  a  choice.  I  make  a lot  more  than  a 22  dollar  an  hour  tech, But  I  have  improved myself,  got  my  NRRPT  and a Degree. Denuke  has  worked  well  with  me  and  I  can  only  compliment  them and  hope  they  make  a  difference by  rewarding  hard  work  and  competence, not  knitters at  control  points who  make  the same  as  job  coverage  techs at  some  plants.

[radgal]

Just my two cents.... No one should believe that a stated pay rate will always be the same for a contract company who staffs different sites!!  You never assume its a given price until you talk to the recruiter yourself about the job specifics and get a quote in writing.  I would not take what a guy posts on this site and assume that's the companys minimum pay, EVER!  I've seen techs with the same company at the same outage with the same experience  make different money.  They each got what they agreed to. The techs were once told "If you discuss your pay rate with each other you will be fired."  I don't believe it was ever exercised but it was stated.  His comment on their pay rate might make me interested enough in that company though to check it out.  It aint true till its on paper!

[Melrose]

I have to give them their props for coming out in public with that name.  DeNuke is what happened to those guys who failed NPS or got busted for drugs in the Navy.  Either that or they are French-Canadian.  Then again, they could be using the "De"refix as a Mediterranian kind of thing.  Y'know, like: El Plaza De Nuke, or maybe a Southwestern flair: Los Comancheros De Los Nukas.
I find it hard to think that anyone will take them seriously since they put so little thought into the name of their company.  After all, the Brand Name is a the most valuable asset any business owns.  DeNuke sounds like something George Costanza (Seinfeld) would have come up with.  Do you suppose their CEO is Art Van der Lay?
On the other hand... if they can staff outages with qualified people, keep those people working, pay them with checks that don't bounce... they may overcome the stigma of having a silly name.
I wish them the best of luck in this rough business.  If they are willing to treat their employees as people, they'll have my support.

Or... 'McNuke'   

[Shonkatoys]

I  have  worked  with  Denuke  Rad Engineers and  they  seem  to  be  a  great  company!!!!

[Showme T. Money]

Have a friend asking about DeNuke does anyone know anything about them.  They appear to be new and pretty small so nobody here where I'm at know's anything about them.

[Shonkatoys]

I work for Shonka but , have worked closely with DeNuke people. They seem competent in what they do and treat their people good as far as I can see.  I have not heard one bad comment about them.  They just got a 3 million dollar contract for Y12 to provide HPs.

[Carolina Jethro]

I worked with some of their techs at the Memphis/Duratek facility. They paid their techs better than what I was getting but they seemed to have a hard time getting checks to their techs on time. Maybe those are just growing pains.

[cincinnatinuke]

Had a field technician do a disposal job with them that was contracted via denuke since we manufactured the original equipment it came back here for disposal.  Our technician, who is admittedly cocky, said the guy was a f***in idiot to the RSO and myself when asked.  Further questions revealed that our tech's attitude came from the fact the Denuke fella was an ex navy nuke and had enough supplies to decon a power plant.  So being that the RSO, myself, and handful of others are ex navy nuke or F***in idiots as my esteemed colleague referred to, you can imagine the audience was less than pleased.  Previous posts seem to get the impression right.  They have their growing pains and are out there in the end to turn a profit.  I can only imagine they catch up to the curve and will say they did fine job in the little time I have worked with them.

[Shawnee Man]

Congrats to Denuke for winning the bid on the Y-12 project in Oak Ridge. I am sure they are up to the task.

[halflifer]

does anybody know if they'll be hiring any new techs, or just rolling over the ones that are there?

[Shonkatoys]

I heard they will be rolling over Kelly techs. They had a meeting with them last week.  I heard there was some unhappiness with the roll over, but since I was not there and certain things bother people more than others I think I will not comment on third hand information.But I would still put my resume in and talk to them if possible,If some people think they were given a bad deal they may leave. leaving the door open to others. I would think they would need techs now and then to replace ones leaving or going BWXT direct, or ones that meet their 6240 hours, 3 year rule is still in effect to my knowledge at BWXT.

[Rennhack]

I'm not in the know, but from what I understand, the contract is to roll over the people there and add "Q Cleared" technecians as they come available.  The contract is for Q cleared only. (Again, I'm NOT in the know so I could be totally worong, but that is my understanding -- you could always CALL denuke.)

There are not looking to put non- cleared people in there.

[Chefmike]

Worked with the Denuke folks at BNFL-ETTP at Oak Ridge for about ten months just recently and found that MOST of the their people were very very competent, excluding some that were very competent but obviously in the wrong venue.  Talked with Neil K recently and sounded like they didn't have much except that job and were only rolling people already there.  They have some folks in their camp who have been around for a long time, not just OR but all sides, so they should be able to survive.  Hope they can bounce into the commercial side to give the prodominate companies some competition but so far no one else has succeeded.  They have my resume and am looking forward to an opportunity, just not at a tech level.

[SloGlo]

The old adage about biting the hand that feeds you applies even if you don't think you are being fed enough.

on the other hand, if you're starving, that hand is simply to be an extra bite of meat.  there's always another hand.

[halflifer]

so, Glo, I'm guessing that you'll be eating finger sammiches during the superbowl

[illegalsmile]

the DeNuke Rad Engineers at K-31/33 were great. I know a few of their shippers and they are also good, competent people. Johnna Marvin is handling most of the recruiting. She was  a road tech for several years and is an honest, friendly person. I haven't worked for them, but would be glad to if the location/job were good.

[duke99301]

Jonaha Marvin Now that is a name from the past I have not seen her since 1988 at the beaver trap.