Bartlett:What pile are you in?

[darkmatter]

Here's an opinionated story told to me about Bartlett many years ago:

The Site Coordinator told me this, when Bartlett took over a contract from a competitor, many of the currently working Techs rolled over to Bartlett. The Utility, not having used Bartlett before, requested a current working Tech to be the Site Coordinator for Bartlett. Brucie of course flew down to interview his "new" Coordinator and discuss company policy with him. In the course of the interview and discussion the rollover Techs and incoming Techs Resumes were sorted into two piles by Bruce. Pile number one was what Bruce said were the preferred Techs and pile number two was who we hire only cause the Utility wanted them or we ran out of the Bartlett "good ones" for staffing. Now the Site Coordinator having been working in the industry for many years knew most of the Technicians in both piles and noticed something interesting. Pile number one was composed mainly of Techs he thought were mundane, average, and usually needed help in getting to a jobsite, housing arrangements, and guidance for job coverage, etc. Pile number two was mainly composed of experienced, capable, road techs with "personality" who needed no help with anything, their resumes were full of serious jobs such as steam generator work, drywells, whatever was hot sweaty and high dose type.

What pile would you be in?

[alphadude]

neither pile.  never worked for them but had contracted with them to perform services- my past experiences with the company were not so good. (envirostone, electropolish waste, dosimeters, FSS, chemical burns from laundry, two perdiam rates for the techs, fishing trips for managers, area survey monitor, keys to the company house boat etc.)

however, since new management is changing the company,  there seems to be some changes planned which are for the better. New officers have a profile that "fits the industry". Perhaps the "good old boy system" will finally be phased out.  Face it, everytime this company was discussed in open company, eyes do roll or some giggles leak out-and this is not at the tech level dear friends! Bruce was shrewed in business, thats for sure. I still know a number of techs that have not signed an employment agreement or know they have or just basically dont understand the company policys.  So maybe it will all change. Time will tell.

[darkmatter]

What does this have to do with the price of tea in china?  Brue has nothing to do with the company anymore.

I think your question should be it's own topic in the "Expose yourself" area.

But Mike, of course this should be here in the "talk about Bartlett" thread, Alphadude caught on real quick and perceived the story as an example of how companies change over time with culture and politics.
Entries should not be deleted (or implied to be deleted) just cause someones perception may differ---isn't that what forums are about? (Flamers & Trolls should be deleted)

[alphadude]

I though Bruce was a board member and his appointed heirs are still in place.. just because he dont answer the phone... as I said, things will change with BNI they have too.  The slick chrome plated structure they were needs to become stainless..its good business.  Time for a house cleaning BNI... google BNI, NRC, millstone and see a reason they need change.

[SloGlo]

darkmatter.... it is with pride in accomplishments and the inablility to shake a rep that i would be firmly entrenched in the number 2 pile.  which poses the question of whether any pun wuz intended with the number one and number two (piles)?  'n yeah, eye've bin ina doo-doo befour.

[halflifer]

not knowing who the SC was, we have no way of knowing if he/she was able to tell a good tech from a bad one.....I've seen several SC's who gave no indication of being able to tell the difference. Bruce's criteria were probably based on input from previous SC's that these people had worked for. I know Bruce has never pretended to understand the workings of our craft. I'm not sure which pile I'd be in.......I've been on  notsosecret tech in waiting (I left a job after being 'asked' to stay on for a couple more weeks), but that was 24 yrs ago and I really haven't had trouble getting work w/ B since. I was on the infamous 'J's' BROWN LIST (I think anyone who was on it knows why I'm referring to it as the 'brown list'....it wasn't for UPS deliveries) during the mid 90's....but I always managed to get work through the other recruiters (thanx Eric, Marie, Kelly, etc) and Bruce was always more than accomodating if there was a job I REALLY wanted to go to.

[SloGlo]

the infamous 'J's' BROWN LIST

karma on!  on mercy!  it's gittin hard to get back up after i've bin roflmao!  t'anks!

[highradsnake]

A comment along those lines. The same can be said when a new SC takes over a plant contract. I was always brought in 2-3 weeks prior to the outage at a certain PA plant. Now with the new SC in charge, I am arriving 5 days prior to the start of the outage.(I am not the only one this has happened to) Is it just coincidence?? I think NOT! I have been told that the other techs who got "stiffed" vowed to never go there again. I, on the other hand, felt "wronged" but, I like the plant and the people there so I just smile and nod my head like a good little RP. Listen up people!! AS LONG AS OTHERS HAVE THE POWER TO PICK AND CHOOSE IT WILL ALWAYS BE THAT WAY!

[Dave Warren]

I have to agree with darkmatter. I think we all can agree, no matter what company it is, the company is going to put in their prodigal sons and daughters first. The next wave is people who leave from another "company" job and are able to come in and augment that job. The third wave is the people who haven't done anything too terrible to p.....ss the company off lately and they decide that you are acceptable enough to hire for that job. Then and only then, do the people who have done anything to incense the company, even get a shot at a position. That is when you get a call from a recruiter you haven't heard from in 2 years.

I have put in for quite a few ALARA positions or other-than-tech positions, and haven't worked for Bartlett in 3 years. I guess that tells you I am in the sh....t pile, or just found work with other companies. Do we really ever know what pile we are in with any company? Unless you work in the home office, or have a direct route to all the insider trading, you really don't know jack, do you?

[highradsnake]

To Dave Warren, Bravisimo! I could not have said it better myself!!

[Already Gone]

I've been abstaining from this thread for a long time now, but I have to give plus karma to Dave Warren for his last sentence.  It's absolutely true that you can't tell what's going on if you are not actually there.  I am STILL unconvinced that my refrigerator light ever goes out.  I can guess with relative confidence, but I could be wrong.
I also give credit to darkmatter for identifying his story as "opinionated".  The person rendering the opinion may have a totally different perspective from that of someone in the office or Bruce Bartlett.
Justforthefunofit, I came up wit a different way to describe both of those very same piles given exactly the same descriptions.  Here goes:
Pile number one; Techs who don't go out of their way to get noticed, neither famous nor infamous, willing to go to sites other than their own personal favorites - therefore unfamiliar with the area, require the SC to actually "coordinate" instead of just handing out checks and carrying a meter he never turns on, consult with supervision to make sure they are meeting the plant's expectations rather than playing "cowboy" with job coverage.
Pile two:  The Terrell Owens group of HP's who never let you forget that they are the house's chosen few for the high profile jobs.  They have every job on their resume that they ever walked past on their way to the pile of PC's where they slept for the whole outage.  Never show their faces until it is time to take credit for something - since they are so rarely seen they are considered "low-maintenance" by the SC who only has to interact with them once per week.  (they always manage to come out at check time)

Naturally, neither one of these descriptions may be any more or any less accurate than the descriptions given to them by the aforementioned SC.  I just made them up by imagining that someone had asked not only this SC but one or more of the other techs who also knew them.

Then again, darkmatter's descriptions may be right on the money, but other factors may have ben considered.  From an employer's point of view.  If you think you are in the "wrong" pile, maybe you can try to figure out why.  Just remember a few things that may be more important to the employer than those already discussed.

Knowing that a company makes the same amount of money from an "average" tech that it makes from any other, the tech who actually works more for the company is more valuable.  A tech who goes where the need is greater is more valuable.   A tech who stays until the layoff is more valuable than the one who must leave before the cavity is drained.  A tech who is willing to work at a crappy plant is more valuable than the one who calls the office and says "I'll work for you here but not there".
Of course, the most valuable tech of all is the one who is on the phone right now, asking for work when a spot opens up somewhere and you have nobody else to fill it.  If he says "yes, I'll go" he's worth his weight in truffles.

Do you tend to work for a particular company only when they have the plant you want, or do you go wherever they need you?
Do you tend to drag up at the earliest opportunity to go to another outage (possibly for someone else)?
Are you a really good tech who is dragging along dead weight in the form of a husband, girlfriend, son .. etc.?
Are you a really good tech who commits to a job and then backs out because you got a really good offer later?  Do you tend to do this often?

Depending on your answers, you may be in the "wrong" pile when you feel that you don't deserve to be.  Just take this little nugget of wisdom from the source of all wisdom, The Godfather.  "It isn't personal.  It's business."

[highradsnake]

I feel that BeerCourt has a valid point in his own way. I would like to point out another aspect of why techs end up in different piles. The dreaded exit evaluation or perfomance review. I wish, and again, WISH that SC's and supervisors would truly evaluate techs, not just give out "form letters" or "add name here" pre-made evals. I would be grateful for any supervisory input dealing with my quals, ethics, and personality traits. As Ben Franklin once said," the true definition of insanity is doing the same behaviors over and over again, and expecting different results!" In short, the best way to inspire an individual to excel, is to have the ability to constructively critique a persons shortcomings. Remember the old phrase..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, sometimes a little heart-to-heart talk can do wonders.

[PWHoppe]

BeerCourt,

VERY well said.  Speaking as a former site cordinator, I couldn't have said it better myself. You hit the nail on the head. Much Karma to you my friend.

[Melrose]

Well.... After two naps and three beers I finally made thru BeerCourt's post. 
Good points made and still played both sides of the fence.
DaveWarren also shows validity, maybe more, in that who really knows outside the person making the piles.

BTW, BeerCourt, take note of the switch inside your Fridge door. 

[Already Gone]

I think that the switch is a plant by the CIA, who wants me to believe that it is attached to the light.  In reality it turns ON a camera every time I open the door.  GWB needs to collect "intelligence" on me to know how many bottles of Labatt's Blue I can down in a day.

[Rennhack]

I think that the switch is a plant by the CIA, who wants me to believe that it is attached to the light.  In reality it turns ON a camera every time I open the door.  GWB needs to collect "intelligence" on me to know how many bottles of Labatt's Blue I can down in a day.

I just figured out which pile you go in...

[RAD-GHOST]

Dave, I think you just jumped to the fifth category on your list!

[RDTroja]

Dave, I think you just jumped to the fifth category on your list!

The one titled "Those the MMPI was supposed to weed out?"

[Camella Black]

Well I didn't know the answer to this question until today when my son received papers stating that his ex-employer was STILL fighting his unemployment benefits from a year ago.

Seems he was in the RIGHT pile when he was quickly offered a job at Waterford after which he jumped in his car drove down and found out one night he had to take the North East Exam the next day.

Of course he failed it was given a second shot and failed that too (this was only his 3rd outage and he had never taken it before) so he was sent home.

Almost a year later this short trip to southern LA is still haunting him as when he applied for benefits recently this crap has popped or pooped up again – sorry couldn't resist.

It's a sad day ...

[Dave Warren]

Camella Dear, It sounds like he is in the limbo pile. I would venture to guess, that there is such a pile in every recruiter's office.

Devils advocate: Did the Site Coordinator tell him not to worry about it? That it wouldn't be an issue regarding future employment? Or, did he just kick him out into Bourbon Street and tell him to enjoy Mardi Gras? Furthermore, what pile does he rest in now?

[alphadude]

hmm the worm turns...

[Camella Black]

Camella Dear, It sounds like he is in the limbo pile. I would venture to guess, that there is such a pile in every recruiter's office.

Devils advocate: Did the Site Coordinator tell him not to worry about it? That it wouldn't be an issue regarding future employment? Or, did he just kick him out into Bourbon Street and tell him to enjoy Mardi Gras? Furthermore, what pile does he rest in now?

Well we thought this was all behind us and cleared up many, many months ago. He drew unemployment months ago, back in the Spring of 2005 but was recently out for a week due to holidays and he filed again and drew a check!!! Then he got this package in from the state saying that "the company" was appealing the decision made almost a year ago to pay him unemployment.

I really don't think this is going away. Too bad too as we are good people as most of you know and it really upsets us to see our child (even though he's grown) treated like this.

[halflifer]

I may be missing something in Camella's posts, but it doesn't sound like that issue is really a question of 'pile.' I'm thinking the company's position is that her son never had a job with them and, therefore, they shouldn't be charged with his unemployment.
Has he tried to get work with them since then? Was he successful? This would be a lot more indicative of the pile he's in that any action they would take re: his unemployment benes.

[Camella Black]

Yep he worked with them again. I guess I was trying to say that you just never know, you might think your in one pile and you're really in another; but then again 1 person or department might have you in pile #1 and another department may have you in pile #2.

I was being a bitch and ranting, or maybe I was being over protective of my young, we mothers have a habit of doing that. But to tell you the truth I hate for anyone to be treated unfairly...

[halflifer]

there is a term that we have long applied to ourselves, likening ourselves to purveyors in the sex for sale business. we do this only half in jest and need to understand that just like the 'working girls/boys' if we don't do exactly what our 'manages' want us to do, we're going to get punished. some 'managers' punish by beating, some by blacklisting. the same freedom that allows us to say no to a job offer allows them to offer the next job to someone who has shown a willingness to do things that we may consider beneath us......for whatever reason. our only option to being treated like whores is to get married.....take a house job and work 50 wks/yr.

[SloGlo]

halflife... ain't life a beach when yer pimps don't want yinz werkeen fer anybuddy else, but kick ya to the unemployement curb when ya ain't makeen enny money fer them?  'n then, iffen ya play the u.c. game correctly 'n actually make contact seeking employement, they gits upset wan ya gits a job wit da "competition". 

[illegalsmile]

ayev ulweez had bedder luk geddin a job wid a  big kumpanee when aye wuz werkkin fer da komputishun. yuh ulweez want whut yuh duzzunt hav....soe due thay.
thiz werks 'speshlee wel iffn ewe aynt at thu end uv er kummitmint wid d'udder kumpunnee.

[duke99301]

why be in a pile GET out of the Herd!

[alphadude]

exactly duke..

[SloGlo]

why be in a pile GET out of the Herd!

issat a knew plant, the herd plant, wit der g.e.t. yinz're tawkeen bout? 

piles oar phun, spesheally wan der's galinz of cookeen oil envolved...

[hamsamich]

somewhat agree, but "exactly" seems like a bad term.  I think I was treated worse and felt like I was forced to do more as house anyway (although it was as an operator and a chem tech).  I feel like I have more freedom to do things how I want to as a roady because I am not "attatched" to a certain nuke plant.  It actually makes me a better worker.  And, if things do go wrong, there is always the next plant since outage stays only last 4-6 weeks usually.

[LaFeet]

Hey Beer Court, should'nt there be a third pile?? 

How about those that actually show up on time, or consistently early?  The ones that actually put forth an effort in trying to get the outage or job done safely and ahead of schedule?  Those that actually can be trusted by both house techs and the management to complete the task at hand and be able to comply with the assorted procedures that seem to vary from plant to plant (even within the same company).

I have worked with a number of these individuals and hope to continue to do so..... 

[Dave Warren]

As we all go through years and years in this great business, I think we see alot of good people in that 3rd pile. Unfortunately, they are not in the big barrel of desirables that is maintained for any certain company. This results in the same "core group" of people going to all the best assignments first. That group may consist of all the best staff, all the worst staff, or a mixture of the two. A high percentage of the time, you are going to be considered AFTER that group is resting comfortably in those positions. Unfortunately, you do all you can to help the last project you were on and it just isn't enough to make the grade, and the responsible, competent technician is left wondering why they didn't get called for one of those "cush" positions. This is a major reason why people opt for getting out of this industry, taking a long-term gig in the DOE, or just being content by never calling that company again. Many technicians have had to make that decision in the last 10 years and many have stated their happiness on getting away from this industry. It is the work we chose many years ago, or it chose us.....

[Camella Black]

Just wanted to update ya'll on the status of what pile our son is in... seems somewhere there was a mix up and this matter has been cleared up with no hard feelings.

[Dave Warren]

The First Amendment works in strange ways, doesn't it?

That's "freedom of speech" for those of you who weren't coherent in school.

With Mr. Rennhack's medium that we use to express our opinion's, justice has prevailed. Obviously, someone erased the issue from the records after seeing the issue displayed. Gives ya' a warm feeling all over, huh Camella?.......

[dosetek]

Just wanted to update ya'll on the status of what pile our son is in... seems somewhere there was a mix up and this matter has been cleared up with no hard feelings.

Magical isn't it!!!!!!!

[Already Gone]

Hey Beer Court, should'nt there be a third pile?? 

How about those that actually show up on time, or consistently early?  The ones that actually put forth an effort in trying to get the outage or job done safely and ahead of schedule?  Those that actually can be trusted by both house techs and the management to complete the task at hand and be able to comply with the assorted procedures that seem to vary from plant to plant (even within the same company).

I have worked with a number of these individuals and hope to continue to do so..... 

Well, if I had a contract HP company, that would be my first pile.

[illegalsmile]

I think the 'customers' would have it that way too. All of them want their jobs (outages?) done on time, and that doesn't happen with people who aren't where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there; and most of them have performance bonuses for safety and rad protection goals (OSHA reportables, total man-rem, etc.), so I think they appreciate the tech who does a good and conscientious job. If you're in that group, you may want to talk to your Lead Tech or Supervisor and ask them to put in a word. A lot of the time, the SC has his/her own favorites, and that may or may not be the same list as the Utility supers would have.
Hey Mike, maybe we should have "NukeWorker Third Piler T-Shirts" to sell to the plants.

[LaFeet]

Hey Mike, maybe we should have "NukeWorker Third Piler T-Shirts" to sell to the plants.

Put me down for one   

[duke99301]

wow I stayed out of the heard for years and yesterday they called me wanting to come back in the heard .

[Mike McFarlin]

Doesn't matter, just work!

[Carolina Jethro]

Doesn't matter, just work!

That's what I have always "herd"! 

[duke99301]

good thing about when your out of the herd you wear a new brand and do not have to go back to the herd.
Merry xmas all

[remowil55]

Hey Camella, i hear ya.Speaking of the Northeast Test start a tread on the NEW FORMER NEU test. I have a feeling, this comes from experience, that there are going to be a lot of techs in for a surprise when they have to take the test again.Remo

[vikingfan]

I'm in the haven't worked for bartlett for a couple years are you still in the business pile

[Radwraith]

Well, if I had a contract HP company, that would be my first pile.

Beercourt: We have worked together and I know you to be a results oriented "Third pile" kind of guy. Unfortunately; most recruiters at these offices have never been in the field and have no Idea what performance in the field actually means! It's a shame really...

[rocknrollrick]

The beatings will continue until moral improves!!!!! Put that on top of all the piles

[RADBASTARD]

I like to hope we are in the prefered customers list pile?
And not the use this resume as toliet paper pile?
haha