NukeWorker Forum

Career Path => Money Matters => Salary Questions => Topic started by: uf6man on Mar 11, 2007, 11:30

Title: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: uf6man on Mar 11, 2007, 11:30
I am a Union employee of the only UF6 conversion facility currently operating in the United States.  We are getting ready to renew our contract in June 2007.....we are now being treated as a Nuclear Facilty instead of a Chemical Plant by the NRC.  Can anyone give me an average pay scale for Operators in a Nuclear Plant?  This information would be greatly appreciated by myself and my Union Brothers & Sisters.  Quality Union Work!   
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Rad Sponge on Mar 11, 2007, 11:45
I am a Union employee of the only UF6 conversion facility currently operating in the United States.  We are getting ready to renew our contract in June 2007.....we are now being treated as a Nuclear Facilty instead of a Chemical Plant by the NRC.  Can anyone give me an average pay scale for Operators in a Nuclear Plant?  This information would be greatly appreciated by myself and my Union Brothers & Sisters.  Quality Union Work!   

Impossible to answer if you are applying a general wage to "Nuclear Operator".

So many variables.

I am going to throw out 25-35 bucks/hr to cover an experienced non-licensed plant operator.

Starting out maybe 22-28 an hour depending on location.

I work at a privately owned plant, so I don't have to factor in paying the union vig, i mean union dues, so I am not sure how a private wage converts into union wages.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: thenuttyneutron on Mar 11, 2007, 05:04
This is a hard question to answer.  I made about 33% more than my theoretical wage on a 2000hr/year.  The overtime from a long outage and a bonus skews the real wages from what you should make at 2000 hr/year.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: M1Ark on Mar 11, 2007, 06:31
$30/hr straight time is a good average for being fully qualified non-licensed operator.   +- $3/hr for cost of living.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Mike McFarlin on Mar 11, 2007, 08:56
Good wages, good career, who could ask for anything more?
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: uf6man on Mar 12, 2007, 02:42
Thanks for all of the great input on wages......rates are in the area I was expecting.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Roll Tide on Mar 13, 2007, 11:21
I am a Union employee of  

The IBEW should provide pay scales to your local (whether you are IBEW or some other union). The negotiating team will need more specific information than a reference Nukeworker posting, but I certainly understand starting here.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: RADBASTARD on Mar 13, 2007, 07:17
For a 7+ year sr hp tech I think we should be getting about $35hr a fair wage,it's about middle of the road for house tech wages and when we are in outages we are usually covering most of the work.

Oh and yes I use to be a house tech before they start throwing crap at me for saying that.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Jack U. Loyd on Mar 28, 2007, 04:16

I've never thrown anything at you ! >:(
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Rennhack on Mar 28, 2007, 02:34
For a 7+ year sr hp tech I think we should be getting about $35hr a fair wage,it's about middle of the road for house tech wages and when we are in outages we are usually covering most of the work.

Oh and yes I use to be a house tech before they start throwing crap at me for saying that.

I agree.  I'd like to see the standard get bumped to $30 ASAP, then to #35 in a few years, so there is no shock to the system.  Honesdtly, $28/hr isn't unreasonable, then $30-32, then $35.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: alphadude on Mar 28, 2007, 05:08
what you all are talking about is a seniority system-and it don't exist in the freemarket economics that exist-  its taking the best parts of a union system without the other burdens or responsibilities-  good wish but dont hold your breath.. $30 an hour is about the standard rate now anyway. 

a certification system would work- x dollars for NRRPT etc. or OHST and so on

besides who is going to track time- or do the verification?
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Already Gone on Mar 28, 2007, 08:26
what you all are talking about is a seniority system-and it don't exist in the freemarket economics that exist-  its taking the best parts of a union system without the other burdens or responsibilities-  good wish but dont hold your breath.. $30 an hour is about the standard rate now anyway. 

a certification system would work- x dollars for NRRPT etc. or OHST and so on

besides who is going to track time- or do the verification?

Particularly concerning the $30 rate; what trade is that?  Are you talking about operators, RP, road or house?  Or, are you averaging them all together?
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Rennhack on Mar 28, 2007, 09:56
Particularly concerning the $30 rate; what trade is that?  Are you talking about operators, RP, road or house?  Or, are you averaging them all together?

He talked about NRRPT... so I would guess HP.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: vikingfan on Mar 28, 2007, 10:02
current wage rate for RST ( reactor service tech) about 22-30+
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Already Gone on Mar 29, 2007, 07:33
I don't think that the "standard" rate for contract HP is anywhere near $30.  For house techs, there is no such thing as a standard rate.  It varies widely by geography.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: alphadude on Mar 29, 2007, 09:23
we price the bids we do at the current $30/hr  (approximately) rate, and guess what so do all the other contractors ... sooo if joe blow is getting $28 an hour and Joe know is getting $32 an hour guess what the rate is  about $30 an hour.   its called enticement pay ...lol so average things out and it turns out $30 an hour is about the going rate for techs.. at CY it averages out about that wheather the techs knew it or not.. some were getting $35 an hour and some were getting $25 an hour..  hanford rate is $30, INEL is $30, if you are getting less somebody got more..

(we have about 200 techs working right now)
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Halcyon Daze on Mar 29, 2007, 10:04
we price the bids we do at the current $30/hr  (approximately) rate, and guess what so do all the other contractors ... sooo if joe blow is getting $28 an hour and Joe know is getting $32 an hour guess what the rate is  about $30 an hour.   its called enticement pay ...lol so average things out and it turns out $30 an hour is about the going rate for techs.. at CY it averages out about that wheather the techs knew it or not.. some were getting $35 an hour and some were getting $25 an hour..  hanford rate is $30, INEL is $30, if you are getting less somebody got more..
is this an hourly rate plus per diem, including per diem, no diem?
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: alphadude on Mar 29, 2007, 12:24
hourly diem is handled another way
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: SloGlo on Mar 29, 2007, 08:36
hourly diem shud be handled with sumbuddy else's hands!  stay away, stay away, stay away!
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: shovelheadred on Mar 31, 2007, 08:15
..this 30$/hr, is not in the same commercial power industry I returned to in 2005...nowhere have I heard of an RP renta tech making that,,,but I havent been everywhere..but in the last 3 years I have worked 8 plants and their pay is no where near 30/hr......are we comparing apples and oranges here or what?....that was the main reason I havent worked in the RP business since the 90's....low wages..even lower per diem...no rental cars, no travel...and always a bunch of %^$#&* whining and crying about what the other guy makes.....it is alot easier to make money in this business than as an RP, and with the new construction, it will be a longer term deal,,,,,all the other crafts I work with, and they are union, make alot more than RP's do,,,so my opinion...leave it behind...take some courses, while you are off,,,and be billable with more than one hard hat,,,because the grass is sweeter on this side of the fence...red
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Halcyon Daze on Apr 01, 2007, 08:15
is this an hourly rate plus per diem, including per diem, no diem?
Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear.
Is that rate for people who get per diem, for people who don't get per diem, or is it including an hourly per diem equivilent? Even I understand there is no such thing as "hourly per diem" since "per diem" means "by the day."
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: USMCRADCON on Apr 01, 2007, 09:53
Not entirely true either...For the last year I billed for diem @ $15 per hour for 1st 40 hours worked per week
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: DAVIDMCCRAY on Apr 01, 2007, 12:14
perhaps we should check out this nelsonnuclear.com he has a idea,   a vision,  a plan ...although not new, and it has been tried before. maybe it can work this time....i for one agree with his thinking...and BY GOD......   what could it hurt.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: ruth13 on Apr 01, 2007, 01:29
I did check it out, but the website is basically very incomplete. I did not get any usable information from it, other than a way to submit my resume. Before a website is promoted it should at the very least have complete pages of information. I realize websites are "live" information, and change continually, but to have so many links that lead to blank pages is not very professional, nor does it lead to a positive impression of the organization - IMHO.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Already Gone on Apr 01, 2007, 09:22
..this 30$/hr, is not in the same commercial power industry I returned to in 2005...nowhere have I heard of an RP renta tech making that,,,but I havent been everywhere..but in the last 3 years I have worked 8 plants and their pay is no where near 30/hr......are we comparing apples and oranges here or what?....that was the main reason I havent worked in the RP business since the 90's....low wages..even lower per diem...no rental cars, no travel...and always a bunch of %^$#&* whining and crying about what the other guy makes.....it is alot easier to make money in this business than as an RP, and with the new construction, it will be a longer term deal,,,,,all the other crafts I work with, and they are union, make alot more than RP's do,,,so my opinion...leave it behind...take some courses, while you are off,,,and be billable with more than one hard hat,,,because the grass is sweeter on this side of the fence...red
I think we are comparing $30/he DOE techs who work 40's without per diem at a very few select jobs vs. the rest of the rent-a-tech world who are hovering at around the $24/hr & $90/day range with about 22 - 26 weeks of work per year most of which are at 72 hrs per week.  It seems to balance out to about $60k per year either way. In a good year.

Stay where you are.  You're doing fine, and it gets better.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Halcyon Daze on Apr 02, 2007, 12:09
Not entirely true either...For the last year I billed for diem @ $15 per hour for 1st 40 hours worked per week
Per diem is, by deffinition, "by the day." Therefore, if it was not paid, "by the day" it is not per diem.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/per%20diem
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: SloGlo on Apr 02, 2007, 09:34
Not entirely true either...For the last year I billed for diem @ $15 per hour for 1st 40 hours worked per week

billing 'n pay are often different subjects 'n i gots no idea iffen this is your situation or knot. iffen i got paid what i billed, life would be very good. 
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: MR BIG on Apr 26, 2008, 03:40
..this 30$/hr, is not in the same commercial power industry I returned to in 2005...nowhere have I heard of an RP renta tech making that,,,but I havent been everywhere..but in the last 3 years I have worked 8 plants and their pay is no where near 30/hr......are we comparing apples and oranges here or what?....that was the main reason I havent worked in the RP business since the 90's....low wages..even lower per diem...no rental cars, no travel...and always a bunch of %^$#&* whining and crying about what the other guy makes.....it is alot easier to make money in this business than as an RP, and with the new construction, it will be a longer term deal,,,,,all the other crafts I work with, and they are union, make alot more than RP's do,,,so my opinion...leave it behind...take some courses, while you are off,,,and be billable with more than one hard hat,,,because the grass is sweeter on this side of the fence...red

What trade are you working in now? And what does it pay?
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: shovelheadred on Apr 27, 2008, 07:55
..I am working in the Safety Oversight field right now, for Beercourt...I took a break from RP, went with Master-Lee and then Areva and got my Manipulator Crane Quals...and also got a certification in Primavera scheduling,,,had a back injury in 2003, cut that refueling job short, couldn't make that scheduling gig work,,,,so I took the OHST, and am pursuing my BS in Health and Safety..like I said, take a few courses, some initiative, a few dollars and get out of that RP trailer...I did.....red
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: MR BIG on Apr 28, 2008, 09:39
..I am working in the Safety Oversight field right now, for Beercourt...I took a break from RP, went with Master-Lee and then Areva and got my Manipulator Crane Quals...and also got a certification in Primavera scheduling,,,had a back injury in 2003, cut that refueling job short, couldn't make that scheduling gig work,,,,so I took the OHST, and am pursuing my BS in Health and Safety..like I said, take a few courses, some initiative, a few dollars and get out of that RP trailer...I did.....red

How do you break into the Safety & Health side. Most job offers require experience in that field. I've been a rad tech for 30 yrs. I need a change also because of not being able to scurry up & down those containment ladders. If you know what I mean?
Any direction would be much appreciated.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: radbitch on Apr 29, 2008, 07:55
How do you break into the Safety & Health side. Most job offers require experience in that field. I've been a rad tech for 30 yrs. I need a change also because of not being able to scurry up & down those containment ladders. If you know what I mean?
Any direction would be much appreciated.
I've been a rad tech for the last ~22 yrs and I to wanted out of RP. Although I do still have my quals (just in case). I just by luck got a oversight job on an SGR project in 2001 and then from there was offered many jobs (other than RP). In the past 4 yrs I've done RB coordinator, Move-in coordinator, and a couple RP jobs. I'm currently on a SGR project for the next 2 years working 40's in the sunshine state. The coordinator jobs pay more than double the pay of RP, and there's no cap on mob/demob pay. My advice is to put in for different jobs even if your not qualified. Ya gotta start some where and just maybe their's a company out there willing to hire you. I know several Safety professionals that were RP's. There's one on our project. Safety is BIG now. At Calvert D&Z hired a bunch of Safety people for the refuel outage. You could try them. I think Bartlett also hires them too. I'll ask around and see if I can get some names of companies.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Already Gone on Apr 30, 2008, 09:22
I'm sorry to inform you that the Safety & Health side requires scurrying up & down ladders, and scaffolds, and sewer catch basins, and vent stacks, and cracking towers, and excavations, and ditches, and big pipes, and small voids, and.................

 8)

In other words - it is WORK.  It is the best work I have ever had.  It pays twice as much as I made as an RP.  I work in refineries, fossil plants, nukes, ... anywhere.  I feel much more fulfilled after a day's work than I ever did as an RP.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: radbitch on Apr 30, 2008, 10:36
Thanks alot !!! Appreciate anything you could suggest.

Your welcome MR BIG! I did hear that the ShawGroup has over 20 postings for Safety. I didn't go to their website to verify though. Did you do a search on nukeworker? Or Roadtechs? Throw your resume out there, you never know what you might get! Marssim and Beercourt are Correct. You may have a desk job for awhile, but when it comes down to being in the field "it is WORK"!
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: 105KW on Feb 18, 2010, 05:04
we price the bids we do at the current $30/hr  (approximately) rate, and guess what so do all the other contractors ... sooo if joe blow is getting $28 an hour and Joe know is getting $32 an hour guess what the rate is  about $30 an hour.   its called enticement pay ...lol so average things out and it turns out $30 an hour is about the going rate for techs.. at CY it averages out about that wheather the techs knew it or not.. some were getting $35 an hour and some were getting $25 an hour..  hanford rate is $30, INEL is $30, if you are getting less somebody got more..

(we have about 200 techs working right now)

Just came across this and thought I would update the Hanford pay. The current rate at Hanford in the farms is 35.72 /hr. This assumes you are working a 4 X 10 day shift.  Lead pays a little more and if working a 8 x 9's shift the pay is a little less.   Anyone else got an update on the current DOE wages ?

Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: zman on May 24, 2011, 02:24
Looking to jump start an old question. I am considering going house as an R.P. in the midwest. Any knowledge out there on a starting wage. I am a 7+ year ANSI 3.1 and have'nt gotten to the offer phase yet, but am curious what I may be able to expect.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Cycoticpenguin on May 24, 2011, 01:08
Looking to jump start an old question. I am considering going house as an R.P. in the midwest. Any knowledge out there on a starting wage. I am a 7+ year ANSI 3.1 and have'nt gotten to the offer phase yet, but am curious what I may be able to expect.

I was offered an RP tech I job at a region II plant. Starting pay was around 27 an hour IIRC.  Junior techs make substantially less of course...
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: UncaBuffalo on May 24, 2011, 08:19
Looking to jump start an old question. I am considering going house as an R.P. in the midwest. Any knowledge out there on a starting wage. I am a 7+ year ANSI 3.1 and have'nt gotten to the offer phase yet, but am curious what I may be able to expect.

I don't know about the Midwest, but out West, the range would be mid 30's to low 40's per hour...

Good luck!  :)
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Cycoticpenguin on May 24, 2011, 09:56
I don't know about the Midwest, but out West, the range would be mid 30's to low 40's per hour...

Good luck!  :)

woah sounds like I need to change jobs!! haha
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: AS55555 on May 24, 2011, 11:21
LES in NM pays about $35/hr plus annual bonus and good benefits. No respirators and last year the highest dose on site was 34 mrem. One vacancy.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: jams723 on Jun 06, 2011, 01:10
LES in NM pays about $35/hr plus annual bonus and good benefits. No respirators and last year the highest dose on site was 34 mrem. One vacancy.

But.... Look where you have to live.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: AS55555 on Jun 06, 2011, 10:08
Jams
It is hard to argue with your statement about location. Actually many of the men including myself like the area. The women are disappoint with shopping and other finer elements of living. Hobbs has about 35K people and even has a casino and race track. It is 26 miles from Hobbs to the plant and 20 miles is divided four land highway with a 65 MPH limit. Again- not the prime location but techs get paid OT and normally work 5 ten hour shifts on day shift. Great company if you are one of the ones to like the area. In the spirit of honesty, other than Hobbs not a lot of other decent size towns around.
Title: Re: Nuclear Worker Wages
Post by: Content1 on Sep 21, 2011, 07:23
Have the companies stopped posting the wages on nukewoker?  Have they done so because they are trending lower?  I have watched this for years and noticed in the last months it is always blank, kind of like they don't care or don't need to show it.  Is this my imagination or is there a rational explanation for this trend?