NPUA

[traveltax]

That is only if you do not return to your "Tax Home" or like myself have a wife at my permanent residence. If I am maintaning a "Tax Home" and work a contract for more than a year, but I maintain my home of record and intend to return to it at the completion of the job, not only is perdiem legal, it is not taxable.

Going home does not change the fact that you are continuing to receive income from the same source and tax homes are judged individually, not as a family even if you file joint. Any job expected to last longer than a year is considered "permanent" or "indefinite" in the eyes of the IRS (IRS Publication 463) and do not qualify for tax free allownaces or per diems.

One thing that can be confusing is the fact that a "tax home" and a permanent home/residence are not the same thing. A tax home is based on economic factors, primarily, where the taxpayer makes his/her income, not where they actually keep a home. The income based determination of a tax home is changed when the job or series of engagements are temporary, which is defined as less than 12 months

[MR BIG]

Thanks.  This sheds some light on the situation.  It also eliminates the suspicion of false dealings and financial impropriety.

However, it does leave me concerned that Kevin did this EXACTLY BACKWARDS.  He tried to g through the utitlities and then through a contract company.  He should have been going through the techs.  You don't form a union by lining up with a company and recruiting members/employees.  You form a union by recruiting members from among the employees of existing companies and using the power of unity to force the companies to negotiate.

What you have here is NPUA/Spectrum as one entity which bargains for contracts without the input or approval of the membership and then offers the deal to prospective members/employees as a take-it-or-leave-it option.

What you have here is not a union.  You have a company that collects dues from its employees in return for which it gives them practically NO opportunity to earn higher wages.

It isn't criminal.  It's just not a union.  Period.

Don't get offended, but you seem to know eveything about all the subjects spoken on the forums here, but you need to get your facts straight before you start trashing people. If you know so much how to start up a union......then why haven't you or anyone else put your neck out there and risked everything to make a difference for us all? This man at least seems to be doing SOMETHING to better our treatment from these utilities. Be very careful to criticize something if you are not willing to get involved. If you are not involved you have no right or validity to your opinions, especially when they are not based on ALL the facts.

Like I said, please don't get offended. Just some simple advice that may help down the road that I have learned the hard way. I used to be suspicious of EVERYTHING. And also looking at things negatively. I was miserable. I have since tried to look at the good in people and stay positive. Believe me, I am SOOOOOO much happier and at peace with things you wouldn't believe! I wish everyone the best!
Good Luck!

[Already Gone]

Maybe you ought to know about me.
I have been a union member.  I work with union craftsmen every day.
I know how this works.
What doesn't work is to look at the whole situation like some greedy, hungry dog.  It is not all about how much money you can get for an hour's work.
Yes, HP's have been complaining about the rate for quite some time.
It isn't about how much per diem you can get for an outage.
Again, a major concern for the techs for years.
It isn't even about how many weeks of work you can get in a year.

The one thing that the techs really need, whether they know it or not, is a contract.
Sure, you can post a "proposed" contract on your website.  But that is nothing more than promises made by people who are in no position to keep them.  A contract has to be made by both the labor AND the management.  If you can get an actual contract, all these other things will come to be - maybe with a few compromises from both sides.

You will never get a contract if you just pound that same old drum, "demand, demand, demand"  By definition, and by law, a contract must give equal consideration to both parties.  So, instead of saying "we deserve" or "we have a right to" all the damn time, you want to switch to things like "we will provide a superior service by fully trained, competent technicians in exchange for a fair compensation package."  Then, you have to back it up.

Be careful here.  You might get what you ask for.  If you promise a better-trained technician for a higher price, you have to train them.  Guess who pays for the training of union members.  Yep, it comes right out of your hourly rate.  You pay for it from your paycheck.  And not just your training.  Every hour you work, you'll be assessed for the training of the "apprentices".  You want benefits?  Same deal.  You will pay for benefits that you will never use, and sometimes you will use benefits that are more than you paid for.  This is all part of the "collective" concept of a union.

In my opinion, it is better to have a contract than not.  So, I encourage the formation of a union.  Only, do it with your eyes open.  Realize that it will not mean people throwing huge sums of money at you for doing the same thing at the same level that you have been doing before.

But if you think a BA will be any different from a Bartlett recruiter in regards to favoritism, honesty, and hiring only the best-qualified people -- think again.  Same job.  Same reality.  Different title.  There will be no difference in the way some are treated.  Some will be treated better, and some worse.

Doing SOMETHING is not the same to me as doing the RIGHT THING.  Signing a "letter of understanding" with a Canadian company who is in the business of providing temporary web designers and computer programmers is not the same thing as signing a contract with your employer.  To me, it all looks like an ineffective way to slide in the back door of this business, when the way in is to organize the employees of the existing companies (who WILL have all the work anyway) and getting a contract with them.  Until NPUA shows any evidence of making any attempt at that whatsoever, I won't put any faith in them.

[Rennhack]

It would be great if 'Kevin', the NPUA founder, would post here and try to clear things up.

[MR BIG]

What is the purpose of your posts in this thread?

Are you the spokesperson for NPUA?

Are you here to recruit new members and answer questions?

Why do you post with two different profiles?

Why does one of your profiles say "Nukeworker Rules! Donate Now!", yet you are a non-supporting member for either profile?

To clear up the last question. I have a blurp on my ID also that I never personally put there. I thought the site inserted it. How do you change that?

[Camella Black]

To clear up the last question. I have a blurp on my ID also that I never personally put there. I thought the site inserted it. How do you change that?

Go to your profile and make changes there.

[Already Gone]

Just like in the 90's alot of armchair quarterbacks on the sideline. Keep up the good work boys and enjoy your bonus this spring. Do you think this gesture will contine next fall without compentention? Think again!

Okay, I have to agree with this, though you probably don't want me to.  Anybody going for the cha-ching is being short-sighted.  As soon as the outage season demands can be filled without bonuses, they will be gone.  So will the sweetheart backup contracts being filled by the little, non-nuclear companies who have signed with NPUA. The techs will once again have to take what is offered or stay home.  If you get a contract, you won't stand to lose 30-50% of your compensation just because the outage was staffed easily.

No, you won't automatically get $35/hr and GSA per diem on every job right out of the gate.  But you'll get the best you can bargain for as long as everyone sticks together.

[retired nuke]

It would be great if 'Kevin', the NPUA founder, would post here and try to clear things up.

I just visited the NPUA site for the first time....

I doubt anyone that is involved with NPUA could clear up anything.... worse than the old IBEW 1500 group. Amusing, but incompetent.....

[Marlin]

I do remember those guys,....oh my goodness,.....

I had the opportunity to speak with their organizer out of DC. They had expectations of the techs picking up the load for their own local and the techs expected the IBEW to do the heavy lifting, just another star crossed love affair. 

[MeterSwangin]

It would be great if 'Kevin', the NPUA founder, would post here and try to clear things up.

"Mutant" went mute when the wannabe-union became moot........

[MR BIG]

I just visited the NPUA site for the first time....

I doubt anyone that is involved with NPUA could clear up anything.... worse than the old IBEW 1500 group. Amusing, but incompetent.....

Just another negative soul that has to put other people down to make themselves feel important. You might want to ask the people that have worked Wolf Creek, Nine Mile, Farley and Vogtle. They made and are making alot more money than 90% of the techs out here. What......you complaining because you don't have what it takes to take a risk? As far as your comments go......GROW UP! Personally I wouldn't want a person in the same union with that kind of attitude and devisive mindset.

Good Luck to you sir.

[justme]

Don't know about Wolf Creek, Votgle or Farley, but the money went up at Nine Mile BEFORE any backup contracts, not after.
Remains to be seen if the NPUA will have any effect at all.

[Already Gone]

Yeah, really.  They are acting like the invented the backup contract.  It's cyclical.  Lots of people doubled their weekly take on backups all through the 80's and 90's.  Every single one of them went right back to the regular pay rate when they no longer happened to be available at the exact moment that a backup contract was being staffed.

But, where's the contract?  Negotiations going well?  Who knows?

This is a Brother-in-law deal and everybody knows it.

[RAD-GHOST]

 

This is a Brother-in-law deal and everybody knows it.

Na.......I think the NPUA represents the Health Physics Industry, not Safety!

Could be wrong, been wrong before.....

RG!

[Already Gone]

Good one, RG.  You're half right.  They don't rep the safety professionals.  The question is still very much in doubt as to whom they really represent.

By the way, what ever happened to Spectrum?  There isn't even a link to them on the NPUA website.

[justme]

Weird how they went from an American company to a Canadian company.  What ever happened to union does American made?  Another outsource to a country other than the USA.  Did Spectrum dump them or they dump Spectrum?

[Already Gone]

Okay, explain it to me really slow.
How does billing an American company,paying part of it to American employees, and sending the rest of it to a Canadian company result in a positive cash flow from Canada to the US?

[Camella Black]

Bartlett and Mexico...humm

Would that be considered out sourcing or in sourcing?

The money is coming from Canada and the techs are from the U.S A. Not the reverse

$35/hr, $116/day per diem, time and a half over 8 hours. "God Save the Queen" and keep those Canadian Dollars coming in! Not the American Dollars going out. Kinda refreshing for a change don't you think???

Now that is a technician stimulus plan for the U.S.A.

I'd like to know how many weeks anyone has actually worked and made this amount through the NPUA; I'd also like to hear any stories about the hard feelings caused by techs sitting out until they can come in on a backup contract. I heard rumor that at least 1 utility actually paid ALL the techs regardless of the contractor the NPUA because they did not want any problems.

And finally it seems to me and I may be wrong, but  as far as" Canadian Dollars coming in" how do you come to that conclusion?... American Utility paying American Dollars to the Canadian Contractor holder - then those American Dollars are given to American Workers - minus the cut that said Canadian Contractor keeps as their profit; so in conclusion, yep American Dollars are going out of the country.

Oops, I didn't see BC's post, but heck I'm gonna let mine stand as I want the answer to this too.

[RAD-GHOST]

BC....Good Question, where did they go....

Actually my first question pertaining to Spectrum was......Who the Hell are They?

As for the company who replaced them......Who the Hell are They?

I wish them all the luck in the world, but do they actually know our world?  There are thousands of temp staffing companies in the world today and I don't believe there are many with the technical expertise to properly represent our industry.  If they don't speak the industry language, or know the product, then why would anyone expect them to survive in the industry? 

I haven't heard any individuals names associated with these companies, or seen any company profiles, so I may be unjustified with my opinion.

Time will tell,

RG!

[retired nuke]

This isn't about the petty stuff, this is about fair wages folks. Look at the crafts...do they have the same responsibilities we have? Yet at many sites laborers make more than us. Do professional deconners not deserve a "bonus" how about Jr's? Fair is fair for all people.

Those laborers usually come onsite able to do work. Operate equipment (forklift, etc) safely, understand safety rules and equipment, usually at least basic rigger qual. They support other trades, get the material there, on time. They can read a schedule and understand it.

Too many RP techs walk onsite, need 2 tries to pass the basic knowledge test of their craft, can't look at a station schedule and know what is coming up next, are usually the ones without hardhats, not in fall protection, or standing under a load trying to smear something. Too often their support of other work consists of holding things up because they didn't stage the air sampler or HEPA unit until the crew showed up.

A lot of the time, laborers are worth more.

Let the smites begin.......

[justme]

I know I will get slammed by the 'non Monday night Quarterbackers' or 'non sideliners', but here goes. But I shouldn't as this is America and the last I looked, I have as much freedom to speak as they do.
How many of the heavy supporters are actually working a NPUA job now.  Many are working as suggested by the union organizers, to work DOE or more semi-long term jobs.  How have this affected them as they are not sitting out with the possiblity on not working at all for a season?
I know that some do, but not all. 
 
So far, all that is discussed is what a technician THINKS he/she is worth.  I have worked with techs that are worth more than they are paid, and sadly many more that are not worth what they are paid.  Should the individual that passes all tests with flying colors, but can't cover a simple job, or continuously say "I can't do this or that", be paid what the one who does the job of 2 techs?

I have read and heard comments from those highly supporting the group.  How do you get more support when people are constantly talking down to others who don't 100 percent agree with everything they say?   Speaking to others who have a little different view that yourself, is what caused problems in the past.  For those that say," Forget what happened in the past with the IBEW", I say those who forget the past, are doomed to repeat the mistakes made in the past.

I have spoken with union craft people when they ask about this movement. Many say that more pay should not be the only issue.  They don't agree with paying dues without any healthcare or retirement benefits. Many also do not pay working dues when unemployed, but lesser separation dues.

I know changes need to happen but unless the American way of putting out work to the lowest bidder ends, companies will continue to get the best for the lowest price.  I don't know too many individuals who don't shop around for the best price on anything.

Let the slamming begin.

[Camella Black]

Are you happy with what you have now?

(That is not including the "bonuses".)

Because they will be a thing of the past if the effort of NPUA goes away. Fact!

Ask youselves.... where were the $10 and $15/hr bonuses the past twenty years. Why are many sites still paying in the low $20's?

Do many of you think this is all you deserve? If so be happy, for that is exactly what you will continue to get.

This isn't about the petty stuff, this is about fair wages folks. Look at the crafts...do they have the same responsibilities we have? Yet at many sites laborers make more than us. Do professional deconners not deserve a "bonus" how about Jr's? Fair is fair for all people.

If the big boys can staff the sites with low wages....they will. That is a fact.


DOE is looking better and better every day. Wait until you see next falls outage schedule....slim pickin's! Factor in DOE demands for techs....there will the same situation in fall as there is this season this season. Commit early and you may miss out on fair wages.....again.

$35/hr, time and a half after 8 hours, double time after 12/hrs and a min. of $116/day per diem....doesn't that seem fair?

OR

$22/hr and $80/day?

I guess it is

who defines the term fair.

I don't know about anybody else but two old saying come to mind here... a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and don't count your eggs before they hatch; I hate to be a downer because I have always been a union person, but something just ain't right with this whole situation. I have seen question being asked for more than a year and still no answers...

[MeterSwangin]

ld5030,

This is actually one of your better posts on the topic; not defensive or offensive in reply to those either questioning or disagreeing with you. to you for the better approach.

It is my understanding that "The leadership of the NPUA will not participate nor support anything on that website." ("that website" being Nukeworker.com, of course).

I still wish you or someone else would attempt to answer some or all of the questions in the thread; transparency and honesty is the key to trust for any company or organization; while I respect NPUA's decision to decline comment on this site, I think they are passing up on an opportunity for reasonable discussion on the subject; I believe the fact that this thread still exists and Mike has already openly extended the offer to NPUA leadership to contribute shows they will receive fair and equal "time" for their contributions.

Respectfully,

Tim

His NPUa-ness is here every day.  Write "mutant" about the union.  He started it, and has plenty of time to respond....not working.

[Brett LaVigne]

ld5030,


It is my understanding that "The leadership of the NPUA will not participate nor support anything on that website." ("that website" being Nukeworker.com, of course).

I am not sure that NPUA is not commenting on this site, but they are not "openly" posting on this site. I was with some of the folks that started the movement a few years ago, while we were friends, I didn't initially support the organization. I now believe that the intentions are nobel and aimed to help us as a group. Are they doing a good job? I don't know, I have been away from the conversation for a while as I am a member of different union.

There were some very ugly exchanges in the beginning on this site about the NPUA. It is my opinion that nukeworker.com tried it's best to squash the information NPUA wanted to get out on this site. Maybe that was a play to keep nice nice with the contract companies that advertise here...don't know for sure. But when posts started being deleted and altered (including some of mine at the time) it was painfully obvious that this site does not have open and free conversation at times. That is the choice of the site and I am fine with that. But that was also when I decided not to pay for a membership any longer.

It would be great to have an open line to Kevin and the other members of the NPUA on this site, but I don't know how much it really matters...many many many many technicians and deconners don't ever bother to come to this site. And many that do come here are just looking for job postings or news in the industry.

If anyone thinks that NPUA needs the support of nukeworker.com for success, I don't believe that to be the truth. I would love to see the sharing of information on the subject from the NPUA on this site, but I don't think it's going to happen without the emotions of the few that post on here killing the thread and other opinions or information being erased if it doesn't meet the narrow path of what is acceptable conversation.

And I will say this...My feelings are not unique among many of the technicians I have worked with in the past few years who no longer come to this site for any reason. I personally still find usefull information here and still enjoy some of the threads, but I won't pay until it's open, uncensored, and unbiased.

[Camella Black]

I am not sure that NPUA is not commenting on this site, but they are not "openly" posting on this site. I was with some of the folks that started the movement a few years ago, while we were friends, I didn't initially support the organization. I now believe that the intentions are nobel and aimed to help us as a group. Are they doing a good job? I don't know, I have been away from the conversation for a while as I am a member of different union.

There were some very ugly exchanges in the beginning on this site about the NPUA. It is my opinion that nukeworker.com tried it's best to squash the information NPUA wanted to get out on this site. Maybe that was a play to keep nice nice with the contract companies that advertise here...don't know for sure. But when posts started being deleted and altered (including some of mine at the time) it was painfully obvious that this site does not have open and free conversation at times. That is the choice of the site and I am fine with that. But that was also when I decided not to pay for a membership any longer.

It would be great to have an open line to Kevin and the other members of the NPUA on this site, but I don't know how much it really matters...many many many many technicians and deconners don't ever bother to come to this site. And many that do come here are just looking for job postings or news in the industry.

If anyone thinks that NPUA needs the support of nukeworker.com for success, I don't believe that to be the truth. I would love to see the sharing of information on the subject from the NPUA on this site, but I don't think it's going to happen without the emotions of the few that post on here killing the thread and other opinions or information being erased if it doesn't meet the narrow path of what is acceptable conversation.

And I will say this...My feelings are not unique among many of the technicians I have worked with in the past few years who no longer come to this site for any reason. I personally still find usefull information here and still enjoy some of the threads, but I won't pay until it's open, uncensored, and unbiased.

After reading your post and reviewing my moderator duties I decided to remove my last post... I do have real question that I'd like to see answers but I will no longer take part in a sparring match as I do not want my thoughts to reflect badly against this site and the good that it does.