Westbrook36 Observation: Union Guys

[Westbrook36]

Union guys have funny conversations. I have a few buddies who are in unions and whenever I go out drinking with them, you can be sure that they will spot out other union guys in the crowd and have a 30 minute conversation as easily as a drunk man would hit on a beautiful woman.

After witnessing multiple conversations, I can sum up everything that is important to a union guy in one thread.

I'm with the Pipefitters 131 out of Runnemede: First thing that has to be established is who they are with. Union guys hold their number in the same regard a Marine might hold their battalion, regiment, or division number.

I'm working all the way up in Piscatway: Frame of reference. If they leave their house and go north, it's "all the way up in" if they go south, it's "all the way down in"... If they work at any place down the shore, it's "down the shore" even though there is about 100 miles of shore. This will always be followed by the other fellow asking:

What time you have to wake up to go all the way up there?: I have had many conversations with many men, but I have never wanted to know what time another man has to wake up to start his work day. For union guys, this is in every conversation.

Did they at least pay you for miles?: I guess when you drive a certain distance, you get paid for driving. As a matter of fact, the most important thing involving union guys is the talk of money. In most normal conversations in our society, it is not polite to talk about how much money a stranger makes. Among our Union friends, it is half their conversation.

The best ever was the one time we were able to charge Triple time and a half because it was on Christmas, on Sunday, all through the night: Every union guy, no matter how long they have been working has a story where they have made over 70 dollars an hour. I'm very serious about this. Union guys will hold this story more highly regarded then the birth of their own children.

Yeah, we're gonna be doing all the tile for that new Borgatta down the shore.....gonna be down there for a ****ing year: Whenever there is a huge job coming in the area, EVERY union guy will tell you that his outfit is doing all the xxx for said job and they will be down there xxx months.

We got out of there at noon. Worked xxx, billed for xxx.: I heard this at least 10 times in the last two weeks. How many hours they worked compared to how many hours they got paid for.

Ah, I worked up there....Where'd you guys go for lunch? Petey's bar on the corner there?: These guys love to talk about lunch. Also, there has to be at least one story thrown in about how the boss got them all smashed while at lunch and they never went back to work. Worked 5, Billed for 10.

Dude, you wouldn't believe it. Since we were working up with those guys from NY, we got a vacation rate of 5 bucks an hour on top of everything. These guys have a lot of rates they get paid on top of their normal pay. Again, pay takes up 50 percent of the talk. You can be sure if there is any talk of Union Dues, one of them will say "Yeah, but you are getting all that back right?" with no other mention of how they get it back.

Yeah, I got 3 months left of my apprenticeship and then I'm in. Dude, they aren't supposed to do it but they are already putting me in charge of that Absecon job along with the boys from the 152. If you are an Apprentice, you MUST have an anecdote about some sort of increased responsiblity that you have.

Was everything ready for you when you got there?: This is where they want to know after leaving at four in the morning and not getting paid miles, were the materials and everything at least there and ready for you when you got there.

Walk around time.: Nothing is looked at with more acclaim of a fellow union brother "making it" as how much time they spent "walking around". Basically, walking around and not doing anything but checking on other people is the pinnacle of the success you can have.

Now, if any of you guys are Union guys, I might just be talking out of my ass. I'm just going by what I've heard over numerous conversations.

[Xameil]

That pretty much sums it up for the Union guys I know.

I'll clarify...most of the Union guys I know. Not all of them. We actually have 2 different Unions here, so it makes it that much funnier to compare the two.

[PleaseBlitz]

HAHAHAHAHA.

Westbrook made a funny!

[SkinsNut73]

The best ever was the one time we were able to charge Triple time and a half because it was on Christmas, on Sunday, all through the night: Every union guy, no matter how long they have been working has a story where they have made over 70 dollars an hour. I'm very serious about this. Union guys will hold this story more highly regarded then the birth of their own children.

:laugh: This reminds me of my Dad. He worked for the phone company (although he hated the union with a passion). One Thanksgiving we're getting ready to go visit Grandma and Grandpa, when the phone rings....it's for Dad. Work needs him to go to the local high school football stadium for a repair that is needed so the game can be broadcast on the radio. Mom was pissed because he said yes to the job....

....the stadium was less than 5 minutes from our house and the job was going to take him less than 30 minutes....

...but he was going to be paid for FOUR HOURS of work at TRIPLE time. It was said that if the company has to call you into work, they must pay you for at least 4 hours (even if you work less than an hour)...and it would be at triple time because of the holiday.

Mom still tried to talk Dad out of it, and he said something to the effect of "are you ****ing crazy woman...you think I'm going to pass up 12 hours pay to go sit with your lunatic mother...I'll be back in an hour" :laugh:

[unsonny]

can you sum up this crap for me - http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153206

like you did with the union guy's conversations

i need help - me no understand what the kids are talking about

[PleaseBlitz]

can you sum up this crap for me - http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153206

like you did with the union guy's conversations

i need help - me no understand what the kids are talking about

I got you Unsonny.

4590 posts about nuthin'. But hey, Who Del doesnt hijack every thread anymore. :laugh:

There you go.

[Major Harris]

my father in law has a union job at the mack truck plant in hagerstown. it's unreal. he works the night shift, so he gets paid 30 bucks an hour. regular time. saturday? 45/ hr. sunday? 60/hr. holiday? 90/hr. funny thing is, he works night shift....so on, say the 4th of july, he goes in at 10 on the 3rd, gets home at 8:30 on the 4th, so he still parties all day. (and yes, he PARTIES )

he takes most of his showers at work.

he's been known to take a portable tv and/or gameboy.

if he doesn't get at least a 2 hour nap while at work, he's pissed.

funny thing is, he's a machinist. he fixes the big machines that make the engines. they don't break a whole lot, if you know what i mean. :laugh:

[Predicto]

my father in law has a union job at the mack truck plant in hagerstown. it's unreal. he works the night shift, so he gets paid 30 bucks an hour. regular time. saturday? 45/ hr. sunday? 60/hr. holiday? 90/hr. funny thing is, he works night shift....so on, say the 4th of july, he goes in at 10 on the 3rd, gets home at 8:30 on the 4th, so he still parties all day. (and yes, he PARTIES )

he takes most of his showers at work.

he's been known to take a portable tv and/or gameboy.

if he doesn't get at least a 2 hour nap while at work, he's pissed.

funny thing is, he's a machinist. he fixes the big machines that make the engines. they don't break a whole lot, if you know what i mean. :laugh:

Yeah - but when they do, it's a big deal, and you need to have someone there with the expertise to take care if it immediately and keep the plant rolling. It sounds like a good gig, but not that outrageous.

It's like the doctors on call at the ER in the middle of the night. No one minds if they catch a nap when there is a lull. They are there for a reason.

[Major Harris]

Yeah - but when they do, it's a big deal, and you need to have someone there with the expertise to take care if it immediately and keep the plant rolling. It sounds like a good gig, but not that outrageous.

It's like the doctors on call at the ER in the middle of the night. No one minds if they catch a nap when there is a lull. They are there for a reason.

i know what you're saying. but believe me when i tell you that it gets ridiculous. if you heard some of the stories..........

[twenty-eight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AHFB Thread

4590 posts about nuthin'. But hey, Who Del doesnt hijack every thread anymore. :laugh:

:laugh:Who said that?

[chomerics]

Sounds like Westbrook is a bit jealous of his buddies. . .he has a bit of job envy :laugh:

[zoony]

That's good material WB. Almost too good... who'd you steal it from?

You being from South Jersey... that is unionland USA. It's amazing all the pickup trucks with the union bumper stickers I see. Unions don't exist in the southeast.

...

[rincewind]

That's good material WB. Almost too good... who'd you steal it from?

You being from South Jersey... that is unionland USA. It's amazing all the pickup trucks with the union bumper stickers I see. Unions don't exist in the southeast.

...

You're from Jersey? I'm from Jersey!

Where abouts WB?

[Westbrook36]

That's good material WB. Almost too good... who'd you steal it from?

You being from South Jersey... that is unionland USA. It's amazing all the pickup trucks with the union bumper stickers I see. Unions don't exist in the southeast.

...

I'm a funny guy. :soapbox:

I'm from Lindenwold. :cool:

[zoony]

Last time I was in Conn (hartford area) I was making a U-Turn in front of a TGI Fridays. There were 2 poor shmucks standing outside of it freezing their asses off, holding up a sign protesting TGI Fridays. My curiosity peaked, I HAD to roll down my window and ask what was going on.

Turns out, these guys were protesting TGI Friday's failure to pay a union plumber for a restaurant built in another part of the state (near the coast iirc). So basically, one guy in East Bumble****, CT gets shafted on a job, union guys in the entire state come out of the woodwork to freeze their asses off and hold up signs in front of all their restaurants.

That's hardcore.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I think that even the strippers have a union in Jersey.