Do plumbers bite?

[Eurusdzn]

I work in a union with plumbers that do side jobs as well.
Only problem is they charge co-workers double.

So i am finding plumbers in my town dont want to work with a homeowner
acting as GC.
Is this common or should I take this personally?
What kind of homeowner would a plumber want to generally work with/for on a new bathroom/ laundry room build.
Thanks.

 

[frodo]

I work in a union with plumbers that do side jobs as well.
Only problem is they charge co-workers double.

So i am finding plumbers in my town dont want to work with a homeowner
acting as GC.
Is this common or should I take this personally?
What kind of homeowner would a plumber want to generally work with/for on a new bathroom/ laundry room build.
Thanks.

WAT ? union plumbers doing side work ?

they would get fined or have their book taken away around here

or, they would not get any work just ride the bench as punishment.


I will work with anyone, If a home owner wants to GC, IMO big deal
they sign a contract, just like any one else.
i expect prompt payment and will file a mechanics lean if not

as far as charging c workers double, not a bad idea
I have found people you work with expect your work for free then want to ***** about it,

 

[Eurusdzn]

Paul?, Dave? Is that you....because thats exactly what they say.

 

[frodo]

Paul?, Dave? Is that you....because thats exactly what they say.

nope, just another plumber.

unions do not allow side work, that is a HUGE no no

 

[JIMMIEM]

nope, just another plumber.

unions do not allow side work, that is a HUGE no no

Can a union guy do a non-union job if he isn't working on a union job?

 

[frodo]

NO, it is called being a SCAB.





answer is NO,

that is why I am not union, If work is slow, and you are ridding the bench waiting on a call.

you can not work side work, if you are caught, and it is easy to get caught.

just as soon as you pull up to the supply house to buy material, one of your brothers will bust you

if you are caught, depends on your by laws

it could be a fine or they can pull your card for a period of time

or, they might just chew your ass..it all depends on your area and your leadership



I reserve the right to feed my family, screw anyone who says other wise
the union down here is all but gone, they priced them selves out of work

 

[JIMMIEM]

NO, it is called being a SCAB.





answer is NO,

that is why I am not union, If work is slow, and you are ridding the bench waiting on a call.

you can not work side work, if you are caught, and it is easy to get caught.

just as soon as you pull up to the supply house to buy material, one of your brothers will bust you

if you are caught, depends on your by laws

it could be a fine or they can pull your card for a period of time

or, they might just chew your ass..it all depends on your area and your leadership



I reserve the right to feed my family, screw anyone who says other wise
the union down here is all but gone, they priced them selves out of work

I had an out of work union electrician do some work for me. I asked if he could get in trouble. He told me that the union wouldn't make a fuss if he did work that the union was not in competition for. Why would a union brother rat you out if you did some work for a homeowner who would not be using union labor anyway?

 

[frodo]

I had an out of work union electrician do some work for me. I asked if he could get in trouble. He told me that the union wouldn't make a fuss if he did work that the union was not in competition for. Why would a union brother rat you out if you did some work for a homeowner who would not be using union labor anyway?

how do they know, the home owner would not use a union shop ?

that is the reason, they say, If you had not done the work. A union shop might have. you are taking food out of a union members mouth.

I am not going to argue with you over union shops, you asked a question I gave you an honest answer.

I also plainly said, different union bylaws, different union shops


I have personally seen union brothers turn each other in for side work.
WHY? I have no idea, their are A-holes every where, their are also die hard union members..

I got into a war with a union shop.
I was working at symbios in a clean room, there was 2 mechanical contractors on the job. a union shop and non union.

under the clean room, my tubing got cut and tore up. I reported it to my foremen, he told me let it slide, we have had trouble with the union pulling that crap.
I went back to work, I AINT LETTING NOTHING SLIDE
you f---k with my work, I will rip your **** out. and that is what I did
I spent my whole lunch break, tearing out there work.
I tore out 10 times what they did.
after lunch.
they came back and freaked out..they looked at me, and I bowed at the waste.
After that, couple of the union boys came up to me, introduced them selves
told me the war was over. and we became friends
so much for my stupid foremens advice lol

 

[JIMMIEM]

how do they know, the home owner would not use a union shop ?

I assume a union shop would charge more than a non-union guy working on the side and under the table?

 

[frodo]

LOL...all depends on scruples

 

[JIMMIEM]

I have never heard of a project costing less if union labor rather than non-union labor was used. Have you?

 

[frodo]

I work in a union with plumbers that do side jobs as well.
Only problem is they charge co-workers double.

So i am finding plumbers in my town dont want to work with a homeowner
acting as GC.
Is this common or should I take this personally?
What kind of homeowner would a plumber want to generally work with/for on a new bathroom/ laundry room build.
Thanks.

your original post.



a company with union employees charges the same to do a project as a non union shop

the union has nothing to do with the business end of the company, they are there for the employee not the company

only difference is the wage paid to the employee.

that said,

to unstop your toilet will cost you $200.00. whether union company or non union company unstops it

will a guy working on the side charge the same ? yes, why not ? Is he not doing the same job ?

 

[JIMMIEM]

I worked for a company that has retail stores in all 50 states. One of my friends that worked in the store remodeling department told me that it would cost more to do the remodel if union labor was used rather than non-union labor. I have heard that sometimes cheaper non-union workers will be brought in from out-of-state.....is this how the job would get done for less $? Doesn't some of the $ go into the union coffers to pay union officials and union personnel on a job site that aren't actually hands-on workers? One union guy told me that there was a union steward on site.....I asked what the steward's job was and I was told that one of his duties would be to accompany and injured union worker to the hospital in the event of a job site accident.
I've always liked this one....one of my employers had an assembly line process that involved different unions along the line....the machinery was color coded to identify which union worked it. One year during contract negotiations each union negotiated a different coffee break time so that for over an hour each day at least one union along the line was on their coffee break.

 

[KULTULZ]

I worked for a company that has retail stores in all 50 states. One of my friends that worked in the store remodeling department told me that it would cost more to do the remodel if union labor was used rather than non-union labor. I have heard that sometimes cheaper non-union workers will be brought in from out-of-state.....is this how the job would get done for less $? Doesn't some of the $ go into the union coffers to pay union officials and union personnel on a job site that aren't actually hands-on workers? One union guy told me that there was a union steward on site.....I asked what the steward's job was and I was told that one of his duties would be to accompany and injured union worker to the hospital in the event of a job site accident.

I've always liked this one....one of my employers had an assembly line process that involved different unions along the line....the machinery was color coded to identify which union worked it. One year during contract negotiations each union negotiated a different coffee break time so that for over an hour each day at least one union along the line was on their coffee break.

Well, I am a union man (TEAMSTERS) and damned proud of it.

But, the idea of it all is a fair's days work for a fair day's pay and job protection(s).

But crap like this is what is killing jobs here...

 

[frodo]

I worked for a company that has retail stores in all 50 states. One of my friends that worked in the store remodeling department told me that it would cost more to do the remodel if union labor was used rather than non-union labor. I have heard that sometimes cheaper non-union workers will be brought in from out-of-state.....is this how the job would get done for less $? Doesn't some of the $ go into the union coffers to pay union officials and union personnel on a job site that aren't actually hands-on workers? One union guy told me that there was a union steward on site.....I asked what the steward's job was and I was told that one of his duties would be to accompany and injured union worker to the hospital in the event of a job site accident.
I've always liked this one....one of my employers had an assembly line process that involved different unions along the line....the machinery was color coded to identify which union worked it. One year during contract negotiations each union negotiated a different coffee break time so that for over an hour each day at least one union along the line was on their coffee break.

the union gets its money from union dues,
not from the company, the company does not pay a penny
a union steward is elected into his position by the members
he gets a pittance ...depends on the union,,$100.00 a year


who ever told you the job would cost more is pulling your leg..

think about it, \
if a union shop charged $300.00 to do the same job a non union will charge $200.00
why would any one hire union ?

this is where the term "priced themselves out of work"
comes from, unions demanding more benefits for workers, forcing the company owner to jack up his price to make the same profit.
then, he looss work because he "priced themselves out of work"


i can tell you horror stories about crap i have seen lazy union members do

i saw a fork lift operator spend 45 minutes trying to pick up a skill saw with his forks
he would not get off the machine, because '"thats not my job"

I saw the laborers threaten a strike because the dirt on the floor was not all of their dirt.
some of it belonged to other trades.

I have had to ask 8 electricans to pleas get out of the hall way {in a circle talking}
so i can work.

8 men standing, non productive for 15 minutes =2 man hours lost

 

[JIMMIEM]

Well, I am a union man (TEAMSTERS) and damned proud of it.

But, the idea of it all is a fair's days work for a fair day's pay and job protection(s).

But crap like this is what is killing jobs here...

Agreed.
One thing I like about union work is the quality and standards they work to. I had some union guys do some work on my house. I got to watch some of it and was really impressed with the attention to detail. It wasn't inexpensive but I do feel it was well worth the price.
Want to hear a couple more not so flattering union stories?

 

[frodo]

Agreed.
One thing I like about union work is the quality and standards they work to. I had some union guys do some work on my house. I got to watch some of it and was really impressed with the attention to detail. It wasn't inexpensive but I do feel it was well worth the price.
Want to hear a couple more not so flattering union stories?

what makes you think non union plumbers do not pay attention to detail or do a good job ?

what makes being a union member, you a better plumber ?

 

[JIMMIEM]

the union gets its money from union dues,
not from the company, the company does not pay a penny
a union steward is elected into his position by the members
he gets a pittance ...depends on the union,,$100.00 a year


who ever told you the job would cost more is pulling your leg..

think about it, \
if a union shop charged $300.00 to do the same job a non union will charge $200.00
why would any one hire union ?
this is where the term "priced themselves out of work"
comes from, unions demanding more benefits for workers, forcing the company owner to jack up his price to make the same profit.
then, he looss work because he "priced themselves out of work"


i can tell you horror stories about crap i have seen lazy union members do

i saw a fork lift operator spend 45 minutes trying to pick up a skill saw with his forks
he would not get off the machine, because '"thats not my job"

I saw the laborers threaten a strike because the dirt on the floor was not all of their dirt.
some of it belonged to other trades.

I have had to ask 8 electricans to pleas get out of the hall way {in a circle talking}
so i can work.
View attachment 13241
8 men standing, non productive for 15 minutes =2 man hours lost

Check out some recent incidents in Boston, MA where politicians 'encouraged' developers to use union labor. Boston's Mayor union leanings also came under scrutiny.
The retail store remodel job had to switch to union labor when the non-union workers' trucks and equipment were vandalized and the non-union workers would no longer come to work. Use of union workers increased the price....funny the union company's higher price did not price themselves out of the job in the long run.

 

[frodo]

what makes you think non union plumbers do not pay attention to detail or do a good job ?

what makes being a union member, you a better plumber ?

dang man, didn't mean to stump you with a hard question.

non union plumbers are just as much professionals as union.

 

[frodo]

Check out some recent incidents in Boston, MA where politicians 'encouraged' developers to use union labor. Boston's Mayor union leanings also came under scrutiny.
The retail store remodel job had to switch to union labor when the non-union workers' trucks and equipment were vandalized and the non-union workers would no longer come to work. Use of union workers increased the price....funny the union company's higher price did not price themselves out of the job in the long run.

http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/02/unions-have-priced-themselves
http://www.businessinsider.com/electrical-workers-union-goes-to-war-with-itself-as-leadership-realizes-theyve-priced-themselves-out-of-competitiveness-2010-10


http://www.afr.com/opinion/editorials/the-unions-that-priced-themselves-out-of-a-job-20151111-gkwcb1