Originally Posted by
freonrick
all the union shops here is suppose to supply all the tools also. thats a joke. if your lucky you will get a few screw drivers and a 100.00 dollar socket set at sears. the union hall knows it and does nothing. so the techs if they want to do there job supplies their own tools. I know this is not the case every where. the union guys in the hall knows when they are done and they want a job they will keep the contractors happy. they are afraid to rock the boat.
Same thing in my area.
We have a required tool list that covers the hand tools required for sheet metal work. Things like power tools (corded and cordless) are specifically excluded in the contract. So is owning a truck for the transport of employer tools and materials. Both exclusions are frequently violated by employers and the union hall will not back up the dues paying union member.
I have called to complain and I have been asked by the BA if I "wanted to keep working". Residential shops are the worst.
Service technicians do not have a tool list at all. If they need it (other than something like a reclaimer), they buy it. If it gets stolen from the company truck, then the tech buys another.
Yes, there are some companies out there that provide the things they are supposed to.
Union pay is good and the benefits are good, but those things apply only if you are working. Employers talk, and they eventually know who plays the tools and truck for my (employer) benefit game.
Union rules/contracts are great as long as they are enforced. Otherwise, it is not all that great.
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey. It's unwise to pay too little.
When you pay too much, you lose a little money -- that is all. When you pay too little, you may lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.
The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot -- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."
John Ruskin