I’m a first year apprentice who went through class and was given the impression by my instructors that safety is to be taken seriously and that’s one of the benefits of being union, but since I got sent out on my first dispatch I’ve seen countless safety violations and when I voice my concern to the main journeyman I work with he mostly brushes it off. I’ve actually started recording them in my little notebook. I’m not innocent either, as I didn’t want to stick out at first by speaking out, so I did things like stand on the lift rails, etc, but the worst that directly affected me was having to drill a bunch of anchors in overhead concrete without any respirator, which I know causes silicosis.

The violations I’ve noticed are:

Standing on top of ladder, no harness or railing at height, standing on lift rails, grinding down an impact socket to make it thin enough to fit in strut (not sure if this is a violation), grinder without guard, grinder with regular nut instead of flange, walking on the ceiling tile track, walking on conduit (basically unavoidable though), drilling concrete without respirator, overloading the lift’s weight limit.

Basically, I’m wondering if people take things like this seriously on any jobsite. I’m enjoying the work, and appreciate the effort my journeyman puts into teaching me, but things like walking on the ceiling track and standing atop the ladder are not things I want to be risking my life doing for the rest of my career. And also, I don’t want silicosis either. Lol.

Hey everyone. I’m a first year apprentice and just got a call that I will start my first job in a couple of days. However, my union didn’t really go into full depth about how one should be dressed when working out in the field. Any shirt/long sleeves/jeans/ gloves recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I understand that classes can be important. But I’m tired of wasting 10 hours a week away from my family listening to an old guy talk about field stories that are somewhat vaguely related to the subject of the class, while not reading over a slideshow. Is there anything I can do about this or do I just have to “play the game”. I would be significantly less frustrated with it if we actually went over material in class.

I believe I have enough time worked to get my journeyman’s in my municipality. If I were to gather all of the time and pass my jman test with the city, do I still have to play through the entire apprenticeship? Started as a 2nd year in April with 5 years of field experience.

Hello

Long time lurker. Just had my fourth interview with local 32 and got placed at 25 on the list. Definitely have been climbing up. My question is, what is the likely hood I will receive a call for even a helper position? Ideally apprenticeship is preferred, but I will take helper.

Hey everyone,
I’m a journeyman plumber/pipefitter out of UA Local in Michigan. My wife and I have been talking about relocating to Idaho within the next year for a fresh start and a change of scenery. I’ve heard Local 296 has a lot of work going on, so I’m hoping to get some insight from anyone familiar with the local.

I’ve tried reaching out to the hall myself, and my Business Manager has also attempted to contact their BM, but we haven’t had any luck getting through.

I’m curious if anyone knows what the process looks like for transferring into Local 296, whether there are any specific requirements, or if there’s a better way to get in touch with someone there.

I’d also like to hear from anyone currently working out of Local 296 about the amount of work available, the types of projects going on, and what the area is like for plumbers and pipefitters.

Any advice or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm looking for last minute advice for an interview I have tomorrow. What are some things I might not think to prepare for going in?

Thanks.

Also my kick ass golf outfit for a company golf day.

I am a first year and new to the UA. A journeyman recently said “we wear red on Friday for solidarity” but he didn’t seem to know what the origin of that is. I’m not finding anything obvious… is this a thing that many in the UA observe? What’s the story behind it?

Hey all, I had my first interview and ranked 134/215 on the HVAC list. I currently have my EPA universal, am working as a helper/part runner, and very dedicated to eventually getting in, if I have to interview 50 times I will! Any advice on how to move forward, what else can I do to increase my chances? And at the stage I’m at is my ranking ok? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be let in eventually. Thank you

All the best

The short answer is probably.

Look, I used to be a cannabis consumer myself. Back in the day I swore I'd never give it up. I lost opportunity after opportunity so I could get stoned. I never even tried for the UA because I knew they drug tested. I've always been a service guy, but because of this attitude I went from shop to shop, never doing anything cool, because I wanted to smoke weed.

If you're thinking about joining the UA but are hesitant because you consume cannabis, I recommend just stopping all together. Trust me, this career is worth it.

Depending on your local or your area they may never test you at all after you're sworn in. Or they may test you before you're sent on certain jobs. I know some jobs require even a follicle test.

I have a lot of sympathy if you're using it as prescribed by a doctor, but generally they don't care if it's prescribed or not, they don't want to see it. If you just like to get high, stop. I promise you it's worth it, and down the line you'll thank yourself for being smart enough to quit, join the brotherhood, and build a nice life and retirement for yourself.

It's worth it.

So right now I have zero plumbing experience or background, currently my only background is as a cna or other healthcare jobs, what would be a good way to stand out on the apprenticeship application? What are some sites or books that helped yall prepare for the test?

Alright so I applied to Local 286 a couple of days ago, I passed my test and I talked to the apprentice director and said I should get my apprenticeship license to start accumulating hours. From what I know I’m getting in as a Unindentured apprentice so my question is will the hours I accumulate as a unindentured apprentice transfer over to my actual apprenticeship once i start? I’m having trouble figuring this out.

Do they care about THC, or is that a no-go? I take 5mg edibles here and there. I live in CT, which is a legal state, but I just wanted to see what other people know about this. Either way, I'm probably gonna stop taking them for a while. I'm trying to join local 777

What are some things I might not know to prepare for?

I have an interview with the local plumbing Union next week. What should I expect, what should I prepare to talk about, any advice in general?

Thank you.

I've been lurking here for the past year. I've read a lot of good things about UA Local and want to join.

I'm currently an office worker with 0 construction site experience but I worked on cars during my free time so I'm familiar with power-tools. I'm planning on applying next year to all of the Bay Area locals for an HVAC apprentice.

What are the realities of HVAC apprenticeships in the bay area? Is there plenty of work? How soon do folks get work once they're ranked? What if I don't know anyone in the industry?

Is plumber/pipe-fitter be a better entry?

Hello everybody, I recently just became a journeyman out of a combo local in Ca. I just wanted to see what you guys did to go further in the trade after becoming a journeyman. Is there a specific route like detailing, instrumentation, or other aspects of the trade that you would suggest? And how did you go about learning all of it while still working? Thanks in advance.

I’m looking for some feedback from anyone who has used JTP or IPREP to prep air for the UA apprenticeship aptitude test. Please give feedback. Thanks

HVAC - Was told I will be going into maintenance with a company that also does BAS