Please help - seeking guidance

[Cakeanon]

Feeling very discouraged as I received notice today that I was not selected for the apprenticeship program at my Local. The letter states that I am placed on the list of eligible applicants should they need to take more people before opening up applications again. It also says at the bottom that the industry is ever changing and they might need more people (paraphrasing). I just feel so discouraged. Is there possibility that I could still be accepted? Should I reach out to them to ask if there is some kind of ranking or anything I can do to be accepted?

Additionally - what other ways can I get into the Union? Just spending more time in machines?

 

[Acoals]

Why do you want to get into the union so bad? If you have a good work ethic, listen when your told something and show up every day you will have no trouble getting a good job outside the unions.

I was rejected after the interview to the apprenticeship program when I was 19. The interview had very little to do with operating machines or anything of that nature, most of the questions were related to union philosophy.

 

[Cakeanon]

It’s really not about the Union as it is about the apprenticeship. I want to learn. I’ve been getting plenty of experience, but the people who have been teaching me have not been particularly invested or informative.

I’m also unclear what the path is outside of the union? Do I continue to get experience and work my way up?

That’s why I’m seeking guidance as to what to do next. Thanks!

 

[Acoals]

Just work your way up. I started as a mixer driver at a concrete outfit at 18. On rainy days or slow days, rather than sitting in the truck or going home, I would help the maintenance guys working on the plant. Those old guys were only to happy for a kid to send up the silos and such. They taught me to use a torch, weld, use a pipe wrench and all sorts of other things. The yard guy also ran a screen plant. I would clean out under the belts, grease it and one hot summer day crawled under it to replace a blown hydraulic hose. He taught me to run loader. One busy morning with a whole bunch of concrete loading out the guy who ran the loader filling the bins for the concrete plant decided he had better things to do that day than come to work and the boss told me to start filling the bins ("Try not to rip the doors off"). Nobody wanted to muck the silt ponds out with the crummy old excavator they had, that was my ticket into the seat ("Try not to dump the machine into the pond, but if you do, make sure the cab is uphill so you can swim out")

Where there is a will there is a way. Work hard, show up early, stay late and volunteer for the jobs the old guys don't want to do and you will have your apprenticeship.

 

[Cakeanon]

This is great advice. Thanks man

 

[Zewnten]

Grab a shovel and work your way up. Young man I just finished up training with started as a laborer company started giving him seat time when they were slow or someone didn't show up. Bosses cold see he was smart, hard working, showed up on time that should be all it takes.

Bit of advice though, if a company is hiring there is usually a reason why someone left, best companies I've worked for I just showed up with a resume and they made time for a quick interview.

 

[JD955SC]

Feeling very discouraged as I received notice today that I was not selected for the apprenticeship program at my Local. The letter states that I am placed on the list of eligible applicants should they need to take more people before opening up applications again. It also says at the bottom that the industry is ever changing and they might need more people (paraphrasing). I just feel so discouraged. Is there possibility that I could still be accepted? Should I reach out to them to ask if there is some kind of ranking or anything I can do to be accepted?

Additionally - what other ways can I get into the Union? Just spending more time in machines?

Funny thing about the labor shortage…unions and companies will cry about it while at the same time doing everything they can to continue the shortage.

 

[cfherrman]

Unions are not your friend, you are their product.

I'm glad we don't have them out here.

 

[Steve Favia]

Union’s we’re my friend, top pay,best insurance, great retirement! Love the first of every month now that I’m retired.Sounds like you’re young hang in there and keep applying. I know here in Chicago land area(150)IUOE they keep the apprenticeship open longer with the amount of work we have for operators, mechanics,soil testers,structural engineers.

 

[CM1995]

Let me just take a moment to remind everyone that HEF is aggressively NEUTRAL on the union topic.

Carry on.

 

[DMiller]

CF, the Unions are in KS, just a RTW State so can have both on same line in same shop. Wolf Creek Nuclear at Burlington is one such.

 

[cfherrman]

I know they in Eastern ks, but they are not out here (except ups)

 

[chidog]

The way I learned is a person that worked with my former mother inlaw had some machines, I got to play with them a bit, I was close to 30 and he had an operator that was a hot shot and 22, I rode with him on a large dozer the guy owned for a bit, and then figured out how to buy my own big dozer and that is how I learned the basics. It took many years working for low $ to learn how to operate and do the job.
Pretty much everything I've done is a self learning deal.
You need to find an outfit that needs bodys on machines, even starting on a compactor or what ever.
And go hang out at sites that machines are working at, and try to bum a ride to get the feel for it.
Unions, are good and bad. Where I sit now, I wish I would have joined, I was on a waiting list many times in the past. It would have been great for the retirement. Not great if you ever want to start your own dozin outfit.

 

[AzIron]

Here locally there is not many except large corporate companies that are signatories

You could get further outside a local in AZ than in it right now as far as learning but you better be willing to work be early stay late show some enthusiasm and do everything with purpose.

It's up to you if your going to learn it's no one else's responsibility to teach you it's your responsibility to observe and people will help you along the way

 

[Truck Shop]

Your success has everything to do with your work ethic and attitude, we do things because
they are hard.

 

[Welder Dave]

The union isn't the be all end all. It can be good but if you want to be an operator or whatever, look for and apply to all companies whether they are union or not. You could always join the union at a later date when they are looking for people.

 

[wlhequipment]

I've worked at union shops, non - union shops, and out on my own. Each one has upsides and downsides. Union shops give you good work, decent pay, bennies all that, but you're locked in. Some guys dig that, and that's ok. Non - union can be flaky AF, but you have more flexibility, and can do different stuff, and your boss is going to be a douche. Being out an your own, the buck stops with you, and that's both good and bad. If union is the way you want to go, be patient, stay with it, do good work. You'll get there. There's a lot of other options out there though.

 

[Welder Dave]

There are very good non union shops too.

 

[skyking1]

you have to steer your own ship there,where ever you are. Trying the union was a good start, don't be too discouraged and keep looking for challenging work and show them the work ethic that everyone has stated above.
I did not get in through the apprenticeship. I had dozer experience and truck experience and went in there when the hall was flat-out empty and got in and went to work hard.
You can travel that path, after you get some experience too. Or not it is all up to you.

 

[cfherrman]

Cheap bad spacers, quality ones will last, look at the factory spacers on the front axle