knoxville electricians?

[Guest agt.dealer]

sorry to junk up the forums with this,i just dont know who else to ask!I have been an electrician since 1996 in annapolis,M.D,i moved here a few years ago and i cant find any good places to work!!everywhere i go pays crap or does crap work!i am a a++ electrician with a unbelievable work history,i wired the first x-10 smart home!and have had tons of my work in better homes and garden,and better outdoor living....for the past few years ive moved on to carpentry just so i can make better money!i miss my field!!!anyone know of any GOOD electric company's in the knoxville,maryville area?

[Guest bkelm18]

I've worked with Massey Electric numerous times and they're a good bunch of guys. No idea if they're hiring though. The IBEW might be able to help.

[Guest agt.dealer]

I've worked with Massey Electric numerous times and they're a good bunch of guys. No idea if they're hiring though. The IBEW might be able to help.

massey wanted me bad!but only offered 11 an hour!with 15 years in it thats a slap in the face!whats ibew?thanks for the help!

[VERO1]

ibew=International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.=union electrician.

[Guest pfries]

I think it is local 760 in Knoxville

and so know if you qualify you can join and of course pay the dues to get their services, for the skilled trades it can be a good thing.

[56FordGuy]

The IBEW might be able to help.

I completely disagree, and would advise folks stay away.

If you're a great electrician, and can't find an electrical company that fits you, why not go out on your own? Why do you need a big brother union to step in and take care of you?

[Guest bkelm18]

I completely disagree, and would advise folks stay away.

Ok, I'll bite. Care to explain?

[56FordGuy]

Ok, I'll bite. Care to explain?

For one, I'm just an anti- union guy. Unions are a micro- socialist system. Everybody earns the same pay, regardless of skill or experience. Why work hard, when the guy next to you sits on his rear end and makes the same pay? It puts the employee in an adversarial relationship with the employer, which isn't good for either one. It works better when they're on the same team, pulling together to make the company succeed.

For two, I was around the IBEW for almost 20 years. My father was an IBEW member. Travelled, met guys working local out the the hall and guys working on a traveller's ticket. Been to more Reunions than I can count; heck, I probably have a hat or T shirt from most of the IBEW Reunions back to the 80's. In all that time, I've seen a lot of corruption and associated problems, from guys double booking to dragging up jobs just because they could. I knew some guys set up complete home shops with tools from jobsites and contractors that hired them. The union looked the other way. I'd just as soon not associate with an organization like that, especially when I can do better on my own anyway.

[gregintenn]

Ok, I'll bite. Care to explain?

Unions reward mediocrity and stifle competition and hard work. If you suck at what you do, a union would be helpful. If you are the best and brightest in your trade, a union is a money sucking boat anchor around you neck. What's so hard to understand about that?

[Guest pfries]

For one, I'm just an anti- union guy. Unions are a micro- socialist system. Everybody earns the same pay, regardless of skill or experience. Why work hard, when the guy next to you sits on his rear end and makes the same pay? It puts the employee in an adversarial relationship with the employer, which isn't good for either one. It works better when they're on the same team, pulling together to make the company succeed.

For two, I was around the IBEW for almost 20 years. My father was an IBEW member. Travelled, met guys working local out the the hall and guys working on a traveller's ticket. Been to more Reunions than I can count; heck, I probably have a hat or T shirt from most of the IBEW Reunions back to the 80's. In all that time, I've seen a lot of corruption and associated problems, from guys double booking to dragging up jobs just because they could. I knew some guys set up complete home shops with tools from jobsites and contractors that hired them. The union looked the other way. I'd just as soon not associate with an organization like that, especially when I can do better on my own anyway.

I am by far not trying to pick a fight, as a matter of fact I am curious.

I would like to assume you are a decent man.

But you live under the freedoms afforded you by the government,

And government is corrupt as all get out.

So what is any different for a man to legitimately use a system (in this case the union) to get a decent paying job?

[Guest pfries]

For one, I'm just an anti- union guy. Unions are a micro- socialist system. Everybody earns the same pay, regardless of skill or experience. Why work hard, when the guy next to you sits on his rear end and makes the same pay? It puts the employee in an adversarial relationship with the employer, which isn't good for either one. It works better when they're on the same team, pulling together to make the company succeed.

For two, I was around the IBEW for almost 20 years. My father was an IBEW member. Travelled, met guys working local out the the hall and guys working on a traveller's ticket. Been to more Reunions than I can count; heck, I probably have a hat or T shirt from most of the IBEW Reunions back to the 80's. In all that time, I've seen a lot of corruption and associated problems, from guys double booking to dragging up jobs just because they could. I knew some guys set up complete home shops with tools from jobsites and contractors that hired them. The union looked the other way. I'd just as soon not associate with an organization like that, especially when I can do better on my own anyway.

am by far not trying to pick a fight, as a matter of fact I am curious.

I would like to assume you are a decent man.

But you live under the freedoms afforded you by the government,

And government is corrupt as all get out.

So why is it any different for a man to legitimately use a system (in this case the union) to get a decent paying job?

I believe we all play the system at some point.

[Guest agt.dealer]

The union would only take people able to travel but still only offer $14hr!I really wanna go out on my own but cost to much,the past few years have been bad for work! I wanna get in with a good small company that treats good help well!but I'm starting to think that's a thing of the past....

[56FordGuy]

I am by far not trying to pick a fight, as a matter of fact I am curious.

I would like to assume you are a decent man.

But you live under the freedoms afforded you by the government,

And government is corrupt as all get out.

So what is any different for a man to legitimately use a system (in this case the union) to get a decent paying job?

The freedoms we all enjoy as Americans are hardly a comparison to a union system.

I do not manipulate the government in order to succeed. I don't milk the welfare/ unemployment/ other government assistance program in addition to going out and earning an honest living. 'Using a system', as you describe it, seems no different to me than collecting unemployment or Social Security/ Disability while working for cash under the table.

Just to be clear, I'm not mad at union members. I do not understand their decision, but I'll let it go at that. I do question why anyone would want to be a union member, though. If you're an excellent employee, why do you need a union? If you're that good at what you do, be it working on an assembly line or fixing cars, what do you gain for the dues you pay? If your employer will not pay what you feel your services are worth, then the employer down the road will. If no employer will pay that amount, then the market has decided your skill set is only worth XX amount. That is how the free market works. Your options are to either go out on your own, shouldering the costs and risks associated with operating a business, or to change your skill set through education or other means to be worth more in the open market. Unions are a false market. They come in and try to force an employer to pay an above market wage for a market quality job. That can't last, as it puts the employee in an adversarial situation with the employer, and often results in either side simply trying to get the most for the least out of the other. That situation can't last, as the two sides can never truly pull together to be the best they can be. A good company needs good employees. Good employees are attracted and retained by a fair wage and/ or good benefits. A union simply gets in the way of those things working in the free market.

Edited November 14, 2011 by 56FordGuy

[Guest agt.dealer]

Very well put fordguy!thats about how I feel about that, I never could understand how the union just play middle man and they make as much off you as you make and gotta pay the dues for that.its just not for me.

[Guest lostpass]

The freedoms we all enjoy as Americans are hardly a comparison to a union system.

I do not manipulate the government in order to succeed. I don't milk the welfare/ unemployment/ other government assistance program in addition to going out and earning an honest living. 'Using a system', as you describe it, seems no different to me than collecting unemployment or Social Security/ Disability while working for cash under the table.

Just to be clear, I'm not mad at union members. I do not understand their decision, but I'll let it go at that. I do question why anyone would want to be a union member, though. If you're an excellent employee, why do you need a union? If you're that good at what you do, be it working on an assembly line or fixing cars, what do you gain for the dues you pay? If your employer will not pay what you feel your services are worth, then the employer down the road will. If no employer will pay that amount, then the market has decided your skill set is only worth XX amount. That is how the free market works. Your options are to either go out on your own, shouldering the costs and risks associated with operating a business, or to change your skill set through education or other means to be worth more in the open market. Unions are a false market. They come in and try to force an employer to pay an above market wage for a market quality job. That can't last, as it puts the employee in an adversarial situation with the employer, and often results in either side simply trying to get the most for the least out of the other. That situation can't last, as the two sides can never truly pull together to be the best they can be. A good company needs good employees. Good employees are attracted and retained by a fair wage and/ or good benefits. A union simply gets in the way of those things working in the free market.

Well, here's kind of the deal with this. The employers incentive is to pay as little as possible, the employees incentive is to earn as much as possible.

If you, me and joe get hired by gunmakers of knoxville and we learn the specific things we need to learn to do our job, say barrel twisting or something, and decide to unionize that is kind of a good decision from our perspective. We'll get paid more (yay) and get other benefits. The downside is that gunmakers of knoxville just might fire all three of us and hire new people. But that is the chance you take when you decide to unionize.

So really it is all up to management, you can either pay us more or hire new workers. People love to blame the unions and call them socialist or whatever but the truth is a bit different. The unions are in a business too, they can't do crap that management doesn't agree to.

If you want to sell me an iPad I might argue that the price is too high and not buy the freaking iPad. That's the free market. Unions sell the same thing, you get our skilled labor at price X, if you don't like it more new people.

It shouldn't be okay that corporations get to work towards depressing wages with a free pass and those that work towards maximizing wages get the socialist tag. Just cause you don't like the product someone is selling doesn't mean they aren't selling something useful.