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First of all, i am here to beg of some assistance. I need advice. I'm turning 26 next month. Live in NY!
I am very grateful to say that i am living Sober from drugs and alcohol for the last 13 months of my life. (i thought i was trapped)
current work
I'm currently working as a machine operator part time for 12 dollars an hour. clearing $220 a week, living with my elderly mother. It's been a year of awakening!
CDL-A School
I am in school for my CDL-A, but right now it's going nowhere. The DMV has taken a full month to let me know if i can drive with my eye issues.
Union membership offer
I was just offered a membership into the bricklayers union. But there's a catch. I would have to attend full time classes for 3 months. (unpaid) After that, I'd be an apprentice making $20 an hour to start. They also say I'll make a $1 raise every 5 months until i hit $30 an hour. Plus health, pension, and annuity... I have none of that right now!
It's back breaking labor, and i am a small Italian kid at just 5'4'' but i am familiar with labor and i know I'll adjust, and i look forward to the health! But is bricklaying a dying trade, or is it alive and well? Is 3 months free training worth losing my current job for union labor?
Alternatively, i can TRY to get a nighttime dock work position while going to school for CDL. I'm going to continue training for my commercial drivers license, either way, but this seems like a big opportunity to contemplate. A union offer is rare, isn't it?
And the starting pay is more than I've ever made haha. But is it worth the 3 months out of work, the diversion from commercial driving career path, the hard labor? I would like to support a family one day! Please help?
They want an answer this morning!
Last edited by JohnnyIsReady; 03-06-2017 at 05:46 AM..
Reason: Didn't ask politely
Upon completion of training, are you guaranteed permanent full time work? How much is union dues? Congratulations on getting (and staying) clean and sober.
Is it something you can see yourself doing 10-15 or 20 years from now? You seem VERY leery, that's a telling sign...
It's hard to be anything but grateful in my situation. I've got friends my age making 10.25 an hour without benefits. It scares me how difficult it is to ask for a raise. I've never been offered health benefits in all my years.
Its hard labor, and I'm a bright guy, but this opportunity doesn't come up often. My work history is better than most of my friends, but it's all paid-daily temp labor! Yes I'm leery of the idea of laying brick for the next 40 years but i need to start saving immediately!! I need to start living, too. I haven't lived in years.
I don't want to seem rude. I just feel very pressured to get what's in my head out so i can gain some perspective.
Is there anything else i should be considering? If i can get a job at 15 dollars an hour nights, i could also keep my part time morning job and take the CDL course on weekends. But union benefits are so rare, it seems...
I have been struggling with this decision for days.
Do the union apprenticeship get your card, get a couple of years of actual working experience under your belt......then start looking at a trade that is more likely to be in fashion in the next decade.
What is that ? Land surveying..... . glass window installation and doors, electrical installing, plumbing , and carpentry. Not going to go out of fashion anytime soon. Less brute lifting and more thinking.
Look at the new technology that is coming into the construction business. Modern use of spray foam insulation, radiant floor heating, tank less water heaters, steel framing of houses, and fiber strand concrete.
I mean, considering that i live in New England, brick laying isn't going anywhere anytime soon i don't think? Or building style was and still is brick based. Restoration is also going to be around into the future.
I should consider myself lucky to have this opportunity, no? A chance at 60k a year with only a 3 month schooling investment doesn't come often.
There is a major shortage of Journeyman Lineman (I'm a recruiter for them in Florida -there's a shortage nationwide that won't go away anytime soon - and when I say that I mean years.)
While the pay is "only" $40.56/hr - most jobs are union with great benefits and because of the shortage and overtime available... guys are making about $200K/year.
You'd need to attend a lineman school and complete an apprenticeship... but you sound like the perfect candidate.
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