Husband offered a union job from a steward paying $35 an hour (percentage, wage)

[BeNicePlease]

My husband was laid off and when one of our friends found out (he's a steward at a union...[not certain what that means] he was quick to tell him that he can offer him a position in a few weeks and he'd just have to pay $700 to the union. (he said they'll give him time to pay it).

The problem is (although I'm happy he's finally going to make some income for my family) that my husband has NO construction experience and the guy knows it. My husband is tall 6'5 but he smokes cigarettes and although he is not unhealthy he is certainly not in tip top shape.

I'm afraid this is just too good to be true (these days things have gotten from bad to worse) and I'm afraid to get my hopes up that they will accept him when they find out he's not in the best shape nor does he have experience.

I want to be excited for this opportunity b/c that would mean we can finally start planning for our future with this income but I don't want to get my hopes up. Any thoughts or advice is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[annerk]

I've never heard of "buying" into a union, unless someone's hand is being greased for him to get the job.

Union dues might need to be paid, but that's done on a per pay period basis, and there's no "set fee" rather it's a set fee per week indefinitely or based on a percentage of the payroll, again on an ongoing basis. This one doesn't sound right. Sorry.

[STT Resident]

I agree. It sounds very fishy ...

[BeNicePlease]

annerk - thanks for your response, he did mention something about it being per pay period but that's all I got.

Was that the only thing that makes it sound fishy?

I thought perhaps forms had to be filled out and exams etc.....

Looks like the consensus here is that it's very fishy and I shouldn't bother to have hoped it might've been the silver lining.

[LynnePatrice]

there are a lot of unexperienced people in the union, primarily the laborers. It's very physically draining and tough on your body. If the $700 is his union dues or his union initiation fees I can understand the upfront money. My husband has been in the union for many years and he pays dues annually. THis may be 6 months of dues up front. Find out what it is for before you pay it!!

[BeNicePlease]

Thanks LynnePatrice, that sounds reasonable and we will. The steward is definitely a decent hardworking family man (I forgot to mention that in the OP) and I'd be surprised if something fishy was going on but I just wanted opinions based on husbands physical fitness. Thanks again everyone

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Initiation fees are common in unions. Some, such as AFTRA,How to Join the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists | eHow.com are apparently steep.
"You will have to pay a substantial initiation fee to join AFTRA."

[marmac]

When I joined the construction laborers union in 1965, the fee was $100 and the Minneapolis union scale wage was $3.65 per hour ( a very good wage back then)

Since my fee to join the union was about 30 hours worth of pay, $700 sounds about right.

(actually cheaper than what I paid in comparison)

[annerk]

I stand corrected on the fee to join--I've only held one union job and there was no initiation fee.

[STT Resident]

My experience goes back many years, too. My only concern would be that if he has to pay the union dues up front, what happens if he really can't do the job? If they take out the dues on a per pay basis then that's a whole different story.

As long as your husband is relatively physically fit I wouldn't worry too much about health issues. He'll probably have some aches and pains for a while as he gets used to using different muscles - and will probably easily cut back on the smoking too! Good luck and let us know how it works out.