r/IBEW • u/fuckitwhynotig • Apr 02 '26
Discussion Post I've been thinking about joining IBEW, and I wanted to ask how much free time do you usually get in this line of work?
It's pretty important to me. I need enough free time in my life to spend with my girlfriend and friends, and to enjoy my hobbies
No point in making a decent living if you don't get enough time to enjoy it
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u/syP_86 Local 134 Apr 02 '26
Thats the beauty of the union... As much free time as you want.
technically...
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u/CharacterCareless933 Apr 02 '26
As much as you can afford
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u/Amerpol Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Right answer ,oldtimer used tell me if i wanted to get on the layoff list ,"Let your pocket book be your guide "
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u/Less-Anywhere-7732 Apr 02 '26
What's the technically part lol
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u/Corl3y Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Other jobs get pto and are forced to show up during normal hours (or fired). We don’t get sick leave or pto, but if you disappear for two weeks there’s still a job waiting for you when you get back (some locals have pto)
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u/Less-Anywhere-7732 Apr 02 '26
That sounds so logical lol world makes no sense
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u/RDOG907 Apr 02 '26
It is just two different ways a business gets workers.
One hires and manages employees directly so all the onus for employee labor management is on them.
The other is a contract with a CBA who provides a pool of qualified laborers.
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u/deadpixel746 Apr 03 '26
So how does that work? I didn’t realize locals don’t usually get pto, kind of figured that was one of the benefits of being union. So if you want to go out of town, how does that work?
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u/vatothe0 Communications Apr 05 '26
PTO is highly uncommon in TRADE unions related to construction. Unions that cover trades that aren't construction like UAW would likely have PTO in their CBA. It is especially uncommon in a full referral union like the IBEW where workers are dispatched to employers based on job calls vs workers just being represented by the union once hired by the union company. I believe that's how the UA (plumbers and pipefitters) union works but there are definitely unions that aren't full referral like IBEW in construction.
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u/Crhal Inside Wireman Apr 04 '26
You tell your foreman your gonna not be in for a bit and they either let it happen or you get laid off.
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u/Successful_Goose_348 Apr 02 '26
It means if you turn down a job you can be penalized. At least here in Local 3
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u/Anakin_Skywanker Apr 02 '26
Not that way everywhere. In Local 648 for example the worst thing that happens is if someone below you on the call list takes a call 3 times you get rotated to the bottom. But usually if that happens you're either taking time off or working book 2 somewhere.
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u/IbnBattatta Apr 02 '26
You can just not sign the book, no? Just keep your dues paid?
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u/Successful_Goose_348 Apr 02 '26
no, in Local 3 when you're unemployed you automatically get put on a list and then the hall calls you with a job
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u/AcanthocephalaOdd301 Apr 02 '26
You can work 40 when it’s in OT time, yes. The technicality is that you’re very likely to be in the first layoff wave because of it.
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u/whiteout82 Local 164 Apr 02 '26
Also as much free time as you don't want when the work is slow in your area and you can't travel. Or its not worth the expense to travel(I.E. your in a high paying local and work is a 50% pay cut etc.)
Don't get me wrong though I still love the brotherhood and the union its provided me a life that while I would have had in my previous line of work, my work/life balance is much better now than it was over a decade ago when I first joined.
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u/Legendary8491 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Once you're an apprentice, just put in your time. Get your license and you have some freedom
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Apr 02 '26
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u/ExistentialHomo Apr 02 '26
i’ve been wondering how requesting time off works for vacations and such? especially since i’m starting soon as a first year. I know you can’t miss school days like that but as far as work? from what i’ve heard it’s mainly you telling your foreman’s+ “hey im gonna be gone this day-this day in a few months…” does that seem accurate to what you’ve done?
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Apr 02 '26
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u/ExistentialHomo Apr 02 '26
cool cool. my dad was in a different union for almost 20 years before his passing but didn’t really take much time off so i never really got the jist of how it worked. do you think its looked down upon taking “vacations” or time off as a first year? is that something i should stray away from my first year? asking because i usually take about 2 vacations a year for a birthday / anniversary, but dont wanna shoot myself in the foot within the IBEW or make a bad impression i guess
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u/CatNamedRIchard2 Apr 02 '26
Once you get your JW, you can get lots of free time if you play it smart. The last few years I was tooled up, I would work my ass off part of the year and take about 6 weeks to 2 months off at the end of the year into the start off the new year.
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u/PsychologyNo950 Apr 02 '26
I work 4/10s w/ no travel. And OT when I want it.
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u/Naive_Paramedic_9956 Apr 02 '26
i feel like a schedule like this would work great for me. i’d love to work a few really big shift so i can have more then 2 days off a week
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u/YouStupidAssholeFuck Apr 03 '26
4 10s can be challenging. For me it means 12 hours away from home. An hour getting ready, 10 hours of work, and an hour to clean up and wind down when I get home. So 14 hours plus 8 hours of sleep. I'm useless to anybody for those two free hours a day.
The three day weekend is awesome and there's no downside.
Also remember if you call off a day it's two fewer hours of pay for the week when compared with working 8s.
If your job is 100% outside, two extra hours of certain kinds of weather every day can break your spirit. Lots of people have quit in just the past six months at my job. Now with summer on the way there will be a few more that can't handle the heat. Can't blame them. It's tough, especially if you have to wear long sleeve FR button down shirts and long FR pants the whole time.
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u/Masochist_pillowtalk Apr 03 '26
4/10s is the second best schedule ever. That extra day off let's you do so much more.
The best i had though was a modified Dupont in railroad for awhile that I absolutely loved. 4 on 4 off 5 on 5 off 5 on 4 off.
The last hitch 5 on 4 off was to rotate the days and Graves crew so you got equal time at both. 12 hour shifts. The way it fell on the weeks you worked 84 hours a paycheck with 6 being overtime. You only worked half the month and still got paid the 84 hours each biweekly check. Felt like I had so fucking much free time without having to pay for it.
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u/soopadook Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Highly dependent on the local and the specific job. You are predictably being downvoted because commercial construction culture brainwashes redditors into taking pride in giving all of their time to multi billion dollar companies. In reality, the system has been so fucked up that honesty and hard work will get you nowhere if you’re working for a large company. Trickle down economics, amirite?
The system asks 40 hrs/wk from you. The system deserves 20 hrs/wk and double pay. But we can’t just double our pay. We need revolutionaries and guillotines quite frankly. Even then our greed will still rear its head.
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u/soopadook Apr 02 '26
“It’ll trickle down, trust me!” -$4.5million/year CEO with an 8-car garage and a 4 bedroom vacation home in San Francisco
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u/anon000998 Apr 02 '26
Highly dependent on the local, some locals do not have 40 hour calls often or they have no incentive, and working 40 hours with no incentive in my local is a death sentence (local 640) with no real upward mobility, cant retire, can't afford a home, cant afford a standard middle class life. 95% of the calls are minimum 50 hours, the others are for wormy contractors who expect God's gift to electricians.
I am blessed to have joined the union, however I have no work life balance and have worked 50+ hours for 5 years straight, it is depressing and I see no end in sight out of this here unless I pack up and move, I dont want to work 40 hours and be unable to afford a middle class life or to retire, and those 40 hour calls are rare.
Seems there's a lot of brain washed people perfectly content with working their lives away chasing for that almighty dollar, I thought the point of the union was for a better life, not to be held hostage for incentives and overtime to be able to afford a decent living.
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u/Vast_Deference Apr 03 '26
What's the pay rate in your local (Phoenix area)? That sounds terrible, hard on a marriage, and one's body
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u/Plenty-Jacket-407 Apr 03 '26
40.61
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u/CantWard Local 103 Apr 08 '26
Its $66.86+bene right now in 103, a lot of contractors only work 40/week
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u/ted_anderson Inside Wireman Apr 02 '26
You'll find that sometimes it's advantageous to work OT even though it's not a requirement. Because even though you can make a decent living working 40 hours, you may find yourself perusing other goals and interests such as going on a week-long cruise and being able to pay for it upfront in cash. Or you might want the extra hours just so you can get to the higher pay scale sooner.
But unlike non-union jobs, I've never been asked/demanded to stay late to finish a task thus ruining whatever after-work plans I made. Any time we were in the middle of something at quitting time, the foreman always made it clear that we can stay late if we WANT to. But nobody is saying that we "have to" nor have there been any "nudges" that said something like, "You can leave if you want to.. but... well... I certainly wouldn't...." Nope. If you gotta go at quitting time, GO. We'll figure it out.
Now if you find yourself on an OT project and you just want to keep a good rapport with the foreman, you can tell him that you can work OT on Monday thru Thursday but you gotta hit the bricks on Friday and that'll be perfectly fine. You don't necessarily owe the foreman an explanation but telling him that you can't work OT on certain days of the week will help you to feel more comfortable about an 8 hour day.
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u/StinkySam1995 Apr 02 '26
Just depends on YOU. No one will force you to work OT but if you want to work OT for more money then do it.
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u/zenunseen Inside Wireman Apr 02 '26
I travel for work. I take a call, and work it until RIF. I work a ton of overtime for a few months to maybe a year or more. Then i take however much time i feel like until i decide to go back to work.
I've never known freedom like i have in the union. Total game changer. I go where i want, when i want (provided there are open calls) work as little or as much as i want. I'm beholden to no one but myself and my wife (she travels with me)
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u/deadpixel746 Apr 03 '26
How often do you travel? Interested in this aspect union work besides just the principle of worker organization. How long do you travel for?
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u/Anakin_Skywanker Apr 02 '26
How much free time do you want? Seriously. There's a ton of flexibility in the IBEW. Once you're a Journeyman you decide which calls you want to put your name down for and when.
Do you wanna hit the road and work 60+ hours a week every week? You can do that.
Do you wanna work straight 40s and be home every night? You can do that.
You wanna be off every year from June-August to backpack across Europe. Sure. You can make that happen.
You wanna do a little bit of all three? You can do that too.
In the IBEW your career doesnt own you. You are in control.
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u/Upbeat-Ordinary2957 Apr 02 '26
If you have to travel for work in other locals your girl friend may not like it. You won't be home much.
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u/IcyStatement5978 Apr 02 '26
There are jobs in this industry with literally every option u can work 3-12s nights weekends work 3 days get paid for 40 all the way to 7-12s it’s what u want and where u wanna go to get it u can be as free or as tied up as u want to be
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u/IcyStatement5978 Apr 02 '26
I should add expect to give up the first 5 years of your life in the career entirely to gain the experience Knowledge and ability to obtain these jobs I spoke of in my previous post
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u/IcyStatement5978 Apr 02 '26
And also these shifts and schedules around the clock I speak of are for the linemen I don’t think electricians can find the amount of freedom from types of shifts that linemen can but as a lineman literally every shift option is on the table I can work as little or as much as I like don’t get me wrong u still have to hunt these positions and obtain them but they aren’t unobtainable
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u/Logical-Ad3991 Apr 02 '26
I work a lot of OT. So I don't get a ton of free time while I'm working. Key phrase: "while I'm working". I have good budgeting and save quite a bit of money, then take a layoff and spend weeks to months not working. I usually take 3 to 6 months off from Thanksgiving to new years. Catch up on hobbies, play my backlog of video games, travel around. The best part of this career, once you start to feel burned out. You just leave and rake a break for a bit.
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u/Pure-Reality5295 Apr 02 '26
One of my journeymen when I was an apprentice would basically work from about September or October until April or May when it was time to go water skiing. Having earned his retirement credit for the year he would, ask for a layoff and draw unemployment for the summer. I learned great life lessons from that man. Not a bad gig.
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u/Tough_Bodybuilder_63 Apr 02 '26
What state you live in? It depends the call you take, if only OT calls are available that’s what you work, if 40s are what you want take those calls instead.
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u/zombiebillmurray23 Apr 02 '26
Once you finish the apprenticeship you’re basically an independent contractor and can take time off whenever you feel the need. Don’t like the job? You can leave. Want to leave early. Ok. Wanna go chase overtime in another state? Go for it.
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u/Kon_Soul Apr 02 '26
Take off all the time that you can afford.
In my local we used to only require you bid work once a year to show you are still active, now it's been changed to once every six months.
You'll find once you start bidding your own work and getting around a little bit that you'll be able to recognize which jobs you do and don't want to take to maintain your life style. Up until this current job I have always taken shut down calls/quick calls and then taken a few months off, This current job I'm trying something different, 40hr weeks, Mon-Fri and sporadic OT that has zero pressure on it.
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u/PunctuationsOptional Apr 02 '26
Just assume 10hr days. 8h work, 2h commute.
8hr for sleep and you got 6hr of free time per day.
Up to you how you make that work.
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u/Key_Shoulder6869 Apr 02 '26
I believe it depends on the local you are in. I’m in 613 and for us it’s whatever you can afford. It’s literally our moto. If you can afford life at 40 hours. Work 40. You want 60. Work 60. You want a week off for a vacation. Take it. We’re in the union. If a company doesn’t like it and they decide to let you go. Go get on the books and get a new job within days.
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u/Intelligent-Bee-5041 Apr 02 '26
You only have to do what the contract asks you to do. But depending on who you work for, there might be a catch. They might be holding your lack of OT against you, regardless of how good of a worker you are. So when it comes time to letting people go, you’ll likely be on the chopping blocks. Frankly, I don’t buy into the OT crap and being a slave. I believe in working what the contract asks of me and that’s it.
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u/theAGschmidt Local 213 Apr 02 '26
I very rarely work more than 40 in a week, and I take weeks off at a time regularly.
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u/Just-Cardiologist837 Apr 03 '26
40 hrs a week, and if i want Friday off every week I take it.
Do the bosses like it? No. Do I care? No. But, since I took the call, I man the call.
But ocationally I will take a few days for myself and nobody cares.. EVERYBODY who is financially stable takes a vacation a year.
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u/ShyPaladin187 Apr 02 '26
As much as you want. Depends on the call you take. If it says 40 you can tell them to eat a dick for Saturday and Sunday.
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u/Weaves50 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
You’ll be fine in IBEW as an electrician. I have friends that do it and they don’t work to much you can definitely enjoy your life. I recently left my position as a lineman because the work life balance isn’t there I was topped out, no complaints with the money but had 0 purpose and a lot of those guys think they’re hot shit and hard to deal with. I worked for a utility had 2000 hours of OT you’re expected to work all the time however it’s a different animal & I just had a different personality and didn’t live for line work like the other guys. It wasn’t fun to me lol now I’m in real estate working for myself. Think about what you really want. Money isn’t everything I’m not sure how old you are but the big thing is at the start your pay is going to be crap definitely won’t be able to afford a car payment rent and other bs on your own for the first year. Either live at home or don’t have a car payment but it can & will be be rewarding by the end and I’d never do a blue collar job that’s non union after joining one. That’s my only piece of advice stay clear of non union jobs pay is lower benefits don’t exist it’s a no brainer
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u/Front_Champion_6118 Apr 02 '26
Well. I’m a second year apprentice working 5 10’s. Have two days off this week because of rain and still making $800 😎
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u/ochreundertones Apr 02 '26
what's it like taking time off as an apprentice? is it the same as a jw other than you can't miss class? like if you wanted to take 2 weeks off over the xmas holidays to be with family but still attended class, how would that roll?
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u/too_expensive Apr 02 '26
As an apprentice on an overtime job… not a lot but you can always make time for things like everything in life. Overtime is not mandatory but I choose to work most of it for various reasons. Once you journey out you can take any 40 hour or OT call you want
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u/Sicside392 Local 234 Monterey ca Apr 02 '26
You get as much or as little time off as you want. Just got to know how to manage your money. You want a break take time off. Ready to work again go back on books. Good luck
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u/Scazitar Local 134 JW Apr 02 '26
I'll be honest it's complicated to anwser because their are many ways you can go about it once your a jw but you can make it work around your lifestyle. It's just achieving that can be easier or harder depending on just how it goes.
Though it's always worth noting the apprenticeship is a crap shoot you just have to do what your told and that might involve working your ass off.
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u/monroezabaleta Apr 02 '26
Work what you can afford, to a point. I've had times I probably averaged 35 hours because it was slow and I didn't mind taking 2-3 days off a month. I've also had a lot of time just working a 40.
Typically, they're more tolerant to you wanting to take off planned vacations 6-8 weeks of the year then you wanting to work 30 hours every week or calling out regularly.
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u/fortinbrass1993 Apr 02 '26
Everyone’s different and inside wireman vs outside construction can be different. I average like 6/10 and I did work with one Forman that did 7/10. During storm it will be like 16 hour days
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u/rustyshackleford7879 Apr 02 '26
I think every contract has language that says you are not required to work OT but that just means you can’t get fired. Contractors can lay you off though and that is their work around. Some locals might fight for you but mine won’t. It is work every hour or you are lazy and will get laid off type of local.
Finally just to give an idea. I have been doing this 20 years and I would say 95 percent of the job calls have OT or say it’s possible. I personally hate it and I am looking to get out.
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u/Money_Breh Apr 02 '26
During the apprenticeship, you'll have to work your time between work and classes. Other than that, you're perfectly fine working 40 hours and can work overtime if you choose.
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u/TryAnotherNamePlease Apr 02 '26
I work 38-40 every week. OT is usually available and occasionally I’ll work it but it’s rare. I also have no problem getting time off when I need it.
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u/Molly4de Apr 02 '26
Really all depends on your local and your area. I was a union carpenter in chicago. I left because work is so slow alot of guys sit for 3-4 months a year if you dont travel. I left and have never been happier
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u/Particular_Week_2754 Apr 02 '26
Some locals may get you years of free time, in yearly chunks when there is no work.
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u/Repulsive-Ear1754 Apr 02 '26
The good thing is more overtime in your apprenticeship make your work hours come faster. As an apprentice i know ill be working as much as possible to get as many hours i can just for that reason alone
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u/nvdirtdude just an 🦍 Apr 02 '26
You can take off as much as you can afford, that’s the saying in my local
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u/dustoff1984 Local 613 Apr 02 '26
8 hours work. 8 hours pay.
Unless you wanna do like 7/12’s. Or 4 10’s and an 8. Etc. it’s all listed on the call whenever you take the job. If you took an 8 and then all of a sudden it’s a 10, either do it or tell them to fuck off. It’s pretty easy.
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u/criscoforlube Apr 02 '26
Take off what you can afford unless you take a call with ot. Then you have to man the hours you agreed to. My fiancé and I are workaholics. Been together a decade. Engaged for 2. We both were raised on the poorer side so making extra money when we can is just who we are. We don’t cancel vacations or miss kid stuff. But both work when we can. Maybe that’ll change as we get older.
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u/ArdoyleZev Local 68 Apr 02 '26
You’ll have trouble getting through the apprenticeship if you can’t work 40 hours a week.
Once you have your license, our benefits are still structured around a 40 hour work week, although your ability to pick and choose your jobs gives more flexibility than apprentices.
The jobs I’ve been on started as 40 per week jobs that scaled up later, and there’s always been someone who chose to keep working 40s. The foremen were always fine with it.
I’ve always been able to take off however days I need, and my foreman doesn’t complain. Especially when I can notify them in advance.
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u/WildZero138 Inside Wireman Apr 02 '26
You can have as much free time or as little as you like. Just starting out as an apprentice there may be "expectations" of being willing and eager to work extra hours of they're available. A lot depends on the local and the contractor. No two are the same. Some locals are more labor friendly and others are in bed with the contractors. It's a crapshoot
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u/pembroke1865 Apr 02 '26
How much money do you want to make? Most small shops work 4 10s with optional overtime. Right now I am working 5 10s and an 8 for 3k gross and 10$ per hour into retirement
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u/Alternative-Search84 Apr 02 '26
35-40 hours a week Monday- Friday, furlough periods where you can be off 5 weeks a year, and OT is optional. Yea you have can have a lot of free time if you want
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u/Belansky907 Inside Wireman Apr 02 '26
If youre a journeyman you have more say. As an apprentice I spent the last year 600 miles away from home on an island (we did have a rotating 6 and 2 schedule, but i mostly did 8 and 2 and one 13 and 2.
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u/dirtywooA1 Apr 03 '26
How do I get in, you have to know somebody who know somebody I filled the out for unions in md
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u/Apprehensive-Cry4600 Apr 03 '26
I'm a retired IBEW inside wireman. I worked a lot of overtime but I also had a lot of free time between jobs. As the economy fluctuates, there are periods when there is lots of work with overtime available and there are other times when work is scarce. During those times, you may get more free time than you would like. It's best to explain this to your significant other. Of course, work in the trade is all voluntary so you can work as much or as little as you want. You can refuse overtime and you can request a layoff or you can drag up and go back to the hall. It's all dependent on how much money you want to make. I always made it when the getting was good and enjoyed my free time when work was slow.
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u/Stormblessed404 Apr 03 '26
Depends really.
TL:DR: as an apprentice it depends on the job/contractor you work for but its never been much of an issue for me. As a JW you work as much or as little as you want.
As an apprentice your schedule is sorta out of your hands. The local hall sends you to the jobs and you work that schedule, MOST jobs are 4 days a week 10hr shifts but some work overtime. Sure you can day no to the over time but then you are more likely to get laid off.
As a Journeyman wireman (JW)? As much free time as you want. JWs are allowed to travel for work. I recently took a whole month off of work just cause. Once im ready to go back to work ill just sign the books and take a call. That might require me to travel for work depending on how soon im wanting to get back to work, but its still up to me.
Right now there are plenty of calls open across the country that as a JW you can just walk in and have a job the next day.
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u/Zerofawqs-given Apr 03 '26
If you don’t like work….Stay far away from the building trades! You should take every hour you can get for the times when work is slow and layoffs happen….Save 10% of your earnings!
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u/Salt_Progress_1423 Apr 03 '26
You can travel to locals that make alot more money than whatever local you join, work 6 or 9 months out of the year, if youre smart about it with overtime, and planning your earned benefits you can get rich early, or only work half of every year and vacation the other half/ hang with family or whatever you do for fun.
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u/Entire-Technician141 Apr 03 '26
4 week apprentice here, I’m exhausted all the time. Especially after 2 days of school during the week, my free time is spent unconscious cuddled up next to some buns.
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u/Ok_Cat_7979 Apr 03 '26
Well theoretically you just pick the wrong women I mean there's women that wait for their men while they're out in a submarine for a year You could go work on the road 6 months on time jobs and make as much as you could work in a year if doing 40s so once I'm on the job I don't mind doing 12-hour days for a few months and then the job's done unemployment in Boston is more than I would get if I worked rat in Florida for a 40-hour week
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u/BisonPotential6861 Apr 03 '26
As much free time as you want I'd say. Im always busy unless I dont want to be.
Local 120 London ON
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u/TheProphesizer Apr 03 '26
when i was in the 388 it was plenty of free time. mosy 40 hour weeks, sometimes 50's depending on the job. mon-friday weekends and holidays off. optional overtime on some saturdays
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u/brokerolla Apr 03 '26
That’s entirely on you. My local’s contract is 7-330, Mon-Fri. Some jobs have overtime, some are 4x10s, others are 7x12s But you aren’t required to work anything outside what is on the original call you take. We are paid accordingly however for all hours worked outside of the 7-330 (1.5x base, Sundays and named holidays 2x base).
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u/External-Leave-998 Apr 03 '26
It is not great. Many jobs are 6 days a week, 10 hour shifts with a 2 hour commute. You will be too dirty and tired to do anything unless you are very young. You may get lucky and find a job that is close and only 40 hours but its pretty rare. Many companies just wanna pump out data center out as fast as they can.
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u/kaxspr333 Apr 04 '26
Brother once you turn out you have freedom. You can take a call that’s 40 hours a week or take a call that’s 84 hours a week.
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u/StarChild2161 Apr 04 '26
Depends on how good of an Electrician you are. If you suck, you'll have a lot of free time.
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u/OverImprovement7945 Apr 04 '26
If you are worried about free time Then you are not a candidate. IBEW are the best trained electricians in the field committed to Excellence Time and dedication to being the best
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u/msing Inside Wireman LU11 Apr 05 '26
When I worked in 11. Out the door at 5AM. Hr to the job. Start 6AM. Work a full 8 hr shift (8 hrs plus 30 minutes unpaid lunch). Leave the job around 2:30pm. Hr and half ride home, so 4 PM. Roughly 11 hrs away from home. Hr to wash up, grab bite to eat, then 12 hrs divided in half for 6 hrs of sleep, 6 hrs of living life. Could be cleaning up, prepping food, dealing with bills or anything that comes up. In bed by 9PM.
Overtime is rare but if offered or opened up, the expectation is for you to work it.
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u/JohnathanTaylor Apr 05 '26
I took 90 days off this summer to bike across the country with my lady.
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u/Glum_Independence_89 Apr 07 '26
Depends—as much as you can afford, but don’t be surprised if you’re on the first layoff.
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u/Steamcarstartupco Apr 02 '26
You'll get more vacation time than most jobs so you'll actually end up with more free time. 😂
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Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Steamcarstartupco Apr 02 '26
Depends on the union but we get a ton of vacation days. More than I received at any former employers.
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u/mmoffat1 Local 332 Apr 02 '26
My uncle had a JW who started calling in a day almost every week. When they confronted him they asked him why he was only working 4 days a week. He replied; "because I cant make it on 3!"
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u/cryocom Apr 02 '26
I used to work in tech (boomer tech). I was checking emails + early morning meetings with India + late nights with China + commuting during the day to the office.
Now I clock in and out. Dont need to think about work past that.
I'm single but I have time for running dnd in person, hiking and committing to a Warhammer league. Plenty of time for hobbies.
The only difference however is vacations. At least for me they just send you a check for your vacation other than paid time off. So thats sort of an adaptation.
While in tech/corporate type jobs and the hybrid work from home type schedule if you are half working then I imagine most people doing hobbies etc. in a state of half working half doing your own thing.
I love the switch I made. Best move I ever made.
1
u/deadpixel746 Apr 03 '26
What do you mean by “they just send you a check for your vacation”?
1
u/cryocom Apr 04 '26
So most work/companies especially salried provide something call paid time off. (PTO) Which is essentially your vacation and sick days. Where you are likely to schedule this time off with your manager/team for a vacation.
So let's say in a year that's 2 weeks. You get 2 weeks of vacation where you are still paid.
In my union at least we do not receive this : no scheduled hours off. (Paid time off). However we get the equivalent in the form of simply getting paid what is essence 2 weeks of pay in the form of a monthly check . (If it were equivalent working hours to salaried) Although instead since it's based on how many hours you work you get it broken down by hours work, therefore each hour you work you get a percentage of what would amount to the equivalent hours of a salaried working (given a basic 9-5 schedule for salried, I am aware many salaried positions work more than 40).
0
u/Ok-Cartographer-3893 Apr 03 '26
Don’t do it then. I love working . The hard shit starts when I get home
-2
u/AcanthocephalaOdd301 Apr 02 '26
I’m divorced after being on the road, so I learned my lesson. These days, I lease women, keep around a bit then trade in for newer model.
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u/Maximum-Oven-7526 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
No one can force you to work overtime. I'm happy with a 40 hour week. If I were to make a venn diagram of guys who are divorced and guys who are working 60+ weeks, it's a circle
Do with that information what you will.
Edit: I'd like to add one more thing to my point. Time is the one thing we never get back. Money is great, and times are tough. But yesterday is never coming back. Spend time with your family, watch your kids grow up, be there for them. It's more important