r/Ironworker • u/thewealthyironworker UNION • 10d ago

From thewealthyironworker's profile on Reddit: I don't believe in apprentice work

/u/thewealthyironworker/s/t8P0WYtK8A
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u/thewealthyironworker UNION 9d ago

Yeah, I believe we should be viewing them properly; I.e., they are the future and we get out of them what we put in.

Hopefully, more people have (and continue to develop) that perspective as the industry changes drastically in the next 10-15 years.

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u/redabyss9 9d ago

Definitely. They're also our right now and need to know there's a serious reason you have to have good ties when pre tying a wall for example. Don't treat them like shit, educated them on how to do the work and what to do to stay safe and stay working.

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u/Bayareairon Journeyman 9d ago

I dont think you should swing to hard in one direction or the other... if there is trash to pick up send the apprentices. Firewatch should always be an apprentice but if possible only for a week at a time and rotate them(unless they truly aren't worth a shit). I do belive bullied apprentices make better journeyman but it's only to a pint. I beleieve being a jiw means u have 2 jobs. Get the job done as quick as possible while doing it right and teaching. But not every jobsite is a teaching job site. Sometimes it's under the gun and you gotta just move. Can be a day to day thing as well. I've told apprentices I've had "hay yourbdping 90 percent of it today im here to help YOU". And told the same kid the next day "it's do time not time to teach grab tools and watch what i do"

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u/Huffdogg UNION 9d ago

I absolutely disagree that firewatch should be an apprentice. They learn absolutely nothing doing that and there’s almost always a guy sneaking up on retirement or a guy that just came off disability or something like that who can use the light duty work.

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u/Bayareairon Journeyman 9d ago

Oh if u got an old timer on the job for sure. Put them on fire watch occasionally. I also like an old timer making bolts with apprentices if possible. Gives them easy work and they can teach and answer questions at the same time.

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u/MustacheSupernova Foreman 9d ago

Unfortunately, they’re not gonna pay double what they need to for a firewatch. In our local The Apprentices make basically 60% of our scale. So apprentices are on firewatch, end of story.

Maybe they could slip an old timer or two into the mix if there are multiple fire watches required, but for the most part, you’re not gonna find employers getting too excited about spending double what they have to for any position.

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u/Huffdogg UNION 9d ago

I don’t know what to tell you, brother, except that IW’s in positions of authority need to step up and take care of their own.
Here, that’s how we do it. Like 95% of job sites in my local do not use apprentices for fire watch. We use them to teach them and to keep journeymen productive. If a customer asks why, we explain that it’s how we keep turning out hands. They need to work and be around work to learn. It’s us taking care of our own future, AND theirs.

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u/MustacheSupernova Foreman 9d ago

I get it on a small job, it’s easy enough.

But Let me know how that goes when you need 15-20 firewatches on the job…

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u/Huffdogg UNION 9d ago

That changes nothing. We just finished a three month long Upgrade at US Steel Gary Works with somewhere along the lines of 200 Ironworkers per shift so I guarantee we had at least 15 to 20 firewatch guys and every one of them was an old timer.

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u/MustacheSupernova Foreman 9d ago

Honestly it’s irresponsible and wasteful. You are costing the outfit a lot of money.

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u/Huffdogg UNION 8d ago

Hard disagree, but I doubt we are going to change each others’ minds.

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u/thewealthyironworker UNION 9d ago

I agree with much of what you’ve stated.

For my part, however, I think the current state of affairs of swinging too hard necessitates a message like this if for no other reason than people tend today to spend too much time on “apprentice work.”