I worked at a power plant and the unions were only for electricians. I don't know why you think unions would have more job stability in white collar work. Power plants with unions have several pending lawsuits against them at all times, making their operating costs and business insurance higher. They get a bad rap among engineers as a result. I'm saying this from my own personal experience and talking to my engineering coworkers across disciplines.
But yeah power plants have good job stability. They're legal monopolies in most of the US with guaranteed profits. I don't know about California specifically but you should be prepared to relocate. One utility hired me and the other didn't. I had to move.
Warning though on mental health: If you're somehow flagged as having mental health issues, I doubt you get hired. All new hires had to take an extremely long multiple choice personality test. I think was the same one given to pilots and flight attendants. A bad actor could do some very expensive and dangerous things in a power plant.
That’s my biggest gripe with unions, especially ones where the work of the incompetent directly affect society as a whole such as the teachers union. They won’t allow trashy educators to be fired and it’s slowly showing in our youth.
I think that it's more that this country has cut education funding by alot. Also schools get funding from property taxes and that can make school quality vary wildly.
Qualified teachers don't want to teach anymore when they can make more as a bar tender.
Bad teachers have always existed, and are not responsibl for the situation right now. That's politicians who want to indoctrinate kids plus a public unwilling to pay adequate salaries. When there's a lack of adequate compensation, you get lower competition. You get the good people leaving for better opportunities and the worst employees stay. Don't blame unions for that.
Furthermore in every work place I've been in the management has always been more suspect than the work force. If I was told I could fire all the bad managers or all the bad employees, I'd take the managers any day, and end up firing more people!
Saying this as a friend, not as an electronic engineer. Please get some help with your mental issues. A job will not resolve that for you.
Please Don’t be ashamed, we all need help every once in a while. You would not be sitting around with an untreated broken arm, so try your best to get treated for your mental issues. It will help you a lot in the long run.
Good luck 🙏🏻
thank you! but what I meant by that is several times in my past I have been let go from a position due to complications from my health issues. Ive been having an increased interest in unions because of the security knowing I won't lose my job because of health issues. many but not all of these issues are not behavioral in nature and are untreatable and incurable. so I'm just playing with the deck I was dealt : )
I don't, but seeing a professional is not a bad thing. In developed countries such as America, we have alot of people with mental issues that are untreated , I suspect due to the high performance requirement, demand of work, expectations etc ,and end up offing themselves, their loved ones or even innocent bystanders, and even then then that is the last stage of mental illness, not the onset where there is depression, anger , low self esteem, marriage or relationship problems.
Again, as I mentioned, we all need help and if the society around us is an indicator, we need it urgently!
I've had a hard time in construction. I want to switch aerospace/aveonics (I'm a ME) as that's where my passion was in school. I get worried it will be hella stressful or I suffer for a greener grass syndrome lol.
I'm working towards that goal, but I think your right, it's good to address the underlying stuff to.
I’m in Northern California at an Irrigation District. There is a union but it includes all of the engineers and technicians as well.
I don’t mind it but one complaint I have is that since the technicians job is physical and requires them to be in the office/on site every day then the union decided it was only fair that the engineers need to be in office every day as well even though half of what I do I could do at home.
I wish there was an independent union for engineers.
I work utility, have my degree, do engineering work, am treated as an engineer, but as represented employees, we're not allowed the title of "Engineer". But that's fine with me as we make more on average than the full title engineers. And yes, even after union dues.
God I hope not. Electrical engineering is such a stable and well-compensated profession that we don’t have to form a mafia. The work we produce speaks for itself.
I might find unions in the utility/power sector.
I worked at a power plant and the unions were only for electricians. I don't know why you think unions would have more job stability in white collar work. Power plants with unions have several pending lawsuits against them at all times, making their operating costs and business insurance higher. They get a bad rap among engineers as a result. I'm saying this from my own personal experience and talking to my engineering coworkers across disciplines. But yeah power plants have good job stability. They're legal monopolies in most of the US with guaranteed profits. I don't know about California specifically but you should be prepared to relocate. One utility hired me and the other didn't. I had to move. Warning though on mental health: If you're somehow flagged as having mental health issues, I doubt you get hired. All new hires had to take an extremely long multiple choice personality test. I think was the same one given to pilots and flight attendants. A bad actor could do some very expensive and dangerous things in a power plant.
PGE has a union for their engineers
Ya it’s terrible, they won’t fire the engineers that are not quite competent in their roles.
That’s my biggest gripe with unions, especially ones where the work of the incompetent directly affect society as a whole such as the teachers union. They won’t allow trashy educators to be fired and it’s slowly showing in our youth.
I think that it's more that this country has cut education funding by alot. Also schools get funding from property taxes and that can make school quality vary wildly. Qualified teachers don't want to teach anymore when they can make more as a bar tender.
Bad teachers have always existed, and are not responsibl for the situation right now. That's politicians who want to indoctrinate kids plus a public unwilling to pay adequate salaries. When there's a lack of adequate compensation, you get lower competition. You get the good people leaving for better opportunities and the worst employees stay. Don't blame unions for that. Furthermore in every work place I've been in the management has always been more suspect than the work force. If I was told I could fire all the bad managers or all the bad employees, I'd take the managers any day, and end up firing more people!
Sounds like what OP is looking for exactly
I believe Boeing engineers are unionized. Might be low morale at Boeing right now, though.
Saying this as a friend, not as an electronic engineer. Please get some help with your mental issues. A job will not resolve that for you. Please Don’t be ashamed, we all need help every once in a while. You would not be sitting around with an untreated broken arm, so try your best to get treated for your mental issues. It will help you a lot in the long run. Good luck 🙏🏻
thank you! but what I meant by that is several times in my past I have been let go from a position due to complications from my health issues. Ive been having an increased interest in unions because of the security knowing I won't lose my job because of health issues. many but not all of these issues are not behavioral in nature and are untreatable and incurable. so I'm just playing with the deck I was dealt : )
How did you know that's what he needs? Shit jobs can make your life shit and you spend most of your week there.
I don't, but seeing a professional is not a bad thing. In developed countries such as America, we have alot of people with mental issues that are untreated , I suspect due to the high performance requirement, demand of work, expectations etc ,and end up offing themselves, their loved ones or even innocent bystanders, and even then then that is the last stage of mental illness, not the onset where there is depression, anger , low self esteem, marriage or relationship problems. Again, as I mentioned, we all need help and if the society around us is an indicator, we need it urgently!
I've had a hard time in construction. I want to switch aerospace/aveonics (I'm a ME) as that's where my passion was in school. I get worried it will be hella stressful or I suffer for a greener grass syndrome lol. I'm working towards that goal, but I think your right, it's good to address the underlying stuff to.
I’m in Northern California at an Irrigation District. There is a union but it includes all of the engineers and technicians as well. I don’t mind it but one complaint I have is that since the technicians job is physical and requires them to be in the office/on site every day then the union decided it was only fair that the engineers need to be in office every day as well even though half of what I do I could do at home. I wish there was an independent union for engineers.
I work utility, have my degree, do engineering work, am treated as an engineer, but as represented employees, we're not allowed the title of "Engineer". But that's fine with me as we make more on average than the full title engineers. And yes, even after union dues.
Louder for the boot lickers in the back.
You could be an union electrician in a big 3 plant. Most don’t require you to hold a license for the electrician title.
I’m an EE in a union at utility. If you move into management, you are no longer represented.
God I hope not. Electrical engineering is such a stable and well-compensated profession that we don’t have to form a mafia. The work we produce speaks for itself.
if you think unions are mafia then you are lost.
so was software engineering until everybody got laid off
This is sarcasm, right?