What's up from Michigan!

[Tree Machine]

Bliemeister, thank you for sharing with us what you guy do, the circumstances under which you do it and for whom.

You're an important part of our Profession as a whole. Whenever there's a major weather thing, we see you guys on the news. Whenever there's a tree downed across a power line, I don't have to go into harms way because you guys are there.

So here's a question.... If you got permanently laid off, would you venture out on your own and become a residential arborist? You've got solid training, and the fundamentals, and although the utility has taught you a few bad habits, arboristsite would see those things get straightened out and we lern ya properly.

With your skills, do you do sideline tree work on your free time? I know a few firemen who do that.

 

[topnotchtree]

TM, lol about the bad habits, i will be the first to admit to a few. When i started in early 93, i was laid off three times in 2 years before i got my journeymans card. While laid off I worked for a private tree company. After I got my card, it seems the threat of lay-offs went away for awile. But with the deregulation comming on the way it is, the past couple of years have been a bit more scary. Like i said, lots of politics involved. Basically though, if you are a good employee, you shouldnt stay laid off for very long. And our health and welfare fund covers our insurance for roughly 6 months while we collect unemployment. I was laid off in oct of 01 till feb of 02. then worked till contract talks between the utility and the contract companies came to play in feb of 04. Was laid off for 2 weeks while the companies got crews shuffled around and equipment in. Been workin ever since. There are a lot of guys that do side jobs to help pay the bills, I am one of them. Some guys have equipment and carry insurance, most guys don't. I kinda regret admitting i fall in the don't catagory. But that is a whole other issue, and I am sure I will hear about that from some of you. I'll take it. I have an old 1 ton dump with an old drum chipper. Works great for me.

 

[Tree Machine]

Hey, we all gotta start somewhere. Not how or where or why you started should be an issue to flame you over. The fact that you're here amping up your knowledge, abilities and future direction is to be celebrated.

And it's not how pretty your rig is. It's all about your interaction with the people you serve, and the level of quality you put into caring for the trees (and the cleanup). The rest is details.

If it were about looks and equipment, I'd have been sunk a long time ago.

 

[topnotchtree]

my beast

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment_10655.php I have no idea if this will work. lets see

 

[Tree Machine]

It works. In the image down there that you have to open, I show you the control for imbedding the image so it pops up in the text.

All I see is you need a tarp-type cover to keep your chips from overspraying.

Looks like you found a loyal ground guy.

 

[topnotchtree]

chip box

I did install a http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment_11613.php chip box since that photo.

 

[Tree Machine]

You mean since THIS photo

After 40 or 50 loads you'll notice that the chips are about to blow a major hole through the plywood. See if you can find yourself a sheet of aluminum or sheet metal to protect the impact wall. Its one of those things, you can do it now, or you can do it later, but ya gotta eventually do something.

Nice addition. Looks like it about doubled your capacity.

 

[topnotchtree]

Thanks TM. I will try better next time, lol

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Are you a <i>Michigander</i>, or a <i>Michiganian</i>?

If he's Jewish, don't say "Mi-shi-ga-ner"

 

[Tree Machine]

Yer funny. I'm serious. This debate has gotten tied up in Michigan legislature and politics and law and other ugly arenas. I'm just wondering if they ever came up with anything.

 

[Local # 17 T.T.]

Ed pretty much summed it up about the union. There's both good and bad, but however bad people think it is, could you imagine if we we're non-union. They would really dog us then! Besides the increasing in health & welfare and some other small issues, local #17 has stood be me. I do feel that they are in bed with the companies at times, but the real thing that hurts tree trimmers in local #17 IMO is there is no real unity amongst it's members, unlike the line-workers. Example with inclement weather, you will have some crews that will work in rain/wet snow while other crews will not. The companies use this to their advantage and exploit it! It's the divide and conquer tactic. So it's not a matter of a strong union or not, you only as strong as your weakest link! Thanks,

Mike Davis
:Monkey:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

As long as there are suits running the company, making 6-7 figure sallaries, you will need suits running unions and collective bargining to make sure the "little guy" can get his pittiance.

 

[glens]

I've worked in both union and non-union shops and in my experience the non-union shops always treated the employees better and vice versa.&nbsp; There's invariably an "us v. them" attitude in the union shops.

I've seen legitimate grievance after legitimate grievance get dropped, while hardhat color get hotly contested while an IBEW member out west, and here in the midwest, have done just about every job imaginable as an outside contractor in plants represented by them without getting carded the first time.&nbsp; I'm sure they had their time in various places but for the most part worker unions seem to be a detriment these days.

I'll never forget one day making a service call in Chicago and the workers causing the company to be billed an extra $200 for our time while we waited and waited and waited for somebody to come and pull the handle on an electrical disconnect right at the door we were going to service.&nbsp; We couldn't do it and they wouldn't do it because we weren't card-carrying ironworkers.&nbsp; Pure insanity.

Glen

 

[Crofter]

I've worked in both union and non-union shops I'm sure they had their time in various places but for the most part worker unions seem to be a detriment these days.
Glen

Glen I have worked both shops too and a bit of management and tools on each.
A lot the working conditions that most workers enjoy today were established by or modelled on union efforts. Even in non union shops, the knowledge that organising a union is an option has an effect. Dont think that since the work is done, discouraging unions would not result in a gradual regression of beneficial conditions for all workers.

It is correct that a lot of stupidity gets credited to union activity and some of it is well founded. That incident you cite might have been part of a work to rule for other ongoing issues such as perhaps arbitrary employer actions.

don't put too much faith in big brothers good nature; a group has more bargaining power than an individual!

 

[Tree Machine]

And that, right there is the basis of why unions are.

Without the unions, every time the Company feels a financial pinch (real, perceived or fabricated), it's the benefits and pay to the guys like you n' me that get cut first...... except for that the collective bargaining of the union says, "Hey, if you're gonna make us bend over and pick up the soap, we can strike."

Now, nobody, including myself, likes a strike, but if it weren't for that method of strong communication, workers would simply be taken advantage of, as has happened throughout the pre-union industrial revolution, and even today in sweatshops all over the world. There are power in numbers. The key is not to abuse or take undue advantage of that power.

Given that there's good and bad in everything, I respect the tools that keep the common working man from getting screwed. I'm glad there is a sector of unionized arborists. Keep up good, high working standards and everyone wins.