Entitlement vs. Empowerment
How unfair is it to expect someone to "miss a days work" for hands on evaluation? You "loose" wages with no immediate tangible return. Seems like a no brainer. Problem is that when you scratch the surface of those assumptions they evaporate like a soap bubble. For instance, "missing a day's work". Why do you have a job as an apprentice? What is an apprentice? Didn't you indenture yourself to the program in order to learn a trade? Part of learning is evaluation. If you are so short sighted as to hold one day's work in more regard than your training, then we did a poor job of interviewing and weeding out during the probationary period. How about the "lost wages" argument? Why do you have a good paying job anyway? Isn't it a training assignment? If you don't want the training part you actually don't want the high paying job either, but that is an inconvenient reality that many apprentices rationalize away. If you wanted a job with no lost time due to training you shouldn't be here, there are other options. Of course on interview day you were willing to go to school, do whatever the standards say, travel anywhere in the jurisdiction, whatever it took. Where did that attitude go? Somewhere about third year many folks start getting into the entitlement mindset. You "deserve" this opportunity. In fact we "owe it to you" to make it as effortles as possible, don't we? I call BS on that attitude. Getting in to the program isn't a lottery. In a lottery you don't have to do anything but buy a ticket. Here you need to demonstrate that you can be an asset to your employers and your Union in order to get in. And then you need to keep showing you are worth having on our team. We have high wages because people sacrificed, we have a training program in order to maintain high standards of performance, and that training program is funded by the sweat of our members. It is a small thing to ask, 5 hours of your time, in order to improve the program. Worst case is that you learn you have the skills it takes to be a certified wireman. Better yet, you might learn some areas you need to improve upon. You will be more marketable as a Journeyman because of that. Next, you might need certification some time down the line. When work slows down here the choice might be travel to California or go to work on that Boeing job that has Certified Wiremen in the specifications. I know where I would rather be. Finally and most importantly we as a program are learning what skills we need to do a better job teaching. These are the skills that keep us productive. Without productive labor YOUR retirement, YOUR health and welfare and YOUR wages are in jeopardy. But like I said earlier, there are other options, I just hope we can do a better job of identifying the people who are in it for the highest possible wages at the minimum possible effort. Those folks don't belong on the team. There is a reward for minimum effort, it is called minimum wage, and it is the direction we are all heading if we don't hold each other to the highest standards of safety, production and winning attitudes.
How unfair is it to expect someone to "miss a days work" for hands on evaluation? You "loose" wages with no immediate tangible return. Seems like a no brainer. Problem is that when you scratch the surface of those assumptions they evaporate like a soap bubble. For instance, "missing a day's work". Why do you have a job as an apprentice? What is an apprentice? Didn't you indenture yourself to the program in order to learn a trade? Part of learning is evaluation. If you are so short sighted as to hold one day's work in more regard than your training, then we did a poor job of interviewing and weeding out during the probationary period. How about the "lost wages" argument? Why do you have a good paying job anyway? Isn't it a training assignment? If you don't want the training part you actually don't want the high paying job either, but that is an inconvenient reality that many apprentices rationalize away. If you wanted a job with no lost time due to training you shouldn't be here, there are other options. Of course on interview day you were willing to go to school, do whatever the standards say, travel anywhere in the jurisdiction, whatever it took. Where did that attitude go? Somewhere about third year many folks start getting into the entitlement mindset. You "deserve" this opportunity. In fact we "owe it to you" to make it as effortles as possible, don't we? I call BS on that attitude. Getting in to the program isn't a lottery. In a lottery you don't have to do anything but buy a ticket. Here you need to demonstrate that you can be an asset to your employers and your Union in order to get in. And then you need to keep showing you are worth having on our team. We have high wages because people sacrificed, we have a training program in order to maintain high standards of performance, and that training program is funded by the sweat of our members. It is a small thing to ask, 5 hours of your time, in order to improve the program. Worst case is that you learn you have the skills it takes to be a certified wireman. Better yet, you might learn some areas you need to improve upon. You will be more marketable as a Journeyman because of that. Next, you might need certification some time down the line. When work slows down here the choice might be travel to California or go to work on that Boeing job that has Certified Wiremen in the specifications. I know where I would rather be. Finally and most importantly we as a program are learning what skills we need to do a better job teaching. These are the skills that keep us productive. Without productive labor YOUR retirement, YOUR health and welfare and YOUR wages are in jeopardy. But like I said earlier, there are other options, I just hope we can do a better job of identifying the people who are in it for the highest possible wages at the minimum possible effort. Those folks don't belong on the team. There is a reward for minimum effort, it is called minimum wage, and it is the direction we are all heading if we don't hold each other to the highest standards of safety, production and winning attitudes.
These are my opinions and do not necessarily express those of my employer, your JATC.
Greg McMurphy
