That's true to some degree. The IUOE is intended to be the boiler operator's union, but they aren't really a trade union, so to speak. The international IUOE website has a focus on stationary engineers and heavy equipment operators, but their local (Local 70) actually represents many different types of workers, including the following (I copied this from the Local 70 website):
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Occupational Job Titles Represented by Local 70
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Accounting Clerks
Air Conditioning Techs
Automated Building Tecs
AV Techs
Bakers
Bio-Medical Technicians
Boiler Operators
Bookeepers
Building Supervisors
Bus Aides
Bus Drivers
Carpenters
Clerks
Computer Operators
Computer Techs
Cooks
Courier Drivers
Custodians
Dispatchers
Educational Assistants
Electricians
Electronic Techs
Energy Techs
Fire Fighters
Food Production Employees
Food Service Aides
Foresters
Groundskeepers
Hall Monitors
Housekeepers
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Instrumentation Techs
Laborers
Landscapers
Laundry Workers
Lead/Foremen
Librarian Assistants
Librarians
Light/Medium/Heavy Equipment Operators
Linemen
Materials Managers
Mechanic Maintenance Engineers
Mechanics
Nurses Aides
Painters
Park Rangers
Plumbers
Pool Operators
Power Plant Operators
Printers
Recess Assistants
Refrigeration Techs
Secretaries
Sludge Haulers
Storekeepers
Truck Drivers
Typists
Utility Service Workers
Wastewater Operators
Water Plant Operators
Zamboni Drivers
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Local 70 doesn't function as a trade union "hiring hall" like the electricians or pipefitter unions. They are a union kind of like the Teamsters, The Grain Millers, etc. These unions sometimes organize employees "wall to wall", including all hourly employees of a company (or at least most).
The electrician's union actually represents most of the operating engineers at the big Xcel Energy plants, so they are more the stationary engineers union for the big stuff as far as we can tell.
There are many union boiler operators out there, but most of them belong to whatever union organized their employer as a whole. At least that's what we have found over the last 15 years in business.
Because there aren't any local unions with an exclusive focus on boiler operators, we have always tried to take the place of a union where services were needed. For example, we tried to get the word out when extensive changes to boiler laws were being considered last year. We did this so boiler operators would have a chance to respond to the changes.
None of the local unions attempted to inform their membership on these issues, at least in a significant way, like sending mail to their membership (at least as far as we know). Check with the message boards on our other site (www.sprungservices.com) for some of the details of the changes and the discussion beforehand. We also sent out mailers and bulk email to inform operators, along with just discussing it with our network of operators.
Our other company (Sprung Services) employs boiler operators. Our permanent workers chose to belong to the Teamsters when they organized. As management, we recognized the union with no resistance because we want our employees to have a voice and The Teamsters have a 401k plan for our employees (which we contribute to).
Most people think all employers are opposed to unions. In our case we have found that what is good for boiler operators is also good for us in most cases. We have always tried to make our decisions this way and it has served us well in the past.
I guess our advice is to apply for the job you want rather than the union. If the job is good, it probably has a good union, or is a good job regardless of union affiliation.
-Reed |