Here is what I don't get.

[bobbo]

Just about every article on those higher mortality rates talks about fishing, farming and logging, not one mention of lineman. While I do agree that some of the non-union contractors do a poor job of training some of their young help and seem to think that sleeves and rubber overshoes are better than proper training, that's not a Southern lineman thing, that's an industry wide problem. A lot of us Southern lineman haven't lost a thing up the country and don't want your work, we only generally go to help on storm breaks to help out, we are happy right down here where we are. Charlie.

Does it really matter? We are all Americans?

[Lineman North Florida]

Does it really matter? We are all Americans?

Doesn't matter to me one bit, we are all Americans, go back and read your first post, you are the one that said Southern lineman had a higher mortality rate than Northern lineman, I still have yet to see any proof of that, the facts seem to be that the 48% number that you posted are for people working in fishing, farming and logging in right to work states, and that covers a whole lot more than just the Southern states.

[bobbo]

Scour through the OSHA incidents, in the South there are a lot of deaths. It seems you are at a utility. Your fine.

But we see death posts from the South twice a week.

The Southern guys hit our halls in droves. It takes 4 years to be journeyman lineman here. These guys are hitting our halls with less than 3 years in the trade as lineman. Most have problems with pills. I have worked with Southern lineman, there are good ones. Then there are one that carry a bottle of piss with them all the time. Seen a guy smoke glass dicks all the time.

i am not going to work with guys like that nor will I let any apprentice work with someone like that. No one needs it anywhere. Southern guys are double booking all the halls here. Here we respect the union and do the right thing like your halls should.

Some me day the International will figure out who is on the books, not signed up on 5 to 10 books at a time. It's not right for people who are out of work. Not looking to Goldmine the North!
Working rat and waiting for a 47 dollar hour scale is wrong. If you are out of work sign one set of foreign books like everyone else does in the IBEW!

[bobbo]

Union linemen in Michigan are working, if there is not an issue with them.

You get the weather from the lakes. You might have a week of 5 2s in March. January and February it's so cold your boogers freeze. Just wait ten seconds and the weather changes. Michigan is nuts!

[bobbo]

Then check out Mastech compared to any other electrical contractor and utility and you might say that number is not far from the truth.