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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 251
T
Member
Do you guys see alot of inspectors checking licenses? I have been doing this for 8yrs and I have never been asked for a card.

I didn't have reason to care before, but now with me wanting to go farther in my career and knowing how hard I have worked to get here, I'm more bothered by it.

I have worked for quite a few companies, that have had $13 hr. appentices running crews.

With the economy and how cut throat electrical is already... its gotta hurt when the competition is using apprentices to run crews. They can (and do) have 2 guys crews and have less than $25 per hr. out there wiring houses.

So just curious.. and to any inspectors reading this.... CHECK CARDS!!! ... please smile

... I'll add this too... We have been underbid in residential by a company using mainly apprentices (1 J-men, out of 5 crews) This is residential and he bid $1.77 per sq. ft. Thats a rediculas price... I know how hes doing it, its one part business volume, one part cheap labor. The volume part is fair, the cheap labor part is not.


Shake n Bake
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Joined: Nov 2006
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I have always wondered how an entire crew of "non-English" speaking "electricians" could have electrical licenses. Is the NEC printed in Spanish?


101° Rx = + /_\
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,429
L
LK Offline
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Originally Posted by Trick440
Do you guys see alot of inspectors checking licenses? I have been doing this for 8yrs and I have never been asked for a card.

I didn't have reason to care before, but now with me wanting to go farther in my career and knowing how hard I have worked to get here, I'm more bothered by it.

I have worked for quite a few companies, that have had $13 hr. appentices running crews.

With the economy and how cut throat electrical is already... its gotta hurt when the competition is using apprentices to run crews. They can (and do) have 2 guys crews and have less than $25 per hr. out there wiring houses.

So just curious.. and to any inspectors reading this.... CHECK CARDS!!! ... please smile

... I'll add this too... We have been underbid in residential by a company using mainly apprentices (1 J-men, out of 5 crews) This is residential and he bid $1.77 per sq. ft. Thats a rediculas price... I know how hes doing it, its one part business volume, one part cheap labor. The volume part is fair, the cheap labor part is not.


"I know how hes doing it, its one part business volume, one part cheap labor. The volume part is fair, the cheap labor part is not."

If he is doing 1.77 a sq in volume, it just means he is going to get in trouble faster then the guy charging $2.00 a sq. The biggest complaint from production builders, is the electrical guys bid low, then come back looking for more money, or they don't come back to finish.

Some of these guys think if they get their foot in the door they will make up the money later, later never comes.

A good number of these guys have unpaid bills at the supply house, un paid insurances, and nothing more then a guess that they are making money.

The sad part is, when they drop out, another brain child comes along and tries it, sort of like watching someone jump off a building and splashing on the ground, then thinking maby he just din't do it right.


Last edited by LK; 04/06/07 08:20 PM.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
"Is the NEC printed in Spanish? "

Yes, it is.

Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 22
H
Junior Member
Originally Posted by Trick440
Do you guys see alot of inspectors checking licenses? I have been doing this for 8yrs and I have never been asked for a card.

I didn't have reason to care before, but now with me wanting to go farther in my career and knowing how hard I have worked to get here, I'm more bothered by it.

I have worked for quite a few companies, that have had $13 hr. appentices running crews.

With the economy and how cut throat electrical is already... its gotta hurt when the competition is using apprentices to run crews. They can (and do) have 2 guys crews and have less than $25 per hr. out there wiring houses.

So just curious.. and to any inspectors reading this.... CHECK CARDS!!! ... please smile

... I'll add this too... We have been underbid in residential by a company using mainly apprentices (1 J-men, out of 5 crews)

In NH you have to have a licence for every non-licence on the job

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 251
T
Member
Quote

In NH you have to have a licence for every non-licence on the job


I thought it was the same everywhere. In MI its one j-man, for 2 apprentices.

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 449
F
Member
A little off the main subject, but I guess I don't pay enough attention to my own license cards. I was checking all of my licenses at the first of the year to see what needs renewed. Some are automatically expired in January and some are 12 months from date of issue. I noticed one that expired 4/01 that said "Licensed Journeyman Plumber" on it. It was my Master Electrician License for Muncie, Indiana. I went to the municipal building to renew it this week and asked if I could be an electrician this year. The lady was a little red-faced and said they must have loaded the wrong card blank in the printer last year. I told he from what I'd seen, there must be a lot of plumbers out there with licenses issued by mistake!

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 25
M
Member
in maryland all you need is the boss to be a master electrician. as far as checking for juridictional licenses forget it, i know people who have over 25 yrs. in the trade and don't hold a license, some of them used to have them but got tired of paying the fees to carry all of them. as for bidding low- nobody mentioned better trained or highly specialized. some of these resi crews kick it in the @ss and put other crews to shame. not only do they come in with a complete game plan/materials/tools etc. they also know the ins and outs of the local codes and know exactly how the g.c.'s and other subs operate. also oftenly the workers operate at piece rate

Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 745
E
Member
The only times in my entire career that I have been required to show my card is when pulling permits (and that's my contractor's license). I have never had an inspector request to see it.


---Ed---

"But the guy at Home Depot said it would work."
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 31
M
Junior Member
In Maine, we have a one to one ratio but very few inspectors. The rural parts of the state are flooded with hacks wiring houses for 25$ per hour, and getting away with it all day long.

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