And the furlough begins...

That is the good part of living in a place without much federal government.
I had to turn on the TV to even know there was a shutdown.

Hopefully, it will be short lived.

Me too. Hate to start at the bottom with as much I have invested. At same time I'm tired of silly games just to do my job.

Sparkyinak .. It should end for you pretty soon, .......

Ya cant beat a government job .. I would of liked one. Although like during my unions days .. we all were just a number and nothing was permanent.

Oh in not too worried about it. Per say. Just a blow to economy and some were just getting by beforehand. It's embarrassing for the country as a whole that have cry babies throwing hissy fits, the same ones we entrusted to lead us.

This thread has a real potential for turning political, which is against ECN policy.

Please don't let that happen

Totally agree. Not my intentions

I always thought the electrical trade was a construction trade - where you're always 'unemployed' the moment you finish a job. You get to wait for the next customer to call. Sparkys often hop back and forth between contractors, following the work- which is where the union hall comes in.

This idea of spending a career with one employer, predictable paychecks, full 'benefits,' and special retirement privileges
is a type of work most tradesmen can't even imagine.

Starting at the bottom? Heck, when I was raised, the "government" is who hired you if no one else would. Government work hasn't been the employer of last resort for decades now.

Take advantage of this opportunity to see how the world looks to everyone else.

I'm am. Thanx. My job is rather unique given my area of coverage where i wore several hats. I stay up with trades and worked with many of them in various projects. Although I had a desk, I was no desk jockey. I have the scars and caluses to prove it. It was the means to take care of my kids in a tough economy. Being vested makes it hard to just walk away. With my time with them, I have been very fourtuntate to learn and to do things I would not have the opportunity in the private sector.

I'm not setting on my thumbs waiting for this mess to be over. No telling what's on the other side. Maybe it's a opportunity for me to try new things. Time will tell

My wife's electrician weathered out the housing crash in the hospitality industry, hotels and country clubs. Now he says he would not go back to construction.
Once you get some established customers the work is steady. There is a lot of word of mouth in that arena. Everybody knows each other. Good guys get all the work they want.

Amen to that Greg!

Word of mouth, referals from established clients is a very, very valuable resource

I was able to put the furlough time to good use around the house, the largest project was to strip and reshingle the house. I had some good help and I am glad that the furlough is over.

Shane

Glad to hear you're back to work!

Thanx John. Yeah I'm back, sorta. With tying up loose ends on Home projects and playing catchup at work, and now in Seattle on an earlier planned but needed shoping trip, I haven't been in the board much. Still playing catch up. Hope don't go through this again in January.

Yes, the upcoming January possibility looming is not a good thing.

A lot of people here were affected with an unwanted vacation.

Only the private sector, the government employees got an exta 2½ weeks paid vacation

For most of the people I work with, it was no vacation. Bills and interest rates don't stop just because the government does on the personal side. It also put personal plans on hold and even canceled some. Reimbursement of lost wages are not guaranteed.

AWork wise, it puts everyone weeks behind because our work don't stop either. Up here lot of work is weather dependent and the weather here is in its downward spiral so the windows of opportunities are gone. This makes the work even more riskier then normal. This adds to project costs just like in the private sector. Unlike the private sector that may be able to go back to be reimbursed for unplanned costs, we just eat the added costs. In turn, other work gets or just have to do with even less. It's not the bed of roses that every one makes it out to be.

I agree with you John. The January/February dates already has put a hurt on the economy. Many just haven't realized it yet. Most people I work with to include myself have put plans on hold because they don't want to be over extended due to pending uncertainly. Unlike October where the budget and the fiscal ceiling was two weeks a part. The next one, there is over a month long gap between the two. January up here can be particularly hard to be caught cashless up here. Just like many households, it takes two incomes to keep your head above water. Some of my co workers are married to each other so any furlough can be a double whammy for some.

There have been 17 of these shutdowns and the federal workers always get paid. It is the rest of country that takes the hit.

AFGE was even offering interest free loans for the furloughed workers.

Just because furloughed govt employees got paid in the past does not not mean they will with every furlough. As for AFGE giving out intrest free loads, i don't know of them or what they do. They are not in my neck of the woods so I can't say either way.

It's not been easy for any of us through this whole mess. I can not go in greater details here on the board because I respect its rules and agree this is a place for electricians to talk shop. Anyone can private message me if they care to and vent or find out more about what I do. I'm no different than any other electrician. I follow the same rules as everyone else and more that many of you don't.