Hello,I'm DTRave420...

[Administrator]

I was a member of the IBEW for 16 years myself. I made a choice to get out while I still had my health, based on the advice of MANY old timers still in the trade. When I found out that the average retiree lived only 5 years past their retirement...I knew I had to change paths. I was working my life away for a few good years at the end (not guaranteed) and decided I would rather live my life in a way that brought me 'good years' now. That's the best guarantee I could find to truly be happy. The Union had many benefits for me, but it had a lot of downfalls to go with it. In my case the bad outweighed the good and I stepped away. I miss the $$$ I once had, but I'm far happier doing what I do now.

[Budweiser 3]

yipper..i hear ya "hand" ...on the construction side been journeyman Pipefitter fer10 yrs 15yrs of chemichal plant work boilermaker...my dr put me on the "DL"...i had no say in the matter...really sucks actually i goin crazy not being on my tools....guess i trade'm fer oxygen bottles ......againh welcome too the "GK" family Budweiser 3

[DTRave420]

Understood fellas...I'm cappin' my 22nd vested year shortly and that's not including accrued years...I've been exposed to so much shite you'd FKN cry...Clouds of masonry dust from chopsaws,mini grinders,etc have been a part of my life for so long I can't remember anything else...I also worked 2 blocks from ground zero less than a week after 9/11 and stayed there until Feb 02...Got layed off and went back to work at the same building in the spring...During my first month on that job,my lungs were on fire like nothing I've ever experienced to this day...Trucks would drive by and you could smell death...Downtown was a ghost town...Even bus drivers were wearin' dustmasks...
I don't know exactly what I'm tryin' to say except that I'm still here movin' with the moves and very jealous of you guys that are collectin',lol!!!I'll get there as well...
Much RESPECT for ya...