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RE: Radiation Control Technician




> RE: Radiation Control Technician
> 
> Fact of the matter is that many folks were able to start as hp techs
> during the 80's boom. Back then all you had to do was be at the right bar
> at the right time to get a job in a power plant. Many started jumping
> generator bowls, sweeping floors, etc, then decided they liked what thay
> saw the Hp's doing (nothing) and went (on the road) from there. 
> 
> A few years ago there was a glut of road techs, all the utilities were
> slimming down, cutting not just the length of the outages, but the level
> of staffing. Some of this had to do with competition, some with new
> 10cfr20, some with re-engineering, etc. Rent-a-tech companies lowballed
> bids to get contracts, so you saw things like $12 an hour senior pay at
> Com-Ed while Firewatches got almost twice that and were treated way better
> (almost like human beings). Work harder, less pay, no stablility or life
> (social, family), no wonder there is a shortage now. Folks have no choice.
> 
> 
> I consider myself fortunate, using my training in the nav as an ELT to
> land a rent-a-tech Senior job. A few years of that, and I studied and
> passed the NRRPT test. Now I am taking my last class toward my BS degree.
> I have been lucky to fnd lots of long term employment with Bartlett lately
> at Clinton (good money) and Monticello (home!) but it wont last. Time to
> change. It will take someone starting out, new grad, MANY years before
> they get the TIME the utilities look for to make Senior, much less  the 5
> yr for NRRPT. Why bother, the money isnt there anymore. Get a job at a
> hospital or University, if you dont mind the low wage.
> 
> Or better yet, take a computer certificate program at a community college.
> You wont have to sweat or get dose,  you will work normal hours, and
> actually be in a growing field in high demand. I know a few techs that
> have gone this route (contributing to the Bartlett shortage). Believe me,
> I am considering this myself if (when) the gravy train runs out. Too bad,
> I really like HP Stuff. 
> 
> Charles Migliore RRPT
> 
> 	-----Original Message-----
> 	From:	radmax [SMTP:radmax@duesouth.net]
> 	Sent:	Sunday, May 16, 1999 3:04 PM
> 	To:	Multiple recipients of list
> 	Subject:	Re: Radiation Control Technician
> 
> 
> 
> 	Doug Gossen wrote
> 		>.......It is statements like yours that are
> 		>generalizing the health physics career opportunities that
> is reducing the
> 		>number of individuals coming in to the profession.  
> 
> 
> 		Nobody should be discouraged from telling the truth.  The
> truth is that there is a big problem in the power industry.
> 
> 		One comment stated that it wouldn't be so bad if all of the
> outages weren't at the same time.  I would think that outages will
> continue
> to stay aligned to ensure that the plants are online during the warmer
> months.  These are the months where the utilities make their money.  If
> plants try to shuffle a bit during the winter time, they'll lose fuel
> burn-up, is that acceptable to the utility?  Probably not.  You must also
> be
> careful or the next outage 18 months later will fall during the summer and
> that is totally unacceptable.
> 
> 		I think the utility industry needs to work with the contract
> tech industry to find some solutions.  The needs of the contract RPT and
> the
> utilities seem to be opposite interests, until the utility complains that
> they can't get enough people to staff their outage.  There are some really
> good people being put into difficult situations because the industry is
> changing around them and there is absolutely nothing they can do to alter
> that course.  I guess I am resigned to think that it'll only continue to
> get
> worse until the utilities suffer enough.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 		If you do not feel
> 		>there is a need for more HP grads, I invite you to talk to
> Bartlett Nuclear
> 		>who told me they were short 1800 techs for the scheduled
> outages this
> 		>spring.  
> 
> 
> 		What kind of career is a couple of short outages a year?  It
> all boils down to being able to take care of families and people looking
> for
> stability as they get older.  I have great respect for the travelers that
> have helped me over the years and hope positive change will come soon.
> 
> 		Sincerely,
> 		glen
> 
> 		glen.vickers@ucm.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 		The data does not lie, there is a shortage of HP techs.  As
> for
> 		>your point about the change in outage lenght, I agree.
> 		>That is my 2 cents worth,
> 		>Doug Gossen
> 		>Lakeshore Technical College
> 		>
> 	Yes Doug, THERE IS a shortage of Techs in commercial power, for
> THREE, MAYBE FOUR months of the year, Spring and Fall, then there is NO
> WORK.  Most of the techs I know have other jobs to fall back on, many
> paying
> under the table, just to make ends meet.  As has been stated elsewhere,
> working for 4 to 5 months (3 outages if your lucky) doesn't pay the bills.
> Its not so much that the outages are so short, its that they are always
> scheduled for the same times.  This Spring, over 30 outages were scheduled
> to start within a 3 week time frame, all of which were less than 6 weeks
> duration, but long enough that you couldn't go to another outage.  If the
> utilities were to spread out the work load, form alliances with plants in
> neighboring states and schedule outages back to back, fewer of us would be
> trying to get out of the business or resorting to DOE contracts.
> 		>
> 	Steve Hand wrote
> 			>>  The key to the hiring was the experience level.
> Over the
> 			>> past few years, a majority of the plants ONLY
> wanted Sr. Techs,
> 			>> eliminating the Jr. Tech positions. This
> eliminates ALL entry level
> 			>> techs.
> 		>  It is easy to pick out statements, like the one above,
> and make a comment
> 		>on it - so for the sake of argument I have done this -
> however, I would
> 	like
> 		>to know what will happen when the senior techs retire, and
> there are no
> 		>junior or entry level techs to take their place.  If they
> are not working
> 		>under a senior tech, nor being trained (and college courses
> don't count
> 		>because this is not hands on experience) by one, who will
> do the jobs when
> 		>the personnel are required.  This seems to be a downwared
> spiraling
> 		>condition - when it bottoms out, what will happen ?  Will
> these junior and
> 		>entry level techs then be able to command or demand high
> pay, OT, etc...
> 		>again.
> 		>Thanks,
> 		>Steve Hand
> 		>Radiation Safety
> 		>University of Maryland
> 		>
> 	Jr tech's have NEVER been able to demand HIGH pay.  Traditionally,
> many of these jobs were reserved for Senior Techs wives/girlfriends or
> other
> family/friends as incentive to bring the experienced techs to one job or
> another.  I was lucky (unlucky, depending on how you want to look at it)
> to
> get in entry level ($5.00/hr $35 per diem, Seniors were making $12-$14 and
> $50) at Palo Verde in 1988 with IRM (who incidentally was kicked off the
> Phx
> area Tech schools campus's for recruiting in Jr.s to sort trash, all of
> whom
> were told they would be working as Instrumentation techs within 6
> month's).
> I took a road job when it looked like layoffs were imminant, and with all
> the downtime it took me 6 years to make ANSI 3.1 Senior Technician status.
> The outages are MUCH shorter now.
> 	And, as has been mentioned, when Union Laborer's (Com-Ed) are being
> paid $21+/hr to sweep the floor w/no responsibilities, and 3.1 Senior
> Tech's
> with 6+ years exp. are paid $17.00 and $50.00 diem W/Massive
> responsibilities, PLUS potential LIABILITIES down the road (20 years from
> now---3 pack a day smoker gets lung cancer and blames it on that little
> puff
> of dust he inhaled from doing something wrong when you weren't looking)
> WHO NEEDS IT.  Everyone I know is trying to bail out as fast as possible,
> even many of the DOE housetypes here at Savanah River.
> 	Either get the 4 year Rad degree and get a job in something
> environmental, or go with another career.  Forget nuclear power, thanks to
> Jimmy Carter.
> 
> 
> 	
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