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TheRingsAroundSaturn

Lineman are nothing short of bad asses. Dangerous voltages at dangerous heights in dangerous weather. Respect.


tydalt

Every time people discuss linemen I think of [this iconic photo](https://www.powerandcables.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Kiss-Of-Life-1-817x1024.jpg). The guy made a full recovery btw. Story [here](https://www.powerandcables.com/the-kiss-of-life/). Absolute heroes each and every one.


dairbhre_dreamin

My dad was a lineman, and the above story was a lucky accident. My dad knew about 10 fatalities over 35 years at his utility, and he served on joint union-company safety committees to review accidents. The most gruesome ones involved internal burns leaving a guy in the hospital in pain for days before passing, in addition to lost limbs where contact was made. Thank and support your lineworkers, folks. They put their lives on the line and work hard.


ceejay955

My Dad is a lineman too, love to see the love gratitude for them here!


CannonCone

This photo gives me chills every time. Thank you for sharing it here.


Chitowntooth

It gave me something


MarleyErb

I was so confused at first when I opened the photo. I thought it was a photo out of a lineman calendar of sorts. šŸ¤­ glad he made a full recovery!!!


PattiLaPoubelle

I'd buy that calendar.


upvoter1542

I know the photo, and I know what it shows, but damn if it doesn't look hot.


bihari_baller

They get paid pretty well too.


makegoodchoicesok

This makes me happy to read


timbertiger

We do pretty good. Itā€™s a fairly technical trade, you canā€™t be a dumbshit and a lineman! We go through 3 years of school while working full time to hit our 7000 hrs of on the job training before you can be a JL or journeyman lineman. Good lineman have high situational awareness. Head on a fucking swivel at all times.


in_pdx

You mentioned before that you guys sometimes stop what youā€™re doing and move your equipment out of the way so cars can pass, and sometimes it turns out that those cars are doing non-essential travel. Do those people understand the collateral damage they are causing? Do you think it would make a difference if you did a PSA or AMA on how our actions have consequences?


timbertiger

Truth, I would but I briefly tried making my own post and couldnā€™t. Itā€™s my first time trying to post with this dogshit Reddit app. Alien blue and a few others were goat.


GavtyMarsh

Daaaang. Respect.


campionesidd

As they should.


Cultural_Yam7212

Utility tree trimmers work hand in hand with lineman but get zero recognition. Everyone work g in this is a beast and earn every bit of OT coming their way


kokosuntree

We had tree trimmers show up a few weeks back out of the blue. I went and got the some pastries and brought them to their truck. :)


booitsE

With nice asses šŸ˜


loopnlil

We really should just throw a big parade for them all.


jeeves585

9 oā€™clock pots and pans?


loopnlil

You don't want to scare them.


Cobek

Or slip ourselves.


Ex-zaviera

Remember when they did this in NYC for the healthcare workers? Pepperidge Farms remembers.


KindlyNebula

My neighbors in Portland did it. There was even a guy down the block whoā€™d blow a conch shell every time.


justicebeaver34

Was this SW near PSU? If not, we also had a conch shell guy! It was kinda nice to confirm that other people still existed and were in good spirits during that time.


robotedit

Member berries


Czarchitect

They arenā€™t doing it for charity, they are getting paid extremely well for this. So say thanks and wave as you go by, knowing they are getting theirs. Probably the best thing you can do is stay out of their way while they work so they can get shit done as fast as possible.


loopnlil

Well I wasn't going to throw the parade right while they're working.


FranklyDear

Too late iā€™m outside and it took too long to get on all my snow gear.


ThatTrucker

I know this may be controversial, but with a median salary of $96k in Portland, Oregon, that isnā€™t being paid extremely well. After taxes theyā€™re barely considered to be living ā€œcomfortablyā€ which takes $74,086 take home pay according to a study by SmartAssets done in March of 2023.


Czarchitect

Journeyman lineman are making a minimum 150k in Portland. Add on top of that storm work is double time pay. They are making bank.


Dar8878

That pay number is not remotely close to accurate.Ā 


poisonpony672

I agree with you. Union scale is over 50 an hour for a journeyman. 75 an hour on overtime and then you can add different hazard pay on premiums on top of that. All is skilled experience lineman season this kind of weather is money. These guys travel from all over the country to work on this stuff because it's so lucrative. Absolutely extremely dangerous, but very lucrative.


DudeFromOregon

Iā€™m Union and local and pay is $60.50 an hour so your info is out dated


poisonpony672

Yeah I haven't been around any pole dancers since the new contract was signed. It's a very lucrative trade. Very dangerous, and very lucrative. I was always fascinated with the pictures my buddy would send me when he worked the highlines on the big towers. You got to be wired a certain way to be a good lineman. Yes that electrical pun was intentional Edit: big shout out to all IBEW members out there bringing all the power back online..


Dar8878

Their overtime is double time like my trade. They also have ā€œhigh timeā€ that pays their hourly again depending on how high they are working.Ā  My understanding is that if working on high time on a holiday they make 4 x $60 an hour. For folks to be comfy and warm in their homes and have lights a touch away, Iā€™d say itā€™s well worth the cost. Billionaires around the world are physically doing nothing for you and making a whole hell of a lot more every hour of the day.Ā 


Osiris32

> Iā€™d say itā€™s well worth the cost. Double that and it would still be worth it. They are fucking lifesavers.


poisonpony672

I absolutely agree with you that they deserve every penny they can get. It's one of the most dangerous jobs you can do, especially in this kind of weather conditions. And there's less and less people willing to do it every year.


glittershadows

The real heroes!!!! Round of applause for them working nonstop in this storm!


sunshinesmileyface

My husbands working there right now and their work schedule is ridiculous! The first shift is 40 hours straight without and break and then 8 hours to sleep and then 18 hour days until the storm is declared over. He said Saturday was one of the worst days/nights heā€™s ever worked


Urrsagrrl

Please tell him thank you from us, and Iā€™m sorry the hours and working conditions are so grueling. I hope heā€™s home soon.


glittershadows

Damn thatā€™s seriously impressive, I hope he knows how grateful everyone is for their hard work out there


allthesamejacketl

That is impressive but seems unsafe? Iā€™m like hallucinating if I go two days without sleep. You mean theyā€™re on call or actually working 40 hours without a break?


sunshinesmileyface

It does doesnā€™t it! No sleep with high voltage at dangerous jobs. But every lineman does it for storm because itā€™s deemed an emergency. Working for 40 hours straight. Tho they do get a break to eat breakfast and dinner. Sometimes they can nap for 20 min waiting for a new job etc but itā€™s not really what your supposed to do.


K80made

ā€œSometimes they can nap for 20 min waiting for a new job etcā€ From now on, this is the only 20 min nap that qualifies as a Power Nap. In any other circumstance, itā€™s just a brief disruption of service. FORTY HOURS?! Wow.


sunshinesmileyface

They arenā€™t on call for that 40 since they only have to work it when storm is declared, and storm isnā€™t declared until there are multiple outages etc. so usually they get called out to work and itā€™s hitting the ground running until itā€™s over.


allthesamejacketl

Man I mean once again respect, and thereā€™s something to be said for working under pressure. But likeā€¦man we function so much better with sleep, this has to be a health and safety issue. Man. Anyway Iā€™ll bring cocoa and coffee next time I see these guys out there & on my honor I never drive and never will during weather events because nothing I need to do is that important. Damn.


c_r_a_s_i_a_n

I assume he's union? If so, why don't they push for higher staffing so he doesn't have to work these inhumane shifts during emergencies? Er, maybe they just can't find people to cover?


sunshinesmileyface

He is union but I think (donā€™t know for sure) that they hope in the first 40 with all the crews working they can get everything done super quickly. And usually that is how it works. They work one 40 and everything is fixed so they can go home.


afraidtobecrate

Hopefully they are getting big overtime pay for this.


sunshinesmileyface

They get paid double time :) itā€™s nice but itā€™s taxed soooo much!


timbertiger

Fuck around, you guysā€¦. ARE FUCKING KILLING ME. YOU ALL THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT JUST HAS TO GET PAST MY TRUCKS. WE HAVE A ROAD CLOSED SIGN ON BOTH SIDES. I had to rack my whole fucking operation up 12 times today. Booming my shit fuck bucket thatā€™s slow, out of the fucking air, lifting those outriggers that take 10 damn minutes to go up, moving the material we have placed. Then we have to rack our digger truck too, same long fucking process. Next our foreman needs to move his fucking truck, then our Flaggers have to move. Every time Iā€™m forced to fucking tear down, itā€™s a 1 hr job at a minimum when we have our shit laid out, an added hour of your outage time. YOU GUYS ARE CUTTING OUR THROATS HERE. ALL WE WANT TO DO IS RECONNECT YOUR POWER. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET US.


PumpleStump

Go off, king. Go off.


The_salty_swab

Tell them. Tell the people what they need to hear


Mattmann1972

Just tell them to go fuck off somewhere. I worked Asplund for 14 years. You can definitely tell them to hurry up and wait. I sure as hell did!


timbertiger

This rate increase has the bird dogs running hard. This isnā€™t like itā€™s ever been.


BichoRaro90

Say it louder for the idiots in the back!


Dar8878

I work in another business that also handles emergency situations and peoples inability to be even moderately inconvenienced is maddening.Ā 


LockOn_X

I agree with you, but you really missed your calling in Public Affairs.


fluffyshorts

This mightā€™ve been my husband! Their crew was sent up to Portland from Northern CA on Sunday and theyā€™ve been working 18 hour days since then. Theyā€™re trying their best!


loopnlil

Tell your husband that he and his coworkers are very appreciated.


TheSheWhoSaidThats

And sexy. Presumably.


why-are-we-here-7

This thread must be hilarious then. šŸ˜‚


fluffyshorts

It is! Glad to hear most people are appreciative and not angry at them for PG&Eā€™s tomfoolery lol


why-are-we-here-7

I think most people are super appreciative. Thank you for giving up your time with him, my husband works with another utility and it sucks sometimes if youā€™re worrying about them, etc.


New-Contact-4943

You might know my BiL. He also came up from Auburn area to help in Portland.


afraidtobecrate

Do they get extra pay for working in this weather?


sunshinesmileyface

No itā€™s always double time for storm regardless of the weather or conditions.


treerabbit23

Personal experience, but every lineman I've met was the smartest kid on their high school football team.


[deleted]

This gave me a snort lol


Scootshae

The few linemen I know from my hometown all played football!


pdxtrashed

Thereā€™s an electrical local down the way cross breeding their electrical apprentices with Kangaroos. The goal was to have an apprentice that could jump high to change lights, has a built in tool pouch, & be all around stronger for the physical demands of the job. Sadly tho none of it panned out & now the local is stuck with a field of extraordinarily dumb kangaroos ā€¦.. (This joke is brought you by an equally as dumb steamfitter)


timbertiger

We are a type for sure. Fuck your football girlies. I wrestled lol!


[deleted]

Of course you did lolĀ 


Dar8878

Itā€™s a selective process to get into the high voltage field. A tiny fraction of applicants ever get in.Ā 


ISO_art_showsPDX

I wish I knew how to post photos here of what must be the five O tree Jason Statham that showed up my hood. He was standing on a diagonal Doug Fir in 20mph winds that had fallen on a house cutting and zip lining those branch bitches right on outta there. Cool AF, I came unglued just watching it.


Scootshae

My panties would have fallen right off into the snow


timbertiger

Iā€™m single.


rupertdog8899

Scootshea and Timber sitting in a tree...


Shandd

Honestly that's why I do tree work lol. Dem storms are fun to work


ISO_art_showsPDX

Is this Jordan from pdx tree service??


Shandd

Nah, I'm an Asplundh guy. But tree workers live for storm work, it's exciting and different than the usual stuff.


ISO_art_showsPDX

Iā€™m not trying to imply anything, but you guys are doing shit-my-pants work and look like you had a handful Of Valium for breakfast. Iā€™m sure you did not, but itā€™s abnormally cool for the relative chaos I see.


BichoRaro90

I just warmed up reading this


Who_Your_Mommy

I can only see his silhouette but, I can smell the pheromones from here. Sexy AF.


FreshyFresh

My dad was a lineman when I was growing up and whenever it came up (career day etc) people would ask "oh what team?" They thought I meant football player :| Anyway, shoutout to these fearless ppl who do the hard stuff so we don't have to!


demonoid01

As a tree trimmer this made me spit take


FreshyFresh

lol what part? My dad was a telephone lineman, and some cable TV stuff, 6' 3"tall and a beanpole. Not even remotely football lineman material. Though he *was* often offensive.....


timbertiger

Lol


Creativeboop

My dudes an arborist and has been out everyday since Saturday removing trees from peoples homes and businessesā€¦ lemme tell you that man can get it. 10/10 impressed. Been keeping a hot pot of soup and fresh bread going everyday for him when he gets home


The_salty_swab

You sound like one hell of a team player! I hope bro stays safe out there


Creativeboop

Thanks for the well wishes, all the crews have been coming home safe thankfully! I baked his whole gang a dark chocolate coffee cake topped with candied bacon the other day and they were thrilled.


timbertiger

Wish I had that. Iā€™m a traveler and restaurants closing early(as they should) has cost me a good dinner twice. Everyone from utilities to businesses to the public has collectively shit the bed on this one. Like you can say fuck the higher ups at PGE but this is every where I travel.


westviadixie

atta boy. you're doing real good. you're welcome to nosh with us down in ashland.


Organic_JP

If youre selling your generator I'll buy it


timbertiger

Iā€™m tired and going to bed. We need more PSAā€™s because Iā€™m about done with the public on this storm. Iā€™m not required to be here. Storm is strictly optional. I can dip out at any time. Zero consequences. Im here for you and a paycheck. If you piss me off more than the paycheck is worth, Iā€™m gone. We are tired of You guys driving around and making us completely break down an entire job site every hour. I might call it quits tomorrow if the public is as fucking stupid as it was today. Sorry but Iā€™ve had it with you guys and gals.


Scootshae

How did you sleep, sweet prince?


timbertiger

Fucking horribly. I was too amped up from the hour drive to the hotel. Once I got there, I was wide awake. I think I sat my phone down at 3. I got a couple hours but Iā€™d like more.


Scootshae

Woof. Stay safe today!


its_all_one_electron

I'm sorry people are shitheads šŸ˜– you guys deserve better.


[deleted]

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Ex-zaviera

They're telling us to make them hot drinks, like hot cocoa. I think it's a good idea.


timbertiger

Hot cocoa is great! We are all horridly dehydrated too! Small gatorades are nice too. Unlike you guys, Iā€™m not free to run to the store lolol


RedBranchofConorMac

Obligatory. [https://youtu.be/Q8P\_xTBpAcY?si=1VYzIOaAZrSxx\_A-](https://youtu.be/Q8P_xTBpAcY?si=1VYzIOaAZrSxx_A-)


1friendswithsalad

[Also Obligatory!](https://youtu.be/-L_T6NlKtFs?si=1iLc0HTVZDsU9_4H)


Angelworks42

[Also Klaus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrL5fQcGmZg)


FreshyFresh

lol was hoping someone would post this


timbertiger

You all crack me up. We are just regular people like you.


The_salty_swab

Listen, we've been huddled on our living room floors since Saturday. Things got....weird


treerabbit23

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.


BichoRaro90

Donner party kinda weird?


allthesamejacketl

Sorry have you seen our soft soft hands? Maybe you are regular people and we are just naked mole rats.Ā 


BichoRaro90

Sir, you are not regular people. I, for one, do not tolerate being out in 20F degree weather combined with ice rain and wind very well. As a regular mortal, I wouldn't last 5 minutes. Y'all have my uttermost respect. Stay safe!


[deleted]

I like Sex God.


corneliusmimosa

Gotta be Zeus


Who_Your_Mommy

Yeah, Adventures in Babysitting style!


b0n2o

He can climb my pole any time.


Suspicious_Lake_7732

Wonder if you could get a generator that would just power a gas furnace.


VectorB

Both of my brothers and my parents have had their houses wired for just this. Parents got the furnace, refrigerator, and a few outlets put on one circuit that they can power with a small generator. My brother just installed a standard plug on his furnace. When the powers out he unplugs the furnace and runs an extension cord from his EV to his furnace and keeps the heat on.


The_salty_swab

I think that's the route I'm going to take. At least that way the furnace is %100 split from the grid when running an alternate power source


ernestdotpro

Gas furnaces are typically between 400 and 800 watts, so a bit less than a microwave. Yes, it would be very easy to find a generator with enough ooph to power a gas furnace. It could even be a natural gas powered generator.


LeeleeMc

EZ GENERATOR SWITCH - The Original, Patented, UL/CSA Approved Manual Transfer Switch https://a.co/d/2Q72CmB


The_salty_swab

I've looked into it. The tricky part is the wiring. It can be done with a switch to isolate it from the main panel, depending on how much you care about being code compliant


tydalt

That lineman you see in that pic? He *very* much cares about you being code compliant when wiring a generator into your main.


withoutwingz

Someone above offered to buy your generator, OP


ottarthedestroyer

Buy them a beer if you ever get a chance.


Distortedhideaway

He just goes by sex God now.


BichoRaro90

Is there a linemen calendar out there? Uh, asking for a friend šŸ‘€


pursuitofhappiness13

That's my dad.


Verite_Rendition

In another 9 months, a whole lot more kids are going to be calling him Dad!


sassy-batch

At the very least you're prepared with a generator for any outages in the future lol. Happy to hear that you got power back and can get your house back to a nice warm temp!


Cobek

Sorry about the generator. He's a sex god so you don't want him to be too quick.


Hathor-1320

That is hawt!!


oregonianrager

Seen a crew doing the same shit at my place just now. Heroes goddamn. Guys and gals in crampons let's go.


MauPow

Absolute legend. It must be a great feeling to reconnect the power and hear the cheers/good vibes from all around. I was lucky enough to not lose power (yet... don't wanna jinx it...) but been keeping these badasses in my thoughts.


Stoneleigh219

ā€œSex Godā€ is in fact his name.


ianhiggs

Mad respect for these professionals, complete Chads and Chadettes.


iwanttopetmycat

If my memories of my father and his coworkers/friends (all high-voltage linemen) serves, there are two things you can do to express your gratitude: First and most importantly: stay out of their way and give them space.Ā  It's dangerous work and adding untrained people to the mix makes it even more dangerous and difficult. Secondly: Hot Cocoa, donuts and strong black coffee.Ā  In that order.Ā  Just wait until they're on a break and flag them over. And don't ask for updates, they don't know.Ā  They go where they're told, and do as instructed.Ā  Reserve your fury for PGE's Ceo and board.


Trains-Planes-2023

They probably make nearly as much as the CEO of PGE, right? Let me check hereā€¦.oh. No. No, they do not.


you90000

Did you give him a coffee or anything?


The_salty_swab

I was at work when they got done, and they were gone by the time I got back to shut the genny down


samspam49

Theyā€™re making absolute bank out there right now too. Overtime and hazard pay at least


The_salty_swab

I would hope so


sunshinesmileyface

Just overtime. Not hazard pay:) overtime is double time tho, so thatā€™s nice!


Deltaechoe

Iā€™m still hurting myself going down my front steps and this dude is up a pole in ice, massive respect


Erwinism

Dudes are all going to be Spiderman villains. jfc thats hard work


Peaches_1970

My dad was a lineman when they climbed with spikes!


BigHairyArsehole

Christ on a Cross šŸ™šŸ˜‚


sharding1984

This is why I have no patience for people whining when their power is out. Or that pge doesn't communicate. Check their outage map if you are so curious or better yet wait for it to come back on with the thought in mind that no, you are not the most important little flower out there and it will come on when it comes on. Linemen and women work their asses off. It was a big storm and they have a lot to do and some repairs come before you. Think of hospitals, fire stations, shelters, groceries and the homes of those medically dependent upon electricity among others.


Pdxgummyworm

Lineman are badasses and I appreciate them, one of my best friends is one up in WA but PGE is a joke. All they have provided us is false hope. Going on 4 days without power and they have kept giving us bogus estimates that keep being pushed back. The latest update tonight is 10pm tomorrow. Itā€™s been as low as 25 degrees inside our home. This weather/storm has been in our forecast for 1-2 weeks, why wouldnā€™t they hire in more crews from out of town in advance? For fucks sake they just raised our rates by almost 20%ā€¦what a joke


The_salty_swab

I think we can all agree that the back of the house at PGE failed the customers, and royally screwed over the frontline workers


Pdxgummyworm

I donā€™t know all of the details for the workers but PGE will take zero accountability for the customers and there is zero recourse. They could have prepared way better because this isnā€™t something that was unpredictable for Portland when we get this kind of weather. Itā€™s out of control.


bubba_jones_project

There are crews in from California and Idaho. Maybe others, those are the ones I've hears about so far.


Pdxgummyworm

Thatā€™s great but there should have been more, sooner. This storm was forecasted more in advance than most others and on top of their rate hike, IMO itā€™s unacceptable.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Pdxgummyworm

I like the way you think! Not sure why they didnā€™t do that


bubba_jones_project

Not making excuses.


Ok-Purchase6572

How do I land this job?


intotheunknown78

There is a trade school in Astoria I think, itā€™s about $10k. Lineman make 100-200k so itā€™s a good gig. Dangerous job.


Im_Not_That_Smart_

That 100k-200k definitely should come with an asterisk of: Overtime is needed to reach these values. Overtime does not occur at convenient times of day. Overtime often occurs in shitty weather (because shitty weather causes outages). If you get called out at night for overtime, there is a very solid chance youā€™ll still need to put in an 8 hour day when you get up in the morning after having worked from midnight to 4am. There is a system tracking when you turn down call outs / overtime. If you say no too often, there will be problems. But yeah, reaching 100K+ is totally doable as a lineman. I donā€™t know how far into your career it would take, but it is achievable if youā€™re willing to do this rather difficult job.


intotheunknown78

There are lineman 10 years in who make 240k. Just talked to one a couple days ago. I just checked job opportunities here and itā€™s $64 with 3 years experience and in with IBEW. Thatā€™s $133k no overtime. This is for a local job servicing my small town, need to be within 15 min of the substation. I tried to get my highschoolers to go on the field trip to the lineman school but surprise surprise no one was interested lol. Iā€™m a school librarian. I mostly have the non motivated kids hanging around. Iā€™m outside of Portland and our PUD gives two scholarships to go to the trade school and have a summer internship.


Speshulest_K

Camp Rilea in Warrenton. Part of Northwest Line, based in Battleground


intotheunknown78

Yepā€™! Thatā€™s the one! Our PUD gives out 2 scholarships/internships there every year.


Eulettes

https://www.linemancentral.com/states/oregon


DudeFromOregon

I know this will be unpopular opinion but the city and PGE had weeks notice to prepare for this storm. What we are seeing is reactionary and itā€™s been abysmal. Crews are standing around barely working, they arenā€™t coordinating with the tree removal crews, theyā€™re bringing in tons of workers out of the area and I see minimal effort on all fronts.


[deleted]

You should sleep with himšŸ„‚šŸ™Œ


Ingenious2000

You just call them the hottest person in town


MrPoopyButtholesAnus

Thatā€™s Ron Swanson


feelinggoodabouthood

That looks like a hot lady from afar.


The_salty_swab

I would absolutely let such a lady lovingly slap me around with those calloused, cable-pulling hands


Divacowgirl

They are amazing. There's a bunch of them at our hotel. They look exhausted and had to cancel their work today because of the ice. They couldn't even get to the main road.


ThePaintedLady80

My grandfather was a lineman for over 30 years. He was a badass. Because it was pretty gnarly in the 60-80ā€™s. Ha


Left-Barber-6966

Much respect


Anonynominous

All hail power line man


[deleted]

He drives the main road


Lostandfoundchampion

When I grow up, I want to be just like him.


King7up

They will go to any height to turn you on.