I did all the other stuff on the application like background checks etc but I wrote a letter to them explaining why I could not get any letters of recommendation. Personally I did union new construction, and although I worked with over a hundred journeymen and apprentices, it was for at most one month, before one of you moves on to a new project, construction site, or back to the hiring hall. I never learned the last names of most of my co workers and it was 4 plus years ago when I worked with these people and I doubt any of them would accurately remember me, with the hundreds of employees that have come and gone since. I don’t know yet how state board will respond. They also require the same three letters for a journeymen license, so apparently I couldn’t ever work in that state, even for a company I don’t own.
I find this to be a ridiculous request for many reasons. First and foremost, it has NOTHING to do with your plumbing abilities, knowledge and experience. But there are many more reasons why these letters are a horrible idea: It would seem so many plumbers would not be able to produce these letters. I would think this would be the case for one man shops, or even service plumbers who work for a company because you still work alone. Say you have been working for yourself, alone for the last 25 years. You simply don’t work with other plumbers. How can you logically get letters from other plumbers that work with you when you work alone? But let’s say you were trained by the same master plumber when you were an apprentice for a few years and he would remember you, well it’s highly likely the master plumber who trained you in when you were in your twenties, and he was in his fifties or sixties, 25 years ago is now dead.
So now you can never work as a plumber in this state for the rest of your life, no matter what credentials you have, no matter how much effort your willing to put in, no matter how well you score on tests, simply because the guy who trained you in is now dead? or he simply doesn’t want to help you because he dislikes you, or doesn’t want to help you because it’s an inconvenience and he’s not being paid, so why would he? How is this a good idea?
In my case I have never worked with a master plumber. These construction sites had apprentices, journeymen and foreman (who are journeyman). Master plumbers are simply not on union new construction sites. If I think of the potential journeymen I worked with whom I could contact, I can think of one guy I know the last name of who I worked with for 2 weeks, 3 years ago. This is basically a complete stranger. Why would this person (if I was able to track him down) go out of his way to fill out this form, physically take it to a notary, fill out an envelope, and physically take it to a post sending out mail office box? Your not allowed to pay these people but realistically I would think it should cost me 100 dollars minimum for each plumber just for their time. Three plumbers is 300 dollars and I’ve already spent over 100 dollars on other fees (application fees and background checks.) already.
I want to live in a Nation, free from recommendation!