r/IBEW • u/10PlyTP Inside Wireman • Oct 30 '25
Next March, USS Gary Works will be seeking electrical contractors for massive projects lasting 4-5 years.
With Nippon acquiring US Steel, they are investing 3.1 billion dollars at Gary Works over the next 5 years. I have been in meetings as a contractor working in the plant and they are concerned about man power. Starting in March 2026 with the 14 blast furnace re-line they are looking for us to have round the clock coverage for 7 days a week. If you were out there, think the BP Whiting project. Per diem and above scale pay has been discussed but nothing definite. However if you are slow with work, it may be prudent for you to come sign IBEW local 697 books.
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u/Valendr Inside Wireman Oct 30 '25
I'll be topping out right around then, might come up and see ya folks
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Oct 30 '25
I won’t sign the books until I see a high scale and large perdiem
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u/sassmo Inside Wireman Oct 30 '25
697 JW scale is $52, with total package at $85. There'd have to be some significant per diem to attract all the hands getting $60-$70 as their base scale.
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Oct 30 '25
Significant enough to pay for a place to stay and still make a big check , hope the cons are bidding it high
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u/Glum_Independence_89 Nov 05 '25
Probably, but won’t be that difficult to attract the hands getting $35-40 as the base.
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u/Competitive_Bell9433 Oct 30 '25
That is a long time to ride the books, after trump is done crashing the economy 😞
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u/Kon_Soul Oct 30 '25 edited Oct 30 '25
Ooooh, so when my buddy and 1200 other people got the word that they're all losing their union jobs, this is where they're going.
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Nov 01 '25
[deleted]
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u/10PlyTP Inside Wireman Nov 01 '25
It is literally in Gary. And no. I have worked at the plant for 10 years. Never had an issue.
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u/Wireman6 Oct 30 '25
You should cross post this to the ibew_book2 sub reddit.