The mission of the Dispatch office is to assist our membership in obtaining gainful employment within the scope of his or her job classification and skill level. Our goal is to do this in a fair and impartial manner that respects each members right to be offered work based solely on out of work date and skills designated by the member.
All dispatches will adhere to the rules and policies set forth in the Pipeliners Local 798 Dispatch and Out-Of-Work Policy, Constitution and By-Laws of the Pipeliners Local Union No. 798, Constitution of the United Association, United Association National Pipeline Agreement and all State and Federal Laws that govern and regulate employment through Union Dispatch Offices.
Local 798 supports the principles of equal opportunity and diversity in membership and employment. Local 798 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, age or disability.
The fast, fair dispatch of Members to open jobs is one of the most important services of your Local Union 798. That's what the Local Union 798 Out-Of-Work List, is all about.
The basic idea:
You let us know when you're available for work. When you're available for work, you take your place in line for job openings in your classification. When you get to the top of the list, you're the first Member to be offered the next available job opening that fits your job classification and skills. The Out-Of-Work List exists to make sure every Member gets a fair share of the available jobs. Additionally our fair contractors get the well trained, top-quality professionals they need for world-class pipeline work - people like you - whenever, wherever they need them. If we all do our part, everybody comes out ahead!
FAQ
Here are answers to some questions you may have about the Local Union 798 Work List. (Click here for the official Dispatch Policy and Procedures.)
1. When I'm available for work, how do I get in line for jobs?
Contact the 24 Hour Dispatch Office Voicemail at 918-663-3200. No one can do this for you. Only you can put your name on the list. There are three ways to let us know you're available for work: by phone, by mail or by FAX.
Voice Mail: (918) 663-3200
FAX: (918) 610-2740
For an Out-Of-Work Form you can print, fill out and mail or FAX to Local 798, click here: Out-Of-Work Form
Between jobs, report yourself available for work only once.
2. How do I find out where I stand on the Out-Of-Work List?
Contact the Dispatch Office - by phone: 918-610-2761. No one can do this for you. Only you can find out your position on the Work List. We won't give this information out to anyone else - not even your spouse. We want to make absolutely sure this information is kept strictly confidential.
3. Who gets called when jobs are available?
The first person to be called is the Member who is qualified for the job, eligible to be dispatched, and whose name is at the top of the list. If he accepts the job, the person whose name was Number 2 on the list then moves to the Number 1 slot. Then, he gets the first call for the next available job he's qualified for. And so on. If a job calls for 15 Members, the first 15 qualified, eligible Members listed on the Work List get called. If the members cannot be reached or refuse the job, then the job will be placed on the 798 Jobline. The Jobline may be accessed between the hours of 6:00 PM - 7:00 AM (CST) at (918)610-2745. A member that is currently on the Out of Work List may apply for any job on the Jobline by following the instructions on the Jobline. At 8:00 AM (CST) the line will be cleared and the jobs will be offered to the members that apply with the oldest Out of Work Date.
4. Sometimes I've moved up or back on the list even when I haven't been working. What's up with that?
Suppose you're in the Number 3 slot on the out of work list. Now, your Brother Member, John Doe, reports himself Out-Of-Work after working only 14 days on a National Agreement job. According to the rules, Brother John moves back into his former position on the Work List - the position he had before taking the 14-day job - because he has worked less than 30 days on that job. If John moves back into the Number 1 slot, what happens to everybody else on the list? They move back (or down) one slot. So, if you were Number 3 before Brother John reported himself Out-Of-Work, you'll move to the Number 4 slot. Imagine, with hundreds of Members moving on and off the list just about every day, it gets pretty complicated.
5. If I'm in the Number 1 slot, what happens?
You'll get the first call for the next available job you're qualified for - regardless of the job's location. And notice: we said "first call." Additional calls are made and if you do not respond in a timely manner, the job may be taken. Our Dispatch Office will attempt to contact you by phone. Make sure we always have your current phone number. This is very important. If we can't reach you by phone - and we don't hear from you after we've called twice - your name will be removed from the Out-Of-Work List. If the phone company tells us the number you've given us has been disconnected - and you haven't given us a new number - your name will be removed from the Out-Of-Work List. Has your phone number or address changed? To change your address or phone number on-line, click here for a copy you can print off, fill out and either e-mail or mail in: Change of Address/Phone Form.
6. What happens if I'm not home when you call?
The Dispatcher will attempt to reach you and will leave a message that we've called - along with the request that you call us back. We'll leave this message with any person who answers the phone or on an answering machine. We will not give details about the available job to anyone other than you. To get a shot at the job - to find out where it is, and other details - you must call the Dispatch Office. No one can do this for you. We will not give job information to anyone else - not even your spouse. We will try to reach you twice. If you don't call the Dispatch Office after our second "call us back" message, busy signal or "no answer", your name will be removed from the Out-Of-Work List.
7. What happens if illness keeps me from working?
If illness keeps you from working when our Dispatch Office calls you for a job, you may place your name on the Sick List. While you're on the Sick List, you will not lose your place on the Out-Of-Work List. When you're ready to return to work, you'll retain the out-of-work date you had if you had not been sick before you became sick. The Dispatch Office will request verification of your illness. A doctor must send us a letter stating the nature of your illness and verifying that you are too ill to work. To remain on the Sick List and keep your position on the Work List, you must send in a letter of verification from your doctor every 6 months. If we do not receive this verification letter every 6 months, you will be removed from the Sick List and taken off the Out-Of-Work List completely. When you're ready to come off the Sick List and return to work, simply give our Dispatch Office a call and send in a ready-for-work release from your doctor. Only you can do this. No one else can take your name off the Sick List - not even your spouse.
8. If I accept a job, how long do I have to get to the job site?
When you are dispatched to a job: You must be en route within 24 hours. You must travel at least 500 miles every 24 hours until you arrive at the job site. If you cannot meet this time limit, you must notify the Dispatch Office and the welder foreman on the job to make sure there will be a job available when you arrive late. If you do not notify the Dispatch Office that you will be arriving late, the job will be filled by someone else and you will lose your place on the Out-Of-Work List - and charges for violation of Union bylaws will be filed against you.
9. When do I drop to the bottom of the Work List?
Your name will drop to the bottom of the Out-Of-Work List if: You refuse a National Agreement or Project Agreement job offered by the Local Union 798 Dispatch Office. The only exception to this policy is if you refuse a job because of sickness or death in your immediate family or request a "freeze" as outlined in the Dispatch Policy. The Dispatcher will ask for proof of illness and the illness must be verified by a letter from a doctor. Note: You can refuse Special Agreement jobs and/or Special Station Agreement Work without losing your position on the Out-Of-Work List. We call you for a job, and you are reported to be working overseas.
10. When will I be removed from the Out-Of-Work List?
Your name will be removed from the Out-Of-Work List:If you don't call the Dispatch Office after the second attempt to reach you at the phone number you've given us. If the phone company tells us the number you've given us has been disconnected - and you haven't given us a new number. If you have been on the Sick List, and you do not send us a letter from a doctor verifying your illness every 6 months. If you arrive late for a job and have not notified the Dispatch Office in advance, so that the job had to be filled by someone else. (In addition to removal from the Work List, charges will be filed against you for violating Union bylaws.) When you go to work on a pipeline job - whether you are dispatched to the job by the Union or are hired directly by a contractor. This holds if you are working on a pipeline job in any Local Union jurisdiction. Note: if you are working in another Local's jurisdiction on a Building Trades job, you will keep your place on the Out-Of-Work List. However, if you refuse a National Agreement job offered by Local Union 798 because you are working a Building Trades job, you will drop to the bottom of the Out-Of-Work List.
11. When do I need to start a new Out-Of-Work date?
When you start a new Out-Of-Work date, you start the whole Work List process over from the beginning - wiping the slate clean, setting the meter back to zero. You need to start a new Out-Of-Work date when: You've been removed from the Out-Of-Work List, and want to get in line for available jobs. After you've worked a total of 30 days or more in National Agreement and/or Project Agreement work on one or more consecutive pipeline jobs (waiting time and test time included). Any days for which benefits are paid will count towards the 30-day total. After you've worked a total of 45 days or more in Special Agreement work and/or a combination of Special Agreement work and National Pipeline Agreement work on one or more consecutive jobs (waiting time and testing time included). This also includes Station Work and Special Station Agreement work. Any days for which benefits are paid will count towards the 45-day total. Please note: You can refuse Special Agreement jobs and/or Special Agreement Station Work without losing your position on the Out-Of-Work List. "Special Agreement work" is work covered under the Special Agreement portion of the National Pipeline Agreement. "Special Station work" is work covered in the United Association National Station Agreement on all pipeline station construction, fabrication, installation or maintenance.
12. What if I miss a test or work less than the required days?
If you notify the Dispatch Office within five days after missing the test or the end of the "short" job, you will return to your former position on the Union's Out-Of-Work List. However, any days worked for which benefits are paid will count toward the 30-day or 45-day total. To return to the Work List slot you had before the short job or the missed test, you must call the Dispatch Office within five days. No one can do this for you - not even your spouse. A welder who consecutively misses three (3) tests, is run off three (3) times for bad welds, or a combination of both will be urged to come to the 798 Training Center for evaluation. This will determine whether you are having a problem with your machine, need assistance with your welding skills, etc. You must come to the 798 Training Center within 5 days in order to return to your original out-of-work date and use the Dispatch Office for job referral.
13. Does the Union ever fill jobs without using the Work List?
Yes. Your Local Union 798 abides by the provisions of the National Pipeline Agreement - including those designed to meet the understandable needs of our fair contractors. One provision says: "The Union must dispatch the employees requested by the employer at the start of a job within 48 hours-and after a job has started, within 24 hours. If we are unable to fill job openings from the Out-Of-Work List and the Job Line within a reasonable time, the Dispatch Office will call the Business Agent in the jurisdiction of the job to assist us in fulfilling the Union's quota.