As you know I have been blogging about the changes in KBR’s hiring policies with regards to Electricians. They must be licensed and the salaries range from about 122-144K/year. That’s about 35-57K/yr higher than the old salaries. I am now told these changes in policy also include Licensed Plumbers and Licensed HVAC and who knows who else.
For those of us that have testified before The Senate and have been fighting for these changes this is a huge step in the right direction. But I didn’t know we were supposed to keep it a secret. Shhhh
I recently received this comment from a reader:
KBR is giving raises to all licensed employees in ALL utilities depts (HVAC PLUMB ELEC). It’s a sore subject in theatre (in Iraq & Afghanistan) right now for the employees hired before this new base salary (including myself). I’m a master plumber and a foreman for KBR in (left out location to protect this reader) and we just got a new hire 3 days ago who has a plumbing journeyman’s license and he makes more than me. And no he’s not a foreman or supervisor. KBR has not even addresses this issue to their existing employees, in fact they told us yesterday at a nightly meeting that it’s all just a RUMOR!!!
I just can’t believe KBR is lying or would in any way deceive it’s employees!!! Say it isn’t so!! (sarcasm)
I guess there was some part of me that thought we were making progress and that KBR was just going to step up to the plate and do the right thing. Now I know you are just dying to know what “I” think is the right thing. (more sarcasm) So…here it is.
Qualify every Electrician, Plumber and HVAC in Iraq and Afghanistan. If they meet the criteria, give them the damn raise. If they don’t..keep their salary the same and make them a helper, labor foreman or just send them home. Foreman should be making at least 10% more than their highest paid person. Not rocket science.
Hmmmm that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening. So what is KBR up to. Are they trying to thin out the heard by pissing people off so they quit? Then rehire some of the qualified ones at the higher rate? What would be the advantage of that? KBR gets a huge huge huge fee for every person they process through Houston. Hmmm Or are they trying to replace Americans with Third Country Nationals that will be supervised by Licensed electricians? Hmmm So trained licensed electricians are going to be baby sitters and the FALL GUY. Hmmmm
There are just a whole bunch of things here that make you go Hmmmm!
You tell me why you think they are trying to keep it a big secret and why they are not going to qualify the people already in Iraq!
Ms Sparky
The comments posted on this site are the sole opinion of the comment poster and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this site owner.
15 comments
This just boggles the mind. I’ve never seen such a mismanaged military contract.
I had worked for years myself withthis company here in the states. I have never been so broke and held down doing so. They have never paid much anywhere. I was even made an offer to go over there myself and laughed at what they wanted to pay me. I am now a project manager for years with another company in Dallas where I have it extremely well. I could not believe that I had wasted so many years of my life with Brown and Root or KBR. I must add that I cannot believe that you guys are over there for that little of money to begin with! It would take that as a sign on bonus for me to even work on my tools much less run work in any fashion. Good luck and remember that Brown and Root will screw you any time they can……..
Joe Davis
Debbie, As I was stationed at Al Asad Marine Air Base I worked for LSI in the Allied Trades Building as a Machinist. The company was in the process of building us another building in one of bunkers directly to the right of the building we were in at the time. I had the opportunity to see exactly what and who these electrician’s were then. They consisted of 1 American supervisor and 3
Nationals and or TCN’s that could not have been over the age of 21. I know they spoke little to no English because I would often take my break exactly where they were working and observe what they were doing. I had only seen the supervisor demonstrate to these workers what he needed them to do on 1 occasion and try to explain it in as clear of English as he could. To me this is not competent work and can only venture to guess what the out come of that building will be. This is why they keep it a secret and are not willing to pay big dollars to their own employee’s. Why should they when their not doing the work and just passing it on to the nationals that I viewed not qualified to do the job in the first place. This supervisor would often walk away and talk with other KBR employee’s or stand around and smoke a cigarette while the 3 non-Americans did the job at hand.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Yep…there were some good ones. There were some bad ones and then there were some really bad ones.
I’m in the process of getting on with KBR now, under one of the trades you mentioned (I’d rather not get too specific) and at the low end of the ‘new’ pay brackets that you mentioned. Do you think my bosses/co-workers who are paid less than I, under the apparently ‘old’ payscales, will hold annimosity towards me and the other new hires? Obviously, I had no ideas of the payscales that existed prior to my application.
Regarding tools: I was told not to bring any, but I’ve read that the contractors are poorly provisioned. I would at least like to bring a VOM, a tape measurer, and small hand tools. How were you set for tools and material?
Any idea on how much cigarrettes cost over there?
Thanks!
curly
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Curly don’t take this the wrong way, but…..I am asking you not to take so much as a wirenut over there!!!!! KBR said they would provided you with tools and material. So……make them do that. As long as people continue to take tool and YES material over there they will continue to let you. They have made I think 85 BILLION freakin dollars and they are still not buy tools and material. It’s not your fault. If they want to pay you to drive around and look for a VOM, wirenuts, black tape or a decent screwdriver, who are you to say….it’s their money. I call this company a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. For all the people who stood their ground to get tools and material, please don’t take your own. If they won’t buy it for you then don’t do the work. If they threaten to send you home or fire you for it…damn it call me and I will set you up with a good lawyer.
Cigs were about $30/carton at the PX. You may want to take two cartons with you until you can find out where to get them. Check in Houston, I don’t think you can take more than two cartons through Iraqi customs. Depending on what camp you are at. I had my family send me some through the mail as well. A lot of people smoked Iraqi Cigs…kinda gross but cheap.
And….there is bound to be some animosity. It will depend a lot on you and where you go. Think about it from their perspective. They have been there for one, two, three or more years with no raise in their base pay. They have put up with ALL of KBR’s BS, plus mortars, rockets, unbearable heat, dust, some in really crappy living conditions, most with really crappy managers, oh and did I mention ALL of KBR’s BS. Then an FNG (f–king new guy) comes in and making at least 35K a year more right off the bat and they are supposed to show them the ropes. What do you think? Hopefully some will get raises, but some will not and some may even be sent home. I think the way KBR did this was a real slap in the face to all the people who are qualified and have put in the time already! Just my opinion.
Ms Sparky
Thanks for the reply!
I agree with Ms Sparky on the above comment. I was there 22 months at the *-sites as an electrician and demob’d partly because of everybody around me (other than the skilled trades-w’s hich by the way is what really makes the wheels turn. No offense, but MWR, HSE, Admin, Security, Procurement, HR, Laundry, DFAC, etc., etc., are nice but. . . without the Gen guys/gals and the electricians, you have no need for all those others without having power first and keeping power going, including of course the fuels people) is making more than a master licensed electrician. Now I hear that maybe KBR will give raises to those skilled trades that verify their licenses (which I did numerous times before I demob’d) and new hires having to show proof of certifications before processing. You can bet that KBR’s butt must be in a sling if they are actually going to pay skilled trades more and/or give raises to the above mentioned persons. That’s nice; after all of us that worked there recently and proved ourselves over and over. Especially at the sites where you had no tools, no materials, no trucks, no experienced help, very few qualified leadership (and they were the ones making phenomenal salaries), no chance of advancement in your job at your site because those positions had been eliminated, and constantly intimidated at losing your job and being replaced by KBR Foreign Nationals at their reduced salary. There again as usual with KBR, “too little, too late” and my favorite. . . “reactive instead of proactive”.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
The qualified craftspeople in country should have gotten their raises first!!!!! Anything less is a slap in the face. And yes you are right. If I had been making those wages when I was there, I would still be there….unless they fired me!! I know for a fact my BS tolerance level is directly proportional to my wages. The higher the wages, the more BS I can tolerate!!
That’s exactly right!!
“Somewhat off topic” for sure, but my brother-in-law was supposed to go to Afghanistan in October as a licensed tradesman, under the new, higher payscales that you’ve mentioned earlier. Now his embarrassed recruiter just informed him that the new payscales were rejected by senior management and his pay would be under the hitherto undisclosed ‘old’ payscales that are but a fraction of what he was told since the start of the recruitment processing.
Have you heard anything similar? He said he’s not going and doesn’t trust the bait-and-switch tactics.
(Note: also posted on your 9/11/08 listing).
Ms Sparky’s Response:
This is very serious. What craft is your brother-in-law? Who was his recruiter? I would like to verify this before I broadcast it. I’ve been told that some people have already gone over at the higher wages. I tried to email you at the email address given but it kept bouncing back. please email me at mssparky@mssparky.com. If anyone has information on this email me please.
I am posting this for Joan (above)from a comment she posted on 9/11 Never Foreget!!
**************************
I didn’t think you’ld find nothing. He’s just a chicken & is looking for an out following the latest Al Qieda killings in Afghanistan.
He’s an electritian; his recruiter is from Houston. He’s probably better off not going anyway.
Thanks! Joan
Ms Sparky’s Response:
I’ve been asking around and no one has heard this. I’ll keep my ear to the ground. I am going to post this comment in both places where you posted comments before. I don’t want to panic anyone unnecessarily? If he has this in an email or has specific info have him contact me at mssparky@mssparky.com
I would like to point out that at the particular site I am at, ONLY the electricians have received a raise. The rest of the trades have not.
Ms Sparky’s Response:
Have the electricians actually seen it on their checks? I’m not surprised that KBR reneged on the other crafts.
I am a General Superintendent Camp Anaconda on Disability leave this is news to me and it is the truth I have, As for having a license he came as a journeyman same with electrical they are coming as master or journeymen
shhhh……… I am getting a raise I was an HVAC mechanic
now General Superintendent O&M 3 my leave is approaching a year with pay coming
There is a lot of changes going on at Anaconda
check the LOCAP job page under skilled trades at
i am out of work as a bricklayer for so long , i am now looking to iraq as i heard the money was good. the only problem is there is no links,contact information,is there anyone that can help…thanks.
Ms Sparky’s Repsonse:
I don’t think KBR hires that many bricklayers, but they hire a lot of labor foreman and other things.
Try http://www.kbrjobs.com then click on LOGCAP and follow the links from there.
Good Luck
howlin67@hotmail.co.uk bricklayer needs work in iraq, any contacts or links, please , duane.
Ms Sparky’s Repsonse:
I don’t think KBR hires that many bricklayers, but they hire a lot of labor foreman and other things.
Try http://www.kbrjobs.com then click on LOGCAP and follow the links from there.
Good Luck
We are getting a raise that’s news to me I am HVAC for KBR
considering we are the busiest
HVAC Anaconda East Side
10000 GP air conditioners
peak 200 work orders a day
100 thermal king units
you should see electric and power generation during a prime power shut down swapping see how busy they get
how ever not as busy as HVAC while under staffed and under paid
Ms Sparky’s Response:
This was written before the electricians got their raise. We were pushing for all skill craft to get a raise. But KBR bailed at the last minute because to the best of my knowledge they are still the only craft to have gotten the raise.
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