I'm confused. Are you in the Union or not? If so, I would suspect there are guidlines as to who gets hired back first after a layoff. I know when I was a Teamster and got laid off they hired back some people and they did it according to seniority, which is essentially what everything in the Union is based upon. If you're not in the Union then that may be your answer as to why others were hired back and not you. Also, you might be overlooking the most basic explanation as to keeping new hires busy and not you. If you've been there 7yrs and have 7yrs worth of pay increases in your wage, the company can give that work to guys who just started and are making less than you. The company would just pocket the difference in the labor wage.
As mentioned before, Yes, I am a Union Mason. As far as guidelines as to who gets hired back first, it's up to the employers. It may be a little different in the Teamsters, and where you live. The Union cannot say to a contractor who they feel should be back first, it's solely based upon the contractors decision. Now, that rule may be the case for companies that frequently "hire out of the hall", and are searching for more man power, then YES. That seniority, or list will be followed appropriately. If I was on the list in the hall, then I wouldn't be having this conversation.
To try and explain this a little better, it's kind of like this: There are 2 types of masons in our field
"Union guys" - (which we are all but) they are all about the Union, could care less about the contractor, and bounce from job site to job site, company to company, and travel all over. These guys also "chase the money" and seek work from Union employers in higher scale locals, such as Boston.
Then you have the
"Company guy" - these are the guys that are continually hired back to work for the same employer, if laid off at all. They go above and beyond the standards of an 8 hr. work day, care about the quality of their own work, care about the company, have a sense of "home" at work, and rarely ever deal with the hall except for when they are paying dues or at a Union Clam Bake. They never try and screw the company, and don't drink a six pack during lunch.
Im one of those "Company guys" that has signed up and never left. I feel like I have earned my "seniority" within the company.
Also, I have not overlooked anything basic - We are Union members and follow a strict scale/rate. After being in the Union just a short 3 yrs, I have finished my apprenticeship, and "Journeyed out" as they say. Which also means that I max out my pay that a contractor LEGALLY has to pay me. My pay scale is what it is, and cannot be taken from me. If I leave to go work for another company, the rate is the same/hr. + benefits and follows me. I am worth just as much at 6 yrs , as the guy next to me who has 25 yrs in. I know, WHERE's the INCENTIVE there? When I say "new guy hired this year", that doesn't necessarily mean the guy has no idea and is paid $12.00/ hr, in fact just the opposite. He has been doing Union work for about as long as I have, just 'new' to our company. However, my boss does pay me over scale, apparently because he sees it in me. <--- THIS is were the confusion for me sits in. He says great things to my face, pays me over scale, and paints a pretty picture, yet the actions don't carry that same vibe...
