Lewis Tree quality company?

[ropensaddle]

When I went to college, I did not know what I wanted to do. I came out with a BA in History. I took it because it was something that I didn't feel I knew enough about. That is the same reason I am interested in tree work. I know there are many aspects of this job that I want to learn. I respect people with all kinds of knowledge and would like to have half as much as many people that I meet. I am a person that likes steady work and have liked the residential work that I have helped with. I have read in posts on here that big companies are the way to go when you are starting out as they offer you good opportunities, is this true? I would like to work as a groundman for a little while and hopefully learn to climb, would that be possible working for Lewis or is there no real chance of advancement or learning? I really like that you guys do emergency response work because helping people is something that I do enjoy.

treemanb
Where does Lewis work out of in Western Mass? I know I have seen your trucks in Lee, but just on the street. How have you guys been dealing with the ice storm work?


Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Thanks
Pete

Yes you will learn some basics for line maintenance climbing mostly spur climbing and usually with basic climb gear. I always ticked me off that those
big outfits are so cheap with tools. I started with the big o in 84 and they
bought xl homies and if you were lucky echo 550 and your issued climb
gear were only basics a buckstrap,three strand climb rope,pole pruner,
one rope snap and less than state of the art spurs. They did teach body thrusting without spurs and footlock but no one actually used the
techniques much. You had a paint bucket and I was never more happy
when that practice faded. They also issued a fanno handsaw & scabbord
payed the going rate not one cent more,had no benefits other than the
gold watch after thirty years service and were a bunch of nazi's. It is
ok to start but as far as truly learning arborist work you will have to
educate and likely equip yourself if you want extras like gcrs,porta wrap
carabiners, cambium savers,loopie and whoopie slings,arborist blocks etc.
They will not provide extras and I am uncertain if using your own gear
would create a insurance problem. This was my experiance with all the
line clearance companies yours may be different! Opportunities can be
had but unless your related to upper management it gets tougher after
reaching foreman level. Having been a foreman some twenty years you
will expect to make general foreman and find it is not your experiance,
ability,work record that holds you back it is cousin Bob,nephew Joe
etc.

 

[lxt]

I work for Lewis, I run a three man climbing crew in western MA. The GF's in this area are all really good and really care about their guys!!!! If you are looking to learn about arboriculture this is not the place to learn it. But we are part of union IBEW local 42 in western MA. we get a Lot of overtime and the work load is pretty laid back. The pay is good and out of the bigger utility tree companies Lewis is the best. I have worked with them all. If you are looking for stable work, Lewis is a good choice. If you have the chance to stay in school, DO IT!!!!!!! give me a call if you have any questions about lewis, i can probably hook you up with a job, or give you more info

Merry X-MAS

Jeff B
508-572-2013

How long have you worked for Lewis? & How long have you been in utility Line clearance?...............Cause if you think Lewis is the best outta all of line clearance, well lets just say by that post right there one would think you have less than 10yrs!!


LXT...........

 

[ropensaddle]

How long have you worked for Lewis? & How long have you been in utility Line clearance?...............Cause if you think Lewis is the best outta all of line clearance, well lets just say by that post right there one would think you have less than 10yrs!!


LXT...........

My bet would be Davy best to work with and the big o largest or at least was the largest but hold your cheeks tightly if you indeed work for them! :monkey:

 

[treemanb]

How long have you worked for Lewis? & How long have you been in utility Line clearance?...............Cause if you think Lewis is the best outta all of line clearance, well lets just say by that post right there one would think you have less than 10yrs!!


LXT...........

I didn't say they were the best at line clearance, I said out of the bigger companies they are the best to work FOR. and this is strictly my opinion. They seem to care the most about their employees (out of the big companies that i have worked with) and they have the highest wages in my area whcih is western MA.

If you work for lewis and really want to learn how to climb (with spikes) then you will learn there very quickly. Very few of the climbers can rope climb, i am one of the few because i did residential for a while.

We work all over the place, we don't really have a home base, we just travel to where the work is, as a climber they let me take my work pick up home with me, so i pick up my groundmen in the mornings and head to wherever we are working.

We are pretty much done with the emergency work in western ma, now we are sweeping all the towns for hazards, we have been working 7 days a week 16 hour days since the storm hit.

let me know if you have any other questions

 

[lxt]

I didn't say they were the best at line clearance, I said out of the bigger companies they are the best to work FOR. and this is strictly my opinion. They seem to care the most about their employees (out of the big companies that i have worked with) and they have the highest wages in my area whcih is western MA.

If you work for lewis and really want to learn how to climb (with spikes) then you will learn there very quickly. Very few of the climbers can rope climb, i am one of the few because i did residential for a while.

We work all over the place, we don't really have a home base, we just travel to where the work is, as a climber they let me take my work pick up home with me, so i pick up my groundmen in the mornings and head to wherever we are working.

We are pretty much done with the emergency work in western ma, now we are sweeping all the towns for hazards, we have been working 7 days a week 16 hour days since the storm hit.

let me know if you have any other questions

You are what we would consider a company "BunBoy", taking home work PU and making sure the men have a ride to work!!! unheard of...unless you pucker up!

SOoooo you have how many years?

Ropes agree with ya....I think Davey offers the best work enviroment, but if you kiss but then any of the companies will love ya!!

LEWIS..............is by far not the best company to work for!! I worked for em, I know!!



LXT.............

 

[treemanb]

You are what we would consider a company "BunBoy", taking home work PU and making sure the men have a ride to work!!! unheard of...unless you pucker up!

SOoooo you have how many years?

Ropes agree with ya....I think Davey offers the best work enviroment, but if you kiss but then any of the companies will love ya!!

LEWIS..............is by far not the best company to work for!! I worked for em, I know!!



LXT.............

A "bunboy" for helping my groundmen save some money on the driving when i have the company truck to take home? I thought i was just being nice. Sometimes I have them meet me at a half way point if they are way out of the way
but this is the way it works at lewis, climbers take the trucks home, and meet their crew somewhere convenient to go to work. If their house is close, i have no problem picking them up.

The kid asked how Lewis was to work for in western MA. I don't see how your post is relevant to this thread, if you really want to start an online insult fight, pm me and i'll make sure you get yours

 

[lxt]

LOL, treemanb....the fact of the matter is....anyone on here who has worked for Lewis knows better!!, #2 taking the trucks home is what the company suck Azzez get to do.........so sprout if the shoe fits!, #3 how many Yrs do you have? cause truth be told when you have the time most of us do then you will truly know!!

Im easy to PM too!

LXT................

 

[treemanb]

LOL, treemanb....the fact of the matter is....anyone on here who has worked for Lewis knows better!!, #2 taking the trucks home is what the company suck Azzez get to do.........so sprout if the shoe fits!, #3 how many Yrs do you have? cause truth be told when you have the time most of us do then you will truly know!!

Im easy to PM too!

LXT................

Every climbing crew takes their trucks home with them, special or not, thats how it works. And in my area i have worked for Davey, and worked with Asplundh and out of the three in my area Lewis is by far the better company work for in my opinion.

 

[lxt]

Every climbing crew takes their trucks home with them, special or not, thats how it works. And in my area i have worked for Davey, and worked with Asplundh and out of the three in my area Lewis is by far the better company work for in my opinion.

Ok, your opinion....anywhere else guys do not get to take trucks home!!! the insurance risks are to great & any company worth their own knows this! if this is why you feel they are a good company.....you got the wrong idea of what a good company is, AGAIN LEWIS IS FAR FROM A GOOD COMPANY!

they are a sneaky, stab you in the back & opportunistic in ways that make the other tree companies look like saints, key to it is knowing how each company works & I know how Lewis works!

wait till your time comes & they take away the keys....right now you are being used as a safe haven cause they cant find anywhere to park the trucks, probably from screwing over the lot owners(done many times)!!


good luck & be safe!


LXT...........

 

[treemanb]

Ok, your opinion....anywhere else guys do not get to take trucks home!!! the insurance risks are to great & any company worth their own knows this! if this is why you feel they are a good company.....you got the wrong idea of what a good company is, AGAIN LEWIS IS FAR FROM A GOOD COMPANY!

they are a sneaky, stab you in the back & opportunistic in ways that make the other tree companies look like saints, key to it is knowing how each company works & I know how Lewis works!

wait till your time comes & they take away the keys....right now you are being used as a safe haven cause they cant find anywhere to park the trucks, probably from screwing over the lot owners(done many times)!!


good luck & be safe!


LXT...........

I appreciate your warnings, if the time comes when i see that happening to their own employees i promise to report it here so you can say i told you so.

but for the time being, my GF in western MA has proven many times that he really cares about his workers and does everything in his power to make sure we are happy and most of all SAFE.
and im not saying it is impossible for the comapny to screw over their employees but because we are part of a union, it provides us with some protection. and again; im not saying that unions are the greatest, they have their positives and negatives.
Every company i have worked for small and big has had its ups and downs to it and so far i have found Lewis to be alright to work for. The management does a decent job and all the foremen of the climbing crews are knowledgeable and decent tree workers (can't say the same for the bucket crews) but In all honesty the climbing crews are treated very different from the bucket crews (at least in my area) Again, this is just my opinion from being a climber at Lewis in the western MA area.

 

[ropensaddle]

I appreciate your warnings, if the time comes when i see that happening to their own employees i promise to report it here so you can say i told you so.

but for the time being, my GF in western MA has proven many times that he really cares about his workers and does everything in his power to make sure we are happy and most of all SAFE.
and im not saying it is impossible for the comapny to screw over their employees but because we are part of a union, it provides us with some protection. and again; im not saying that unions are the greatest, they have their positives and negatives.
Every company i have worked for small and big has had its ups and downs to it and so far i have found Lewis to be alright to work for. The management does a decent job and all the foremen of the climbing crews are knowledgeable and decent tree workers (can't say the same for the bucket crews) but In all honesty the climbing crews are treated very different from the bucket crews (at least in my area) Again, this is just my opinion from being a climber at Lewis in the western MA area.

Well sure they are going to pat your back as a climbing crew but when you
finally realize that those bucket guys make the same and some more than
you do, well then; it becomes easy to see why

 

[lxt]

Treemanb, every company treats its climbing crew as if they were gold....cause no one wants to do that part of tree work anymore, I was in a union while employed at Lewis too our bucket crews climbed (usually mine).

It just depended on how much kissing you did as to what part of the circuit you worked, I didnt kiss...so I got rear easements with occasional street work, fun stuff!!

you seem young & im not bustin ya here, just have seen alot of young guys put on a pedestal to keep them!! I just talked to a buddy of mine who is alot younger than me 26-27yrs old, BTW im 39 & he`s fed up with company bouncing, asplundh to Davey to Nelson, etc... every time he has to prove himself, gets a pat on the back to keep him & then Bam....contracts over C ya later!

this field has a way of using, abusing & letting go!! I wouldnt say I told ya so! I would want to know that you didnt fall for it & moved on!!

either way.........always watch your back cause someone will rat on ya thinking they`ll move up & get a feather in their cap, LOL...usually only to be taken away by someone else doing it to them.


LXT................

 

[ropensaddle]

Treemanb, every company treats its climbing crew as if they were gold....cause no one wants to do that part of tree work anymore, I was in a union while employed at Lewis too our bucket crews climbed (usually mine).

It just depended on how much kissing you did as to what part of the circuit you worked, I didnt kiss...so I got rear easements with occasional street work, fun stuff!!

you seem young & im not bustin ya here, just have seen alot of young guys put on a pedestal to keep them!! I just talked to a buddy of mine who is alot younger than me 26-27yrs old, BTW im 39 & he`s fed up with company bouncing, asplundh to Davey to Nelson, etc... every time he has to prove himself, gets a pat on the back to keep him & then Bam....contracts over C ya later!

this field has a way of using, abusing & letting go!! I wouldnt say I told ya so! I would want to know that you didnt fall for it & moved on!!

either way.........always watch your back cause someone will rat on ya thinking they`ll move up & get a feather in their cap, LOL...usually only to be taken away by someone else doing it to them.


LXT................

Yep it's why I friggin absolutely hate corporate. I managed to last 13 years
and did my job well. The power company really liked me and my work and
my honesty but my company bosses tried to get dirt on me the whole time
because they felt threatened that their bosses liked me. It was great until
the old boss retired and some new azz kisser came in, my old boss would
pull up and we would be taking a break and I would laugh and say, ya
caught us f-ing off. He would laugh and say your not a liar but he also
could tell by looking we had done a days work. The new guy was just
a dip **** apprentice lineman, nephew to a high ranking office worker
and he new I applied for the position and said what I felt about line
men applying to supervise tree operations and since I left they have,
ruined a brand new bucket truck, partially burned a house down etc.
Many other things, smashed one employee under a log he lived though.

 

[woodchopper]

let me know if you have any other questions

I've been driving trucks for a living for quite a few years. Up until recently my second job was hauling bark mulch and chips. I just got laid-off and was considering getting back into tree work until the economy turned around. I'm in the South Shore and alot of the tree companies around here pay squat and have no health insurance because they are non-union. Do you know of any tree companies around here that are worth working for and what do they start climbers out at ? Thanks.

either way.........always watch your back cause someone will rat on ya thinking they`ll move up & get a feather in their cap, LOL...usually only to be taken away by someone else doing it to them.
.

Sounds just like the trucking business. Must be backstabbers in all the trades ?

 

[mckeetree]

Every climbing crew takes their trucks home with them, special or not, thats how it works. And in my area i have worked for Davey, and worked with Asplundh and out of the three in my area Lewis is by far the better company work for in my opinion.

Hmmmmmm.

 

[Wiredp]

Class 2A Hoisting License

Thank you to all that have responded to these posts as I do appreciate it. I have taken some of the advice and am preparing to take my CDL type B permit test. I know that I should get the air brake endorsement, but are there any others that would be useful for arboricultural purposes? I have seen some job postings in the past that request not only a CDL type B, but a 2A Hoisting License. Who is responsible for authorizing that type of license as I do not find much information about it . If it is done by the registry, would that be something I should do at the same time as my CDL B Permit and Air Brakes Permit. I have been going through the study guide in preparation, but will be going over it a few more times before I take the test so in the mean time any guidance you can provide would be further appreciated as I respect the experience and knowledge that members of this site provide to me.

 

[74craig]

I would get your combination rite away,you'll be glad you did later.

 

[ropensaddle]

I would get your combination rite away,you'll be glad you did later.

Yup get the class A and air endorsement that way you can tote a
bush hog on a 20 ton trailer.

 

[Thillmaine]

Mass Companies

Class B is a waste of time. Get an A. Mass is a ##### to get a CDL in, I got mine there...State troopers are the ones who give the test, and its the hardest stae in the country to get a CDL. D and B SUCKS, dont work for them unless you want to waste your time. Maltby out of Stoughton, Cicoria (sp?) somehwere on trhe north shore, Mayer Tree, also on the north shore, all good companies top look into. I used to work for Hartney Greymont, in Needham, a great company, I have nothing but great things top say about it. Not many removals, but high quality ornamental and Large tree pruning as well as a variety of other horticultural services. Try them if you want to work for a preservation based company. Oh, also Dillon Tree is out of Shrewsbury or Worcester...

 

[DK_stihl]

Cdl

Class B is a waste of time. Get an A. Mass is a ##### to get a CDL in, I got mine there...State troopers are the ones who give the test, and its the hardest stae in the country to get a CDL. D and B SUCKS, dont work for them unless you want to waste your time. Maltby out of Stoughton, Cicoria (sp?) somehwere on trhe north shore, Mayer Tree, also on the north shore, all good companies top look into. I used to work for Hartney Greymont, in Needham, a great company, I have nothing but great things top say about it. Not many removals, but high quality ornamental and Large tree pruning as well as a variety of other horticultural services. Try them if you want to work for a preservation based company. Oh, also Dillon Tree is out of Shrewsbury or Worcester...

I got mine in NY, "B" first then "A" with "O" restriction. I do have air, towing & tanker endorsements. No one helped me, I had to learn everything on my own, but I think that I learned better that way. I don't have a true "A", but mine will let me do everything that I need to. Not many tree companies have semis, but many have tag alongs over 10000#.