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Legislation being considered in Lansing would increase opportunities for electricians to become journeyman.
Journeyman are electricians that can work independently.
Under this bill, a journeyman would be allowed to take on three apprentices. Currently they are allowed just one.
Ken Bing of Zeeland-based Town and Country Group supports the change.
He says the apprentice program takes four years, so if the state doesn’t increase the ratio soon, it’s going to have very few journeyman electricians.
But Todd Tennis of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, says he’s concerned about safety.
He says before the state adopted the one to one ratio, many of the worksite accidents were the result of unsupervised apprentices.
Tennis also says if companies can hire more apprentices, which are paid less, it’s a disincentive for hiring journeymen electricians.
The bill is in a Senate committee.
