sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services T1's, CSU's and DSU's After Hrs Callouts

This may be a little off subject of the technical aspects of working in Special Services(i.e. hicap repair and installation). How many ppl here get numerous calls from work after hrs to come in and repair hicaps. I dont mean just a few calls here and there. I'm talking 2 to 3 times a week at all hours of the night. I am just one tech covering 3 large counties and my phone rings off the hook sometimes when I get home from a hard days work. I just wonder if anyone else out there has the same problem.

I work in a maintenance center covering everything from pots to hicap....I can tell you I am busy every night. We send techs out hours just about every night

We resolved the after hours fallout problem by negotiating additional $ for the techs. The deal was, if you were available to get called out you got X$ for weekdays and 2X$ on weekends. That was for availability. If you got called out you additionally got paid time-and-a-half from portal to portal.

It was a pretty easy negotiation point, because management didn't see it as a day to day issue, it would only be for exceptional circumstances. When they saw that they would actually have to pay people for doing after hours work, they were a lot slower about dispatching after hours and most service waited for the next day.

Sam

In the same boat as you although some weeks are better than others. A lot depends on who is working the odd tours, we have some guys that would work around the clock if they could. Weather also plays a big part in the number of calls. If it rains for a couple of days the phone will ring non-stop with dispatchers/supervisors begging people to come in.

We have the option of putting "Do Not Call" on the dispatch line up and recently they have been taking availability. Normally I just let it ring as I prefer not to work for the government which is what OT amounts to in my case.

To whynot, we have a rotation here, 1 week on and 2 weeks off. Yet the problem is the other 2 guys on my rotation are nearly 100 miles away from me. If a callout comes in my area (3 counties) I am expected to take the call. The other 2 guys have pretty decent areas but mine has the worst cable and the biggest industrial base. So technically, I am expected to be "oncall" 24/7.....I feel pretty overwhelmed and as soon as the thunder and lightning come around I get nervous as hell. Hell, I even get called when I'm on vacation or ill, lol!!!????