BigDaddyFatback - as an LCIS Tech myself, I too enjoy being a technician. Our trade by the way is identified as a distressed trade. So to say the MES initiative is only meant to save the Sig Ops is not entirely accurate, this will also help save the our trade. We will be called something different but at the end of the day we will continue to be techncians. I also lived through the several amalgamations we have had in the past, like when the Tel Techs became LCIS Techs. I can tell you this plan seems to be more viable then the plan they had back then. I am sure they have learned form previous experiences in order to adopt them to this new structure. I need to stress here, this is not an amalgamation but a restructure. There will continue to be Operators, Techncians and lineman, although they will be called something different (ACISS, CST, IST, LST) and will belong to a corp occupation. I am curious, what would you propose to ensure we have a strong, techncially viable trade in the future? How would you deal with the lack of recruiting and retention? How would you deal with an overlap of responsibilies (Operators and techncians doing the same IS function) while being paid differently. I hear a lot of nay-sayers about this restructure but have not heard of any brilliant ideas on how to address our current problems! Do you think we should keep the status quo? Can we continue to put bandaids on our ability to sustain ourselves? Technology is evolving, time to change to remain relevant or get out of the way for someone or somthing that will be.
