F TROOP

No,not the stupid calvary show from the 60's starring Larry Storch,we started an F unit this morning.One bedroom,somewhat bigger than the J unit we finished yesterday but with a more linear design.Less twists and turns.
We had our boxes lined out and mounted and were pulling in mc (wire) in under 2 hours.
By the end of the day we were 60% done.With any luck,we'll be as done as we can be by the end of the day tomorrow.
I'm sure there are many factors contributing to this amazing speed.
1.The basic circuitry is the same for all units,do it a few times and it becomes almost second nature.
2.Problems that present themselves are less confounding because we have trouble shot similar ones in different units,trouble shooting is less time consuming as a result.
3.I am for some reason,thinking more clearly these days and moving faster. (?!:))I am also much more comfortable in giving my crew (down to one) direction.
4.My crew(down to one)has gained confidence,and being 19,has a lot of energy.Did I mention his name is Kyle?Every time I call him by name I think of my son.he's a good kid and has started calling me "boss",which is a good thing.I try to share my knowledge with him and when he makes a mistake I redirect him in an encouraging way and not make him feel like a dumbass.
The other 2 members of my crew were summoned to the hall late last week to swear in.
After all was said and done the local "ambushed" them with a drug screening.They failed and were suspended for 90 days when they can come back and re-test and get re-instated.
I say "ambush" because they weren't told up front about the screening,which I think is kinda shitty/sneaky.
On the other hand,I agree that non-hackers should be weeded out (no pun intended).But these guys were not strung out fuck ups.One was a young kid who still lived at home and was struggling with learning a good work ethic,but in my estimation clearly making progress with common issues of showing up on time and communicating with the foreman when he was going to miss work.He has a bit of an attitude,but nothing gross.
The other is a 30 something guy with a better than decent work ethic.When the younger one was fired first,he told me he had never been fired in his life and resigned before it happened to avoid a blemish on his record.
I knew these guys from work,so I'm not privy to how they live away from the job but based on how they performed on the job,I didn't see a "substance abuse problem".
Admittedly,I still have a very social work approach to issues about job/life and drugs.You addressed it when it became "an issue" on the job and provided treatment and more times than not,they retained employment.
But this is decidedly different.We electricians face the possibility of serious injury and death every day by virtue of what we work with.I agree that the line has to be clearer and more absolute but haven't come to a conclusion to where that line should be.
But door knobbing a screen on new members after they were sworn in strikes me as kind of shitty.