Guys, there is absolutely no way for the union to know when a company will actually call for workers. The companies try, and usually fail, to juggle manpower. If you have 20 workers, and enough work for 24, do you hire 4 more guys, or stretch the work for the 20 solid guys you have, and keep the 20 busy longer?

Construction, by and large, drives the hire and layoff portion of our industry. It is a boom or bust industry at times, and has so many variables. Weather, money, permits, owners, planning, architects, etc etc etc. I personally have watched jobs that were ready to jump, sit in mothballs for years...

Sucks but the best advice I can give is, be patient, be flexible, and when your chance arrives, make the most of it. Go ahead and go on a family trip, just make sure the wife and family understands you may need to cut it short, on very little notice. Remember, we are not talking about a job choice here, this is a career that will give you what you put into it. Good luck, work safe.