Quick builds- Were you on a team?

Oneoutallout

Which trade did you work with? Any interesting revelations or tales?

dozy

Suspended ceiling team - did about 15 - 20 or so quick builds over the years.

I really used to like working on quick builds - it was the best part of being a JW , to be honest. I used to quite enjoy the "craic" and the team I was on worked well together - we purely did suspended ceilings & didn't do anything else - we did our job and didn't take any nonsense from any of the guys in suits & clipboards without any building experience whatsoever. The system of having lots of different tradesmen in at the same time does lead to a lot of friction , though I think over the years the RBCs have tried to learn from their previous mistakes.

One of the electricians had accidentally left a point "live" when we had been told all had been disconnected and my friend got a huge shock and was literally thrown across the floor. Frankly he could have been killed. He had to go to hospital for treatment for the burn to his hand and wrist although he was told to tell the hospital that it had been a burn at home so that "no reproach was made on Jehovah's name" and we didn't have any hassle from the authorities. The incident was hushed up and no mention was made of it. My superviser was so angry at the shoddy electrics that he insisted our whole team "downed tools" and we took a three hour break until we could be sure all was safe.

I left after basically my team was "reorganised" , a few of my best mates stopped going on builds or moved away & we got a new supervisor who was pretty useless and had no trade or people skills - just a "spiritual man" ( supposedly). My final build was a total shambles - badly organised & constantly fighting JWs - even on Monday morning it still wasn't finished - and after I went home I decided to call it a day. By that time I was seriously having doubts about "the truth" anyway. I just told the RBC that I was too busy with my young family , work and congregation problems to continue though they still phoned me or emailed me regularly - I think they struggle to get anyone who is half decent at their trade. Even after I stopped going to meetings I had a phone call virtually begging me to do one more build ( which I declined. )

It was our habit on the team to "tag" every ceiling - we each left a sticker on the top of a tile with our name , date and "logo" on it. So there are 20 or so Kingdom Halls that have my "tag" on them all over the UK even though I've been away for many years now. It's a sort of immortality in a sense!

zebagain

" a total shambles" eh?.. this is what happens when you have an ever decreasing skills base and window washers doing skilled work.

I didnt meet the 'grade'. their loss.

Oneoutallout

I was on the tiling team. We mostly worked nights which meant the site was much more quiet. It was a laugh at times. The late night curry always went down well. I also did a very short stint on first aid. The responsibility on that team scared me. I chickened out of that! Then there was the night security. Having been in the building trade all my working life, it was difficult to keep your mouth shout when things weren't being managed in the most sensible way. Some of the work wasn't the best quality, that's for sure.

Dis-Member

Yes.. I knocked this one up in about 20 minutes. Pretty quick I thought.

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NVR2L8

Yes I was. I participated in a dozen builds. I was a general laborer and did drywall, shingles, cabinetry and tiling. In the end I was assigned to cabinet making but every time I got called it was for jobs no one wanted to do like cleaning up demolition or breaking cement...they caught me once with that bait and switch. They even called after I went inactive...that was my last no!

pontoon

For me it was electric and or HVAC, did it for years often outside of our region going into NYC on builds (since the city regionals lacked tradesmen). Some good times, always good food, some good friends were made, saw one really bad accident--a fall from a scaffold down into a stairway to a basement, no fall arrest or fall protection was ever used on those builds. Lots of unqualified people in positions of oversite, usually didn't bother us we just did what we came to do and got out. After some time and probably 25 builds I just got tired of it all, last one I was on a bunch of my tools were missing including one expensive new 100' extension cord that would have been easy to find if it was borrowed and being used. After I quit going I felt a little guilty about it especially when I would run into the guys I worked with at assemblies but as time marched on so did the guilt. Years after I stopped going on KH builds I worked on the Newburgh Assembly Hall. Thats a whole other story.

Quick builds- Were you on a team?

Oneoutallout

dozy

zebagain

Oneoutallout

Dis-Member

NVR2L8

pontoon

cantleave

Oneoutallout

cantleave

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