lighting technician

gas technician

technician

electrician assistant

lineperson

Utility Partners of America

As an installer this company is always hiring, why? Because there’s  always a lot of people quitting. You will be under paid It doesn’t matter how much you know or how much experience you have. They will hire anyone, train them for 2 days and throw them out in the woods, like they should know everything with a couple of days. Training is really poor and haphazard. Safety is always preached but poorly executed, the will have you out there working on electric panels while there is thunder and lightning, they will put you in dangerous neighborhoods with no concerns of personal life. They will send you out on the field with lack of tools, and with somebody else’s badge or name tag. 

Management is the worst, there is a lot of favoritism, gossip, and rumor among them. If ONE of them dont like you for some reason you will know because they will ALL treat you differently. They tend to push there installers to do a unrealistic certain amount or a quota everyday without any consideration of weather or un-accessible accounts. Even though supervisors themselves are suppose to be installing, they wont even touch a meter, and dont think about questioning them about it. 

You will nearly hear from corporate, they tend see everybody else as lower class. HR department will never answer your call or care to even return your call, dont even bother that lady. Cooperate director is joke, he will promote and give people high up position from outside the company or with least experience than any installer. So there isn’t  much room for people to move up in the company. It is a dead end job, if your hired as an installer you will always be an installer, if your are hired as a supervisor you will always be a supervisor. 

Overall, do not take this job serious, if anything its just a temporary employment. Most projects are under contract with local utilities. You will get hired as a local, for a short period, ranging from a couple of months to a year at most. once the project starts coming to an end they will ask you if you want to travel. It is the worst mistake that you can make, because they will send you far away from home and they will only give you 2 days off every 6 weeks, while management get 5 days of every 4 weeks. And when you do take those 2 days off, they want you to take them off on a weekend at your own cost, they dont care if if you have a home or family. What makes it even worse they will pay you they same you made locally and put you in a prevailing wage state, where you may end up making less than minimum wage at a new travel work place. There is no career here.

When I first got hired for UPA I was excited that I got a professional job/opportunity to work and learn with electric and utility especially since we were contracted to work with duke energy. Ah man was I fooled because the job was horrible. As a installer I was trained within one day on how to swap a meter which is easy  It’s like changing your own clothes or tieng your own shoes. But what they didn’t train me on was on what to do when I came across issues and their were tons of issues. There were moments when I pulled meters and they would break. There were moments when meter  formats would not match. There were moments when things would get extremely difficult. And there was no point in calling my supervisor or manager  because he would never come out to the field and never understood what I was talking about. When I had problems I always had to call duke AMI for suggestions even though I was not allowed to but I felt lot safer and better from them. I later started to learn new tricks and skills from vets/travelers were they started to become my point of contact when ever I needed something. I thought it was going to be an easy job but no its was lot more difficult than I thought. The pay was terrible I got paid 14 and hour plus incentive and incentives were difficult to achieve because meter were so far apart so in general I was getting paid $14 per hour to run around get dehydrated, fight dogs, get in thorn bushes, get shocked, out in the  forest in hot sun or rain, and dealing with aggressive customers. I thought  this was going to be a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door to work for duke energy but no. UPA left a bad tastes on duke energy mouth. We had a contract to work for 5 years but it got cut short to less than year because duke pulled the plug. There were so many safety violation, there were so many accidents and there was bad management and performance that duke couldn’t deal with it anymore. I regret ever giving UPA chance because its just terribly managed like a kindergarten is running it. Anyways, duke sees us (UPA) as fool and it caused us all to loose our jobs or  to look for work elsewhere because we are no longer be hire-ble for duke.

I have been blessed to have had a continuous professional relationship with Utility Partners of America (UPA) for well over 20 years, first as a fulltime employee and now as a business partner. I want to take a minute to offer a glimpse of my experience with this group and my endorsement for them. 

My career with UPA started during their inception in the late 1990’s, when literally, just a handful of us performed the duties that eventually full departments were created to oversee, such as field installations, data management, quality audits and such. I started as a field installer and moved through the ranks as the company grew at a very fast pace, to later managing full deployments, helping with business development, and eventually overseeing operations in various capacities at multiple deployments, all while creating trust and strengthening our relationship along the way. 

During this journey, UPA’s commitment to me and my family and their full support during times of personal losses and tribulations never faltered, for which I feel a great sense of personal gratitude. And as I developed a robust management skillset and later began to pursue other business interests in parallel with my career at UPA, we began to collaborate and pursue mutual business interests. Today, I have the privilege and honor of being a part of UPA’s growth as a minority partner in a joint venture capacity, and it gives me great joy to see UPA further expand their footprint in this industry and beyond. 

UPA is a large employer and a leading company in the utility services industry, offering a family-like working environment, and endless career opportunities for employee advancement, growth and development. I know this because I have experienced it firsthand. 

I would highly recommend to anyone looking to start a career, or looking to grow further in an established career, to consider UPA as a preferred choice for employment. 



UPA is a contractor that handles electric, plumbing, water, and gas which is a great opportunity to get experience in the plumbing trades, electrical trades, and gas& oil trades.  Great if you need a job or maybe wanting some trade experience.  Learned a lot about utilities and city operations.  Typical installer day is loading up with meters, heading to accounts, and installing the meter.  Typical supervision or management oversight if you reach those positions.  If you follow safety rules and meet production expectations and contribute to the company, the company will reward you with promotion opportunities.    I started out as a technician performed a lot of installs for electric, gas, and water and was promoted to various positions as a result.  All my promotions, experience, and titles were earned through production output and being a jack of all trades willing to benefit the company.  The downside or hardest part is expectations must be met and the amount of hours and travel to remain with the company may be considered strenuous for some and the turnover rate is extremely high as a result.  Literally away from home from extended periods of time could be difficult for some or not being aware of when you may be away from home is difficult for some.  Though beneficial to some to have opportunities/titles earned primarily through production output, for those who are college degree holders, an unpaid internships or entry level internship through a career center or networking would be easier as you would still be expected to reach the production or installation expectations of the job which includes working in the outdoors in various conditions, heat, water, snow, etc.

I started working in the warehouse making 10 dollars an hour and I really liked it. Because it was easy and stress free job and I really didn’t no much. But once they sent me off far away from home as a installer things got worst. It took me 6 weeks-3 paychecks- to realize that I was being well under-paid. Installers were making way more than 10 an hour. I started to complain about this. I talk to my supervisor, I talk to corporate, I even tried to get a hold of HR. Every time I complained to HR, I was ignored. Every time I spoke up with corporate or management they would always get defensive and argumentative with me. Of course I am going to be upset that I am making less than 5 dollars an hour for the amount of work and stress that I was going through as an installer. It took them 2 months-4 paychecks later- for them to realize the mistake they have made. They later adjusted my pay to 15 and hour with no back pay. After that I soon realized how pitiful they are, it didn’t take me long to give them my 2 weeks notice. Leaving UPA Is the best decision I ever made. Being home now, UPA is constantly calling me offering a job back- with great deals and being able to work close to home...etc- I am sorry but I am not falling for that trap again, you guys have made it worse than what it is . I really respect some of the workers and travels that have been with UPA for years. They are some of the greatest friends to get along with when you are far away from home and they have endured a lot of UPA’s bull spit. And for the amount of skills and trades that they have- I think they would be the best supervisor, managers, officers this company would ever have. But the direction this company is going it seems like the more dummer you are and the more you become someone’s favorite the higher chances you have of moving up. Just ask Vante & Shikari

The job itself isn’t so bad aside from the fact that you have to wear long sleeves and boil in summer and then freeze in winter.

My overall complaint is with upper management, that is management at corporate. They micromanage manage every movement and it’s too the point where they are even watching you in the morning on the camera. 

They also don’t write people up for individual problems and resort to punishing the whole team. For example, people were taking an hour break instead of half an hour and instead of punishing the group causing the offense, they made the work day 30 minutes longer and now everyone has to take an hour break. All this has accomplished is creating a toxic work environment and many people have stopped putting in the effort.

Upper management also blame the techs for the fact that they aren’t hitting the number of installs we need a day, despite the fact this is their responsibility and not ours. A large portion of the good techs quit and they haven’t bothered to replace them.  They have also completely killed morale here so no one cares any more. They think they can show up from their office and come and yell at us and everyone will start performing. 

I think the issue is the fact that many of the people in positions of power have no real leadership or business skills. Management at the top level needs a change as they clearly can’t get the best out of the techs. It’s not our fault we don’t get the numbers, it’s your fault you can’t get the best out of your techs.

After the interview i was sure i landed on something I will love.. I was completely wrong. 
This company wants you to physically push yourself past your limit, for poor pay, poor work conditions, and no gain to you. I have been working here for 6 months and, the benefits are terrible, 4.6 pto hours gained per month (after 3 months) and Since you work 4-10s it’s not even half a day per month. 
You will not get the tools you need to do your job, and when you ask, you are met with a million questions, and tools that are not meant for the job. 
This company hires too many people and they do not provide enough work trucks making people double up. Causing both people to work under the “trainers” name, and takes months to get your own truck if you are lucky.
This creates an unfair environment due to the “incentives” they push during the hiring process. The incentives are basically impossible to hit, and i’m not being unrealistic. the work is not that difficult but the incentives demand more work than can be consistently achieved per day. The only way to hit the incentive is by doubling up, but most employees will not share any extra money gained by the “trainees” hard work. 
They do provide a full weeks worth of uniforms, but it took me and others months to receive enough pairs.
The main office is full of corporate people who do not understand the work environment of people across the country and demand the same amount of work of people in 60 degrees vs. 120 degrees. 
There are NO RAISES AT ALL. 
Worst company I have worked for by far. 
They have little to no regard for the well being of their employees and make it incredibly difficult to want to be there. 

I cant say anything good about this company. It is terribly manage and it has no structure. It has a hard time retaining employers and tends to lose a lot of contracts. The pay is horrible considering the amount of work you do especially when supervisor push you to do more and are never satisfied for your efforts. Supervisor are the most laziest people i have ever worked with, with zero knowledge that always like to bark orders. It became apparent to me when i called my manager over an issue i had on gas meter and he didn’t know what to do, i later realized that this project manager has never worked on gas meter before, how is he a manager on something with no experience ?!?!? Beats me!!! There is a lot a favoritisms among supervisor. Promotion and raises are unheard of. It’s funny but sad because there are people that have been in the company a lot longer than me (years) and they make the same amount as me and i been with this company for  less than 8 months. That’s  clear indication for me that this is not a company really worth it and i dont plan on staying with them that long. It dont take much training or knowledge to be an installer. If i where to compare this to any another job. I would say it be just like being a cart pusher. But then again idk because you will get better benefits and pay as a cart pusher . Yea, you will be outside working on your own all day whether its hot, raining, their is hurricane, or if there is a serial killer running around. They dont car about you well being or personal protection equipment, all they care about is that you install as much as you can and die doing it.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Leadership at this location routinely shows their humanity and willingness to help each and every employee be their best version. Surely, routing isn't exceptional, but it's still the easiest job you can have for the money you make here and can make if you are a high performer.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
So long as you follow your training and do the job, the worst part are unhappy and/or unruly  customers and the multitude of weather conditions.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's a laid back atmosphere with professional expectations. Show up for the job, do the job, and don't risk shortcuts. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
As a technician, a typical day consists of the morning meeting, loading meters and the necessary tools, supplies, and PPE to complete the required objectives. Field work varies in conditions, but each install is essentially the same at every location whether it's indoors or out. At the end of the day, unloading old meters and doing daily counts are all that is required if all of your previous day's work was satisfactory.

As a supervisor, a typical day involves daily AM and PM meetings and supporting any technician in the field that needs help. That often entails cutting rings and locks, assisting finding or installing meters, standing by for utility to arrive for repairs and providing supplies, guidance, and mentorship whenever requested.

This company need to change there ways and fast starting from the top... there are a lot people that have been with the company for years that are now quitting... people are always quitting because of false promises... but now its worse than ever, and they are hiring anyone like crazy to make up for this huge gap. What I really don’t understand is that they bring in new hires and are paying them way more than the workers that have already been with the company... how do you think that is going to make us all  feel, obviously they are just going leave or just not care anymore. I remember a traveler telling me once “it is more expensive to lose somebody than to just give them a raise”  and he is absolutely right. UPA spent $1500 per person to get them trained in gas out of the 32 people the were trained and qualified only only 12 remained. Instead of giving them an increase that they deserve. They now have to hire 20 new  people with no skills and spend another $1500 per person to get them qualified. Obviously they dont want to repeat this mistake again, so the new hires are going to get paid a bit more, which make it unfair to the workers that are already qualified and are installing. 
The director for these projects seems to not have a clue on what he is doing. he tends to step over dollars just to save some pennies. I understand many of the decisions that he is makes isn’t costing a thing out of his own pocket. But just maybe, if he started seeing this company as his own; he would probably make more wise and less costly decisions.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Lighting technician 41 salaries reported	$22.80 per hour
Gas technician 20 salaries reported	$25.20 per hour
Technician 25 salaries reported	$26.08 per hour
Electrician assistant 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour
Lineperson 9 salaries reported	$31.83 per hour

Working at Utility Partners of America: Company Overview and Reviews

Utility Partners of America

Utility Partners of America Ratings

Popular jobs at Utility Partners of America

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected