WEST MICHIGAN — They weather the harshest of conditions to get your power back. They work under risky conditions in trenches, near water, and on high towers. They're line workers.
Tuesday marks National Line Worker Appreciation Day, recognizing those who serve in one of the top ten highest paying blue-collar salary jobs in the U.S.
Consumers Energy says the number of people interested in this job is growing. Cleveland Reid was one of them. He started in 2019 and said he loves it so much he plans to do it until he retires.
Reid used to work at his family scrapyard in the UP. "A co-worker of mine had left to go down to line school. And he started telling me about working storm and driving bucket trucks. And I thought that sounded pretty cool," he added.
Now, you can find Reid high up in his bucket truck, where even on a calm day, the wind can still make things difficult.
"When we pull up, we have a safety checklist that we go through," Consumers Energy linemen Reid told FOX 17.
Reid spent many hours working on improvements to our electrical grid, and he's not alone.
In 5 years, Consumers says 400 apprentices have signed up to train as line workers.
"It's all about making the grid more reliable, the more line workers we can have working on the grid on blue sky days," Consumers Energy Spokesperson Josh Paciorek told FOX 17. "And then through storm restoration, the more we'll be able to do to deliver power safely and reliably 24/7."
In 2021, U.S. Labor and Statistics showed the median income for this job around $78,000. But Paciorek says there's more to the role.
"It's a career that you can really support your family, serve your community, and have the opportunity to give back to the community in that in that type of service," Paciorek added.
That service, however, can be challenging when severe weather hits. Reid says in those moments he becomes hyper-focused.
"It takes a certain DNA to be a line worker, and you know, if you have a passion for it, you can thrive in that kind of environment," Reid said.
He added it's the environment he's ready to be in for the rest of his career.
"It's the greatest job ever for one, but, you know, I would say think it through, you know, consider all the hours you'll sacrifice working to restore power to the customers when conditions aren't great, but you know if you are even the least bit interested I'd say go for 110% and you'll You won't regret it," Reid said.
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