National Lineman Appreciation Day

National Lineman Appreciation Day is a wonderful day in order to express the greatest gratitude to people who work hard to serve for us every day.

History of National Lineman Appreciation Day

Today, the hard work, dedication and innovative ideas of power line workers deserve to be honored and praised. The reason of having National Tailor Appreciation Day was appeared when manager Bill Bosch realized that few people understood the work that lineman do and thought that should change. He wanted the lineman to be honored for one day and submitted the National Lineage Appreciation Day bill to Congress. He chose April 18th because his father, M.L. Cliff Bosch, a paver, also passed away in 1992.

On April 10th, 2013, Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) filed Senate Resolution 95 on behalf of him and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and it was unanimously approved idea. The effort of people in maintaining power and protecting public safety are recognized and supports the designation of April 18th, 2013, as National Lineman Appreciation Day, which has continued to be commemorated every year since then.

Connectors or line workers build and maintain "power transmission lines, telecommunications lines (cable, internet and telephone), and distribution lines." They work with energized power lines and install or replace distribution equipment such as capacitor cabinets, distribution transformers on poles, insulators and fuses. Their work can be dangerous, so they must wear personal protective equipment such as gloves and rubber sleeves, and use protective blankets, insulated bucket liners, and hot sticks.

Executives work outside at all times of the day, in all weather, and often away from home. They are sometimes first responders, there to restore power after storms and natural disasters and make the area safe for other first responders. After the damage from Hurricane Sandy that covered 24 states and caused $65 million in damage, it is National Lineman Appreciation Day and an opportunity for workers from around the world to join forces to bring the country back to life.

The profession began in the 1840s when the telegraph became popular. The people who drove wooden stakes and threaded telegraph lines on them were called sentinels. The profession expanded after the invention of the telephone in the 1870s and with the onset of electrification in the 1890s, as both the telephone and electricity used lines similar to the telegraph.

The risk of electric shock from power lines makes this work even more dangerous than before, to the point that line work was one of the most dangerous jobs of the early twentieth century. As a result, labor organizations were formed in the late 1930s to represent people working in the line and address their safety concerns. The dangers of the job also promote apprenticeship programs and stricter safety standards.

Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal expanded rural electrification in the United States in the 1930s, thereby expanding employment in the electric power industry. During this era, many people moved a lot to get to work. They not only threaded wires, but also built towers and substations. They often spend weeks or months in one location and then move to another. In the 1940s and 1950s, the demand of linemen for maintenance and repair continued increasingly due to the expansion of residential electrification.

Today, an aspiring communications officer typically serves as an apprentice in a four-year training program, and then becomes a "Journey Operator". In addition, schools such as Indochina Lineman Training Center and Northwest Lineman College offer pre-apprenticeship line staff training. This profession plays an important role to our society, and until 2020, there are more than 115,000 employees working in the United States. We celebrate to commemorate and show our honor to them in National Lineman Appreciation Day!

Some truths about Lineman

• Safety first

All staff in charge wears personal protective equipment including rubber gloves, rubber sleeves, and fireproof clothing and bucket liners.

• "The Kiss of Life"

In 1967, the famous photograph of Rocco Morabito shows a line worker giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an unconscious manager while being strapped to a pole. The walker survived after being unconscious and the photo became famous.

• They are well trained

A route officer apprentice participates in a four-year training program before becoming a "Cruise Operator".

• The storm kept people in line busy

There are more than 67,000 linemen responding to Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

• All Americans

There are about 115,000 people on the streets in the United States

Some reasons for National Lineman Appreciation Day being loved

• They keep the power going

Think of going without electricity for just one day. Linemen work behind (or, really above) the scene so we can keep our lives moving.

• A risky profession

Handling high voltage wires at high altitude is very dangerous. Linemen are brave enough to complete the job.

• They spend family time with us

They work tirelessly, often at odd hours, away from home to solve electrical problems.

How to celebrate National Lineman Appreciation Day

Celebrate and honor those of the Order today! Thank any lineman who you know and use the hashtag #ThankALineman to share on the social media in order express your appreciation to all linemen in the world. You can check out the "Thank a Lineman" tribute gallery and add a lineman to it by submitting text and high-resolution photos. You can also celebrate the day by reading American Lineman, visiting the International Lineman Museum, taking the steps to become a queue worker, and watching a movie like Slim, Manpower, and Life on the Line.