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Job Description

Overview

UniFirst is seeking a reliable and hardworking Maintenance Tech I to join its community. The role involves handling repairs, maintenance, installation, and troubleshooting of industrial equipment, systems, and components, with a standard Monday - Friday work week and periodic overtime.

Responsibilities

  • Utilize hand/power tools, precision measurement tools, and electronic testing devices.
  • Ensure safe operation of machinery, mechanical electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems and components.
  • Follow blueprints, schematics, operation manuals, manufacturer’s instructions, and engineering specifications.
  • Troubleshoot sources of equipment problems through observation and use of precision measuring and testing instruments.
  • Perform boiler chemical and wastewater pre-treatment system testing, record results, and make necessary chemical adjustments.
  • Perform daily and weekly safety checks on boilers and make necessary repairs.
  • Record and analyze meter readings of utilities and take corrective actions when necessary.
  • Perform daily and weekly location/system safety checks and follow up to address concerns.
  • Inspect motor, belts, fluid levels, replace filters and perform other maintenance actions.
  • Inspect, clean and lubricate shafts, bearings gears and other equipment parts.
  • Utilize a Computerized Maintenance Management System.
  • Perform other duties as assigned by leadership.

Requirements

  • High school diploma or GED equivalent required.
  • Two-year technical degree in an appropriate background is preferred.
  • Must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Valid driver’s license and a safe driving record are required.
  • Knowledgeable in maintenance equipment.
  • Minimum of 6 months’ work experience repairing industrial processing equipment in a production environment is required.
  • Must pass UniFirst’s maintenance knowledge assessment test to be eligible for employment.
  • Ability to read blueprints and schematics is required.
  • Ability to read and understand maintenance literature printed in English is required.
  • Basic computer and Microsoft Office skills are required.
  • Lockout / Tagout experience is required.
  • Ability to work overtime as needed is required.
  • Ability to lift up to 80 lbs.

Additional Information

  • Standard Monday - Friday work week with periodic night and weekend overtime.
  • Immediate opening with on-the-job training.
  • Recruitment will remain open until the position is filled.
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How this job compares in Melrose Park, IL

Pay in context

At roughly $28/hr, this posting comes in about 13% below the $32/hr median for welding jobs across Illinois, where the middle half runs $27–$39/hr across 247 postings with published pay. Put another way, it pays more than about 32% of the comparable postings we have wage data for. That gap is worth raising directly — in a market this size there is normally room to negotiate toward the median, particularly if you already hold the certifications the posting asks for.

The local market in Melrose Park, IL

Melrose Park, IL currently has 4 other active welding openings besides this one, spread across 4 employers. None of them were added in the last week, so this is a slower-moving market. Across Illinois as a whole we're tracking 333 other active welding openings from 207 employers. That's enough local activity to be worth comparing two or three offers before committing. Browse every welding job in Melrose Park, or widen the search to Illinois.

UniFirst Corporation currently has 1 other opening live in Illinois, which is usually a sign of either steady growth or steady turnover — worth asking which in the interview.

The most active employers in Illinois at the moment, by number of open welding reqs, are Staff on Site (13), S&C Electric Company (10), and Gerber Collision & Glass (10). Volume like that usually means either a genuine expansion or a staffing agency working several client sites — worth knowing which before you apply.

Within Illinois, the best-paying metros we track by median hourly rate are Chicago at $37/hr, Elk Grove Village at $36/hr, and Bedford Park at $33/hr. If you can relocate or commute, that spread is worth factoring in.

Similar openings near Melrose Park, IL

Pay figures are medians computed from live postings in the Welding Pros index, not from survey data, and they move as employers post. Maintenance Technician I - UniFirst figures were last recalculated when this page was built.