Leeann Bosshard
Industrial Relations Agent
Prevailing Wage
The issues of classifications and wages for public work can be directed to me, and I would be happy to discuss any of this with you over the phone.
My answer, after ?my sponsors? in the forum correct it, as I see this an important issue for all electricians, but if you don?t see it, don?t worry I will go ahead anyway.
In Washington DC and many other states, regarding Electrical and Plumbing, but I will concentrate in Electrical only at this time; the prevailing wage for Electrical is higher than carpentry, roof or soft floor layers. I know I am dealing here with ?residential? but the risk, the danger, the liability, etc., is the same AS improper workmanship can lead to fatalities, especially when you are dealing with homeowner; homeowner that don?t have the money and expertise to do anything related to electric, not the same in commercial, as ?usually? they have personal that are trained to follow procedures.
In this example, government provides grant to ABC organization to provide home repairs to low income homeowners, so ABC hired employees to perform the different trade jobs required to repair those properties as linoleums, carpentry, roofs, plumbing, and electrical. Now, those hires are handymen, jack of all trades, master of nothing, no offense please, I am trying to make a point here, and they perform the jobs of carpentry, roof, linoleum, etc., in a reasonable way, BUT, even if those jobs are not professionally done and fail, rarely will kill anyone.
BUT, those handymen ARE NOT qualified to do Electrical or Plumbing work; those trades, including HVAC, required specialty skills, studies continuing education, etc., and LICENSING as is the case of Labor and Industries here in Washington State.
SO, here is what the law of LnI says: ?Class A basic electric work?, the like-in-kind replacement (replacement a switch, fixture, etc., for the same type) is exempt from permits and inspection, BUT nothing in RCW 19.28.041 or .161 provides an exemption from licensing and certification requirements for performing Class A basic electrical work. Even though the work does not require permits and inspections, properly licensed electrical contractors and certified electricians or properly supervised trainees must perform Class A basic electrical work
Leeann, I am working with the above paragraph, so it is not my intention to involve you in this, I wrote the above to make a point in the following for your consideration. AND clarify that L&I support in writing what I am saying.
SO, the prevailing wages for skilled trades, as electrical, plumbing and HVAC, must be higher than the no-so-skilled trades, I don?t try to demerit other trades, I am trying to make the point that those trades rarely involved fatalities.
Leeann, I will give you some samples in this specific ?ABC Company?:
*One of the handyman connected a new installed electrical water heater and when he activated the breaker, a big boom occurred and black out the entire residence, he called me and I found he wrongly connected the WH wiring and coincidentally the electrical panel was one of those panels recalled long time ago for malfunctioning, so the short bypassed the WH breaker to the main breaker and burned some wiring.
*Another handyman filed a damaged bus bar in a Zinsco panel to reinstall a new breaker; the original was melted on the bar.
*Another handyman left without power in the bathrooms for several weeks as he/homeowner wrongly wired the GFIC receptacles.
*I saw handymen removing electrical panel fronts and breakers in an unsafe manners, especially on Federal Pacific ones and replacing breakers of different sizes and brands.
*They don?t know what a multiwire circuit is, as I saw one trying to remove a neutral without checking if that were for the so many multiwiring circuits in an electrical panel.
*Replacing GFIC in kitchen area for standard one.
*Replacing a receptacle in a 20 amps multiwiring circuit and separating the neutral in that particular box so, that he can backstab a 15 amps one (?).
*Moving breakers from one place to another no taking in consideration double pole in same phases.
*One of the worse and dangerous situation created, not only by the handymen but by the managing staff, was the wrongly installation of the Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors provided by the Fire Department. I saw in a senior residence a CO installed 10? from the floor, so I brought this to the weekly meeting and I found that all the CO detectors were installed in this way in hundreds of residents and I asked WHY? So, those handymen, I don?t blame them ? as they don?t know better ? answered that CO is lighter than air, so the detectors must be close to the floor (????), I explained that CO is .096716 and air is 1.00, but IF THEY READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE PACKAGING, they should be able to do the right thing, so all those CO are wrongly installed and because it cost money to redo them, they will leave in this way until the next call ? I hope that nobody died before the change!
* I brought another situation with the water heaters Relief valves as those valves should be inspected at least every year and replace them every 3 years or if those failed the test. The same week I brought this to the meeting, a water heater exploded in the area and demolished part of the house, luckily no one was at home, but they listened, of course no! Been non-professionals, they don?t understand the ramifications. They don?t know what a CL is, so they wrongly install toilets, they don?t know what a back flow, back water, etc., are.
And so many violations, but no intentionally created as they don?t know better, but that it can be corrected by applying the fair law of prevailing wages, so those companies can hire professional qualified workers.
Been a General Contractor, no by paper but by my 50 years of experience and certified as a roofer, carpenter, flooring, etc., and a residential licensed electrician and plumber, those unfair prevailing wages are given me the choice no to do electrical and plumbing and go to the others semi-skilled trades, AND that is wrong! Don't scare away the talent!
Here are the prevailing wages:
Residential carpenters: $40.14
Roofers: $45.71
Soft Floor Layers: $42.41
Residential Electricians: $31.49
Residential Plumbers: $28.99
Leeann, I really appreciate you look into, I am ready to go to your offices and bring this in person, as I said before my English is a challenge (I don?t think with an accent).
Best regard,
Industrial Relations Agent
Prevailing Wage
The issues of classifications and wages for public work can be directed to me, and I would be happy to discuss any of this with you over the phone.
My answer, after ?my sponsors? in the forum correct it, as I see this an important issue for all electricians, but if you don?t see it, don?t worry I will go ahead anyway.
In Washington DC and many other states, regarding Electrical and Plumbing, but I will concentrate in Electrical only at this time; the prevailing wage for Electrical is higher than carpentry, roof or soft floor layers. I know I am dealing here with ?residential? but the risk, the danger, the liability, etc., is the same AS improper workmanship can lead to fatalities, especially when you are dealing with homeowner; homeowner that don?t have the money and expertise to do anything related to electric, not the same in commercial, as ?usually? they have personal that are trained to follow procedures.
In this example, government provides grant to ABC organization to provide home repairs to low income homeowners, so ABC hired employees to perform the different trade jobs required to repair those properties as linoleums, carpentry, roofs, plumbing, and electrical. Now, those hires are handymen, jack of all trades, master of nothing, no offense please, I am trying to make a point here, and they perform the jobs of carpentry, roof, linoleum, etc., in a reasonable way, BUT, even if those jobs are not professionally done and fail, rarely will kill anyone.
BUT, those handymen ARE NOT qualified to do Electrical or Plumbing work; those trades, including HVAC, required specialty skills, studies continuing education, etc., and LICENSING as is the case of Labor and Industries here in Washington State.
SO, here is what the law of LnI says: ?Class A basic electric work?, the like-in-kind replacement (replacement a switch, fixture, etc., for the same type) is exempt from permits and inspection, BUT nothing in RCW 19.28.041 or .161 provides an exemption from licensing and certification requirements for performing Class A basic electrical work. Even though the work does not require permits and inspections, properly licensed electrical contractors and certified electricians or properly supervised trainees must perform Class A basic electrical work
Leeann, I am working with the above paragraph, so it is not my intention to involve you in this, I wrote the above to make a point in the following for your consideration. AND clarify that L&I support in writing what I am saying.
SO, the prevailing wages for skilled trades, as electrical, plumbing and HVAC, must be higher than the no-so-skilled trades, I don?t try to demerit other trades, I am trying to make the point that those trades rarely involved fatalities.
Leeann, I will give you some samples in this specific ?ABC Company?:
*One of the handyman connected a new installed electrical water heater and when he activated the breaker, a big boom occurred and black out the entire residence, he called me and I found he wrongly connected the WH wiring and coincidentally the electrical panel was one of those panels recalled long time ago for malfunctioning, so the short bypassed the WH breaker to the main breaker and burned some wiring.
*Another handyman filed a damaged bus bar in a Zinsco panel to reinstall a new breaker; the original was melted on the bar.
*Another handyman left without power in the bathrooms for several weeks as he/homeowner wrongly wired the GFIC receptacles.
*I saw handymen removing electrical panel fronts and breakers in an unsafe manners, especially on Federal Pacific ones and replacing breakers of different sizes and brands.
*They don?t know what a multiwire circuit is, as I saw one trying to remove a neutral without checking if that were for the so many multiwiring circuits in an electrical panel.
*Replacing GFIC in kitchen area for standard one.
*Replacing a receptacle in a 20 amps multiwiring circuit and separating the neutral in that particular box so, that he can backstab a 15 amps one (?).
*Moving breakers from one place to another no taking in consideration double pole in same phases.
*One of the worse and dangerous situation created, not only by the handymen but by the managing staff, was the wrongly installation of the Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors provided by the Fire Department. I saw in a senior residence a CO installed 10? from the floor, so I brought this to the weekly meeting and I found that all the CO detectors were installed in this way in hundreds of residents and I asked WHY? So, those handymen, I don?t blame them ? as they don?t know better ? answered that CO is lighter than air, so the detectors must be close to the floor (????), I explained that CO is .096716 and air is 1.00, but IF THEY READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE PACKAGING, they should be able to do the right thing, so all those CO are wrongly installed and because it cost money to redo them, they will leave in this way until the next call ? I hope that nobody died before the change!
* I brought another situation with the water heaters Relief valves as those valves should be inspected at least every year and replace them every 3 years or if those failed the test. The same week I brought this to the meeting, a water heater exploded in the area and demolished part of the house, luckily no one was at home, but they listened, of course no! Been non-professionals, they don?t understand the ramifications. They don?t know what a CL is, so they wrongly install toilets, they don?t know what a back flow, back water, etc., are.
And so many violations, but no intentionally created as they don?t know better, but that it can be corrected by applying the fair law of prevailing wages, so those companies can hire professional qualified workers.
Been a General Contractor, no by paper but by my 50 years of experience and certified as a roofer, carpenter, flooring, etc., and a residential licensed electrician and plumber, those unfair prevailing wages are given me the choice no to do electrical and plumbing and go to the others semi-skilled trades, AND that is wrong! Don't scare away the talent!
Here are the prevailing wages:
Residential carpenters: $40.14
Roofers: $45.71
Soft Floor Layers: $42.41
Residential Electricians: $31.49
Residential Plumbers: $28.99
Leeann, I really appreciate you look into, I am ready to go to your offices and bring this in person, as I said before my English is a challenge (I don?t think with an accent).
Best regard,