Another California one

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peter d

peter d

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This pay doesn't seem very enticing.

http://www.jamarelectric.com/index_files/Employment.htm

I hope this is just the norm for residential work. Although being "certified" does get you a nice boost in pay (relatively speaking.)

Reason I ask is that it seems like pay in the "expensive" states (California, New York, New England, etc) seems to be about the same, ie, not keeping up with the cost of living.
 
BTW
Union wages in San Diego for Inside Wireman (IE commercial/industrial) is approx 27 an hour + approx 5 per hour bennies....
considering cost of living, 17 dollars an hour non union in arkansas is pretty OK
 
holy s--t I think working at Mcdonalds would be preferable to those wages. I pay jm 22.50 to start and ap 15.00. From there it is all up to them and there performance level. But generally they get a raise or get gone. I live in a reasonably priced area.
 
Why does it say piece work? How is that legal? I know it still happens, But I've never seen it in an add.
 
chris kennedy said:
Why does it say piece work? How is that legal? I know it still happens, But I've never seen it in an add.
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there have been many debates here. But piecework can be done legally.
 
peter d said:
...I hope this is just the norm for residential work. Although being "certified" does get you a nice boost in pay (relatively speaking.)
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certified, I don't know, certifiable, I know... :roll:
 
This is disheartening.

Full time, 7:00am to 3:30pm Monday thu Friday.

Must have reliable transportation for use on job (a pickup truck is preferred)
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So, they're not just hiring an employee, the employee must also provide a pickup truck for the benefit of the company?

When a subcontractor for ConEd finds a stray voltage on a pole, a limo driver is paid 25.00 an hour standby time to sit on it and guard it until repair crews arrive, which can take 1 hour to many days. This is just to sit there and do nothing but watch 4 cones and some caution tape.

That's more $ per hour than this company is willing to pay a skilled tradesman to perform productive work, AND rent his truck. I wonder if they provide mileage, but I'm afraid of the answer.

Must have own hand tools and cordless drill.

Must accept any work assignment in San Diego County.

Must pass a pre-employment physical including a drug test.

Benefits:
Weekly pay.

Outdoor “hands on work”.
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OK, so the job itself is considered by the employer to be a "benefit?"

Paid holidays after 6 months.

Health Insurance for employees after 6 months. (Optional Supplemental AFLAC)

401k retirement and profit sharing after 1 year.

1 week paid vacation after 2 years.
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OK so, you'd have to work 2 full YEARS before a paid ONE WEEK vacation is due? And Americans wonder why we're the laughing stock of every other developed nation in the world.

Here's a comparison:

-46.00 an hour. Benefits begin after 6 months. 5 different pensions, a 401k, and a supplemental additional benefits security fund to boost the unemployment to a regular week's wages.
-Overtime after 35 hour week. Overtime after 7 hours daily. A holiday or an unpaid day off does not preclude the employer from paying overtime rates during non regular working hours. Meaning, if you took Monday off, and work the following Saturday, you'd get 28 hours regular and 7 overtime.
-Tool list just the basics - 3 screwdrivers, linesmans, dikes, folding 6' rule, hacksaw, voltage / continuity tester, torpedo level, work gloves, pen pencil and sharp marker. EVERYTHING else from spin-tites to ratchets to tape measures to plumb bobs to goggles to be provided by the employer. I can't believe a cordless drill, an actual power tool must be supplied by the employee.

Vacation 1st year 1 week, 5th year 2, 10th year 3, 15 year 4. after 20 years 5. 2 additional weeks vacation for those working in Street lighting and traffic signals.

Must work anywhere within the 5 boroughs of NYC.
 
First off California is a big state, pay and cost of living varies from place to place. SD is roughly 2/3's of what one might find in SF, or Napa... (Napa is $35+ journey wages) The work would also differ. SD mostly new construction, SF mostly High-end remodel, Napa high-end new construction. Not to mention supply and demand of labor, Napa and SF would have fewer electricians in the market because blue collar labor can barely afford to live there...

Also something to note is that "Certification" is required to by the employee to be working legally. Otherwise they would need to be directly supervised on a 'one to one basis' by someone who is certified, and be in an approved program. (The employer is not required to contribute to this edjucation unless it is specifically an Apprentice Program, and they would be dispatched...) Odds are some of the people working there would be unregistered "Trainees", or paying for their edjucation themselves if they are registered...
 
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To be fair, I think places like San Fransisco and NYC should be excluded from the discussion. If they didn't pay upward of $45 an hour, no one would work there.
 
Granted, however, cost of living differences don't seem to be equally balanced with wages. The major C.o.l. differences are in housing, taxes, and utility rates. Everything else from furniture to cars to food to fuel is the same.

So even if a particular area has the cheapest cost of living in the United States, getting paid 1/2 the wages as compared to an area where housing and utilities cost 2x as much is still a bust.
 
This is interesting.

I would be interested in seeing a map of the US with average wages paid for electricians marked up on it.

Would be of absolutely no use other than satisfying my curiosity. I may work something up.
 
peter d said:
To be fair, I think places like San Fransisco and NYC should be excluded from the discussion. If they didn't pay upward of $45 an hour, no one would work there.
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Back in the day.... Before many of the areas around SF adopted SF's "style" of wiring they wouldn't. (I say, "style", as as they weren't so much code items, or standards of practice, but design issues that would send SF Inspectors into a frenzy - and out of town contractors were reluctant to return.)

Otherwise I think the wages become a 'Supply and Demand' issue - Huge demand for 'Skilled labor' - and a relitively low supply of that labor.

As for cost of living... Food and fuel also goes up too. $3.85 a gallon for either MILK or GAS... ;) Both are less when I leave the city proper... And drop more the further I get from it ~10%. Same with cars - drive 30+ miles to get a better deal there.

To have the best of both worlds you need to want to travel. Many people here commute from 1-2+ hours away. Live where costs are low, and work where wages are high.
 
It can be an ego thing also. I used to hire these guys who all knew each other that worked up on the North Slope in Alaska. They earned big money. But the stories they told about how their mustaches would break right off and stuff like that kinda made me thank the Good Lord for setting me down right where I'm at. They all bragged about the money though, talked about what a living hell work was, but they all bragged about the money.
 
as a journeyman i made more money working for my contractor than i did for myself. this may take some explaining. in l.a. ca. i worked through local 11 of the ibew. when i moved to northern california there wasn't one union contractor in my area and there currently is only one(me). i don't have any employees as of yet, but when i do i will be paying the union scale for this area. as i bid work i have realized that if you want to make a profit you must have a minimum of 6 billable hours per day just to break even. the responsibility of keeping an employee "busy" for 30 hours minimum is not only daunting, but crucial to the sucesss of my businesss. if we misclassify our employees we are committting a crime. if we send employees out to jobs that could potentially kill them we are liable for their outcome. i, personally, willl not go to jail for a quick buck...
 
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