General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why are surgeons paid more than brick layers? [View all]Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)Have an opportunity to get union work, this is not by choice, we get a taste on the rare Gov't prevailing wage job like some schools I have worked on (prevailing rate must be paid, that's about double the normal rate) and most of us wish unions would flourish beyond the extremely large builds and Government work. There are only so many schools that get built or renovated and very little of the work available to do is for union scale, they are double the highest next bid so when union shops are not required, none get hired.
Even then, union tradesmen don't get perhaps as much as you think, they make about as much as cops and firemen.
Mostly the contractors that flourish in residential are non-union as union contractors cost more than most home owners (or developers of new build neighborhoods) appear to be willing to pay -the devaluation of these skilled workers is strong in the 'burbs'.
They become skilled workers by going through 3 stages of learning:
Helper, gets paid a couple hundred a week to do work that would make most posters here quit at lunch and seek the nearest chiropractor then, if you get strong enough and learn what all the tools and material are (you are taught as you do the back breaking labor) and appear to have some aptitude after about two seasons they may let you learn as a
Journeyman where you make about a hundred dollars more a week and break your back doing all the shit jobs that the more trained guys don't have to do anymore. the entire time your skill and talent are constantly tested and evaluated while they shout at you to go faster.
If you turn out to be talented, skilled, and strong enough to haul materials and tools you need for days that last much longer than eight hours about six days a week and you have learned about 5 years of trade specific information you are now a tradesman.
Only 1 in 5 of those that try are good enough or work hard enough to get through the first 7 years or so, they go on to work in offices or in food service.
The guys that make it then have the honor to fix and build everything for us and only get close to a living wage JUST CLOSE, seldom are retirement plans offered (except for those lucky enough to have a union gig otherwise save or hope for a miracle) and are broken physically in their 50's. Their joints usually are like those of a 75 year old at about the age of 50, that many years of that much weight and wear tears a body up.
They are not well paid that is what he is saying. Bricklayer or cabinet maker is not a trade you learn in a one week seminar. It takes as long as college, get it now? All these guys are trained this way and the "unskilled workers" are few on a crew and are being taught why they haul tons (literally) of material around site. They are all skilled builders and they are not well paid.