They have got to be kidding!!!

Date 05-19-2011 14:49 Edited 03-19-2014 23:26

You get what you pay for. I was making the same money in 1979 over 30 years ago in my first job as an entry level weldor after taking only one one semester course in SMAW welding.

But I saw a job for a software engineer posted today that was offering $7.50 an hour. It just may be incompetent HR boobs who put errors in the postings. My most favorite peeve is the HR morons who insist on posting "BA degree required" for engineering jobs. They don't even understand enough about technical issues to realize the difference between an arts and a science degree. I have never heard of an engineering degree being anything other than a bachelor of SCIENCE - never ever!

By ssbn727 (*****)

Date 05-19-2011 14:52

That's exactly what I was thinking Steve... I think I was making more than that in 1979. :grin:

Respectfully,
Henry

By swnorris (****)

Date 05-19-2011 16:44

In 1979, as I was reaching the end of a job interview, the interviewer asked "What starting salary were you thinking about?" To which I replied, "Somewhere in the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package." The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5 weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every 2 years.... say, a red Corvette?" I immediately sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
The interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."

By rlitman (***)

Date 05-19-2011 18:58

Yeah, BA degrees in engineering do exist:
http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Majors/LAE/bavsbs.html
Same thing for computer science degrees, but the BA track is nowhere near as commonly seen.

By fschweighardt (***)

Date 05-19-2011 23:55

That is pretty grim, but I work with Trinity and they pinch every nickel, so not real suprising

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 05-20-2011 01:13

They have Trinity Marine, barge builders about an hour and a half north of me. Hear lots and lots of stories about welder pay up there and none of them are very appealing....even by broke flat on my azz standards

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 05-20-2011 02:06 Edited 05-20-2011 11:00

They will get what they pay for. Some 19 yo with some ag welding. They dont expect much and pay accordingly.
Maybe AWS needs to look at why people do not get into this trade.
Trinity has to make a buck, but this is disgusting. Check out the demographics of Cheatham Co TN. Looks like Trinity knows how to mine tax breaks from counties and more power to them. If that would be a entry level wage, that would be one thing, but from the job description, they are wanting someone with experience.
The sad thing is some poor schmuck will take the job.
Hopefully they will work for Trinity long enough to develop the skills to work for a decent company.
Maybe Welding Journal will highlight Trinity in Ashland City TN as a reason young people are not encouraged to enter the welding profession.

By L51174

Date 05-20-2011 15:17

LMAO!!

"CWI-Certified Welding Inspector and considerable knowledge, skills and abilities are desired"

Yeah, people are falling all over themselves to get a CWI certification so they can make less than a burger flipper. Morons.

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 05-20-2011 15:30

Who would use over a 10th of their proposed salary to take the CWI exam?....Good luck filling that position...I imagine that the raises would be few and far between if they want to put out that kind of money to fill that position with those expectations/requirements. Wonder what they are willing to pay the unskilled workers?

By Cumminsguy71 (*****)

Date 05-20-2011 17:52

I knew a kid that went to work for them as a welder. Sharp kid, wish I could have hired him. He was excited but I was not

By HillbillyWelder (**)

Date 05-21-2011 00:52 Edited 05-21-2011 00:58

Ladies and Gentleman...and I use that term loosely...that job posting is why we need to close our borders. The companies know that "they" with a green card or not "they" will work for cheap. We (border states) have been dealing with this for years. The companies havn't realised or don't care (they still get paid)...you get what you pay for. "They" aren't necesserily taking our jobs, "they" are taking jobs that don't pay chit...which in turn lowers all our pay....except the companies that have waken up.

By ctacker (****)

Date 05-22-2011 02:28

I found one that pays twice as much :razz:

, I can only hope people arent taking these jobs.
http://search.jobsinwelding.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=10034&jb=8015840

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 05-22-2011 13:10 Edited 05-22-2011 13:13

There is a reason these companies like Trinity put their manufacturing facilities where they do. This place in TN is near Nashville. It is not to attract people from Nashville to a bed room community but to attract decently skilled individuals from rural areas toward Nashville. They mine local tax incentives and place the facilities in these locations. If you are coming from a rural area where there are minimal opportunities at any wage, this job would not be bad. Trinity is not looking for high skilled workers. They are looking at minimally skilled, but intelligent, educated workers to do hard, mind numbingly routine production welding.
The really smart with stay with this job 1-2 years then move on. The other "grateful" ones will stay there until the tax incentive mine runs out, then gets laid off and then they wonder what happened to them.
And Trinity and others of their ilk move on and repeat this. Eventually moving the whole thing out of the country when they cannot get enough tax incentives and have low enough wages to make their required profit margins. And this is because their customers are demanding cheaper prices and faster delivery.
That would be US!
The welding industry is in a bad position. The companies want and need competitive wages.
Trinity competes globally. They have to be able to compete with a manufacturing company in China or India who can produce a equal product for less cost. The cost of the raw material is roughly the same regardless of where the product is manufactured. The wages/productivity of the people making the product is the biggest cost. If the product that Trinity is making in TN can be made less in India, Vietnam, China or wherever, that is where it will be made.
You can say we need to raise the tariffs on products made in these countries.
Good, but if the product made in TN is being sold to a company in say Argentina, the end user can care less if it says Made in the USA or Hecho en Mexico. They are looking for price.
This is a dilemma for the workers. Global competition drives down wages. So if a worker is going to make $$ what do they do?
Better improve your skills. And not just the ones for welding. You better know higher math. Have excellent computer skills. Be willing to relearn, move and change. The days of one job with one company for life is over. And the companies need to learn to promise the workers less, but the opportunity when the job is over to have skills that will be valuable to the worker in their next job.

By rcwelding (***)

Date 05-22-2011 17:08

What is crazy Is a friend of mine that worked in a fab shop and is an ( OK ) welder got sick of his $15 an hour job so he asked his dad to help him out with the cost of buying a new welder so he could go out on his own..

He buys a Miller 250 and rigs it up on his truck.. He calls me three days later saying " Hey RC what do you charge" so I tell him anywhere from $65 to $100 per hr depending on what I'm doing and he gos WOW that's allot.. He says I just bid some work for $20 an hour.. That's a five dollar an hour raise from what I was making with just a $4,000 investment in tools.. Maybe I can get up to $25 an hour by the end of the year....

He is a good guy who's wife died in a car wreck two years ago and he has two little girls under the age of 10 he is raising..

He works like a dog to support his little family so I have a ton of respect for him for trying but my goodness there are getting to be a ton of guys like that around here.. Its killing my biding...

I respect them for working and not collecting food stamps but dang its tough to compete against them..!!

RC

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 05-23-2011 03:08

I don't think You are out of line at that price if You are really good, but Your friend is as You put it "OK". He is way low at $20, is loosing money working and doesn't know it yet, but He isn't in the same ballpark skill wise that I assume You are.

I think He is going to have a hard time selling the higher price to the same customers He did the lowball jobs for, but He can't stay in business at $20-25/Hr. He should have called You first... :sad:

By rcwelding (***)

Date 05-23-2011 13:55 Edited 05-23-2011 13:59

I sat down with him and tried to lay out just expenses.. He drives a Ford 350 flat bed diesel.. I tried to show him that he lived 3mi from work before and now he may be traveling 30 to 50mi a day to random jobs so his fuel costs alone are going to go through the roof.. He has to pay his own Insurance now for him and his girls which was covered by his old job, and countless other things that sneak up on you..

He might make it just because he will work himself to death to make ends meet but with so many guys like that out there doing the same thing its really hard to get the work I used to get.. I still have a few clients that call and will only use me but my goodness its allot harder than it was two or three years ago to land new clients..!!

I got into aluminum about four years ago and I was really busy with it, now every Tom, Dick and George has an aluminum spool gun advertising aluminum work for $35 an hour..

I don't get mad at those guys hustling for so cheep.. Its a free country and if you want to sell your services at a lower rate than that is your right but dog gone it makes competition tough..!!

Im trying to step it up a notch now and get a small portable Hi frequency TIG machine because there isn't anyone around here doing that but I'm sure they will start doing that pretty soon too..

I'm not at all angry at the low ballers I'm just trying to figure out how to get one step ahead of them..lol..!!

RC

By Smooth Operator (***)

Date 05-25-2011 03:45

RC , You have to find what I call your "niche" work!!!!! :grin:

For me its misc. metals jobs( stairs,handrails,ladders,etc.) Not small jobs of 2 rails, I'm talkin' stair towers 3,4,5,etc. thats where I make my money!!!! :cool:

I've spent THOUSANDS on benders,rollers,notchers,etc. but nobody wants to chase this work!!!!! I have to work all over the east coast but thats what it takes!!!! :neutral:

Also do same work in aluminum & S.S. Also have a portable unit but mainly use for my own work, WHY ??? Because everybody and their mother has a rig to work and works cheap!!!!! If I get a call for a cutting edge I can blow their doors off by using a wire feeder on the portable, WHY????? Nobody wants to invest in a wire feeder on a portable!!!!!! :cool:

Lastly Have your phone kicked from the business to the house after hours, an "emergency job" can go for $85.00/Hr. @ 4/Hr. min. :evil:

You just have to find your "niche", Good Luck !!!!!!

By DaveBoyer (*****)

Date 05-23-2011 02:58

I think You described the situation well.

By fitter

Date 05-22-2011 13:50

Twice as much for a CWi with PT. MT UT at 17 an hour? Maybe double it again and you would be in the ball park.

By welder8261 Date 05-30-2011 20:37 Edited 05-31-2011 23:51

Yeah, that is why I am a CWI and do not even work as one.Why don`t the hiring HR`s go take the test then repost the wage adjustment.No respect for any decent work....But if you are selling a new Cell phone, look out...people will pay whatever it costs to get it.If your car frame needs welded though...they will drive around on it until they almost die as long as they can stare into thier Cell Phone. There is absolutely no respect for a skilled trade left in this Country. Just go watch people spend $100 a plate at Dinner anywhere in South Florida and think absolutely nothing about it. Need your A/C fixed and they`ll go thru the Handiman List and find the cheapest guy.Roof Leaking??? they`ll get Three quotes and take the cheapest fly-by-night Pickup and Two Illegals.