$600 a week

[GoldMember]

Hey you greedy dipshit, there isn't a shortage of construction workers in Washington, it's that you're too cheap to pay them enough to want to work for you.

I'm seeing lots of new hires, and for the first time ever some diversity in folks in the trades. I've seen more women and blacks on job sites since the construction shutdown was lifted than I saw cumulatively in my previous 5 years in the field across two states.

Gotta pay to play there, buddy. And if someone can earn twice as much doing the same work for someone else, they would have to be a special kind of stupid to work for you. Although if they're working for you to begin with, the stupid bit is redundant.

As I've come to expect from some posters on this site, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. We pay a competitive wage for the work we do, we treat our people well, and we work almost exclusively in the local area so they're home at night, unlike our closest competitor whose sending most of their people to California.

I also know that one of the largest union contractors in town added $3/hr to their union rates in order to entice their people to come back off UIC when the work picked up after the non-essential construction shutdown. We pay similar wages already for our trades and no one in our area and line of work is paying more than us. If they were earning twice as much working for someone else, they wouldn't be working. It's still a competitive business where you have to have a low price to win the work and that kind of wage would disallow much work. So when you really figure out how things work in the world, try your backwards logic on me then.

[glademaster]

You have it all figured out, yet still can't find people to hire.

[GoldMember]

We're getting some people (3 hires over the past 3 weeks) but we need another 3 or 4 and it's hard to find them. For one thing, it's the work (commercial roofing) and it's in Spokane so the pool to choose from is a little thin. But again, I could throw more money at it but that takes us out of being competitive unless, of course, we simply wanted to take on work at a loss....

But what you're telling me is that finding trades workers is a piece of cake, no problem. That's not the case in anyone's world if you're in construction. This is a pretty good article on the subject.

https://www.giatecscientific.com/edu...tion-industry/

[John_B]

I dunno if this is true Goldmember but personally if I was looking for a construction job in the summer in Spokane I would not be looking in the roofing industry. At least not until air-conditioned underwear is widely available. I'm sweating my balls off right now, let alone up on a roof.

[GoldMember]

Yeah, that's part of it. The guys we have seem to love it. For one thing, they start as early as possible (5 a.m., in some cases), work until about 1:00 then take the rest of the day on the water or doing whatever they choose to do. So in that regard, it's kind of nice. But, yeah, roofing in the heat is definitely tough.

[Soups]

^^I used to be a hot-tar roofer. Yeah, I remember that... day.

-Mitch Hedberg


Yeah, maybe quit blaming something other than roofing is just a super shitty job that I don't think a lot of people are ever scrambling for in the middle of July?

[spanghew]

We're getting some people (3 hires over the past 3 weeks) but we need another 3 or 4 and it's hard to find them. For one thing, it's the work (commercial roofing) and it's in Spokane so the pool to choose from is a little thin. But again, I could throw more money at it but that takes us out of being competitive unless, of course, we simply wanted to take on work at a loss....

But what you're telling me is that finding trades workers is a piece of cake, no problem. That's not the case in anyone's world if you're in construction. This is a pretty good article on the subject.

https://www.giatecscientific.com/edu...tion-industry/

Yes nice article, but what it (and you) don't mention is that it's actually a pretty bum deal to trade your youth and health for a paycheck in an industry that chews young healthy people up and spits them out in great numbers. Your article mentions trying to lure people in with the promise of overtime, when in fact it's overtime that hurts people more than just 40 hours do . . . but your article doesn't mention that, just says it's too expensive (in dollars, not broken bones and ruined joints and tendons).

Yes, it's possible to escape severe life-altering injuries when working construction, especially if you can quickly transition into someone who does the hiring and firing and supervising and fretting about why there aren't enough people to do the work.

And it's a cultural thing as well as a hard-on-the-body-because-of-heavy-lifting-and-impact thing. I know many multi-generational carpenter/construction people whose family portraits would be a study in morbid obesity and the adaptation of suspenders and abuse of laborers to enable them to continue to work (and they do pretty good work).

The technological innovations your article sings the praises of have little to do with forming walls or tying steel or pushing concrete around, let alone roofing in Spokane in mid-summer. I grew up doing all manner of manual labor and enjoyed a great deal of it, and still do it for fun as a volunteer when I can, but I'm one of the few lucky ones in my peer group--the rest are crippled and dying and a bit peeved about their life choices.

Paying out-of-work people 600 a week could enable them to break out of a life that's hurting them and break into something better, whether from moving elsewhere or quitting the lousy job they've had to have to have anything. Giving people decent access to healthcare and a modicum of cash . . . it might not create a vast labor pool of manual laborers, but it might improve the lives of a whole ton of people.

This endless Reagan-era Welfare Queen whinging from the well-enough-off whose worst fear that someone, somewhere might be having a good time is hard to stomach. We've heard it all before.

And where I live, I'm seeing no dearth of people who work hard on construction jobs every day. They're mostly Latino crews, with Latino bosses, working for companies not owned (yet) by Latinos, but they make lots of money, build lots of things very well, and unlike most of the Gringo crews I've worked on, they all get along and don't whine and complain all day.

So it's hard to understand just why you whine so much . . .

[Core Shot]

Roofing. Fuck.

Can’t imagine trying to hire for that.

Most crews are illegal. And yes, if it paid more, ‘merkins might sign up. But the holier than thou virtue signaling merkins don’t wanna pay what it takes to do a miserable job in the heat of summer.
And so they support the illegals

And cry into their Chardonnay or white claw that the system isn’t paying folks a living wage

[PNWbrit]

https://youtu.be/52KWQyEker0

:And that’s how it came to pass, that on the second-to-last day of the job, the convict crew that tarred the plate factory roof in the spring of ’49…"

[glademaster]

And where I live, I'm seeing no dearth of people who work hard on construction jobs every day. They're mostly Latino crews, with Latino bosses, working for companies not owned (yet) by Latinos, but they make lots of money, build lots of things very well, and unlike most of the Gringo crews I've worked on, they all get along, don't whine and complain all day, and DON'T LISTEN TO FUCKING POP COUNTRY.

X2, and FIFY. Your entire post was spot on, well said.

The only time I walk onto a job site and shut off the music before I even unroll the plans is when it's pop country, anything else, I don't even turn it down. And if you want to give me a dirty look for it, I'll make sure I'm extra thorough and spend every minute I can there, keeping you from listening to your garbage.

I've learned there are only two rules in roofing: no sleeves allowed, and jean shorts are mandatory.

[Core Shot]

X2, and FIFY.

The only time I walk onto a job site and shut off the music before I even unroll the plans is when it's pop country, anything else, I don't even turn it down. And if you want to give me a dirty look for it, I'll make sure I'm extra thorough and spend every minute I can there, keeping you from listening to your garbage.

Women killed country music

I always hated country and western growing up.
Then I worked construction and learned to tolerate classic country. Today I’ll listen sometimes.
Unique voices and talent, good story telling.

A few years ago my wife is into “country” but it’s hallmark channel pop country, every song the same, all ghost written pablum. Fuck. I cannot stand that shit.

God bless you for helping to quiet that abomination

[yeahman]

X2, and FIFY. Your entire post was spot on, well said.

The only time I walk onto a job site and shut off the music before I even unroll the plans is when it's pop country, anything else, I don't even turn it down. And if you want to give me a dirty look for it, I'll make sure I'm extra thorough and spend every minute I can there, keeping you from listening to your garbage.

I've learned there are only two rules in roofing: no sleeves allowed, and jean shorts are mandatory.

You seem extra proud of being an immoral prick.

[glademaster]

You seem extra proud of being an immoral prick.

Nothing even vaguely immoral about the way I conduct myself in the workplace.

All joking aside though, I make a concerted effort to be fair and reasonable on every call I make. There's nothing I hate more than inspectors who have the "god complex." That shit bothers me more than pop country.

[Flounder]

Correct. And paying them what they made while working would seem to meet that effort. Paying them more than when they worked shouldn't be necessary to meet the goal.

The issue is that for years no one has invested in the actual unemployment systems the states use to administer the program. The vast majority of states have no way to means test the benefits to what the person used to make. They would have to do it manually and no way it could be done with the current number of cases.

[PNWbrit]

X2, and FIFY. Your entire post was spot on, well said.

The only time I walk onto a job site and shut off the music before I even unroll the plans is when it's pop country, anything else, I don't even turn it down. And if you want to give me a dirty look for it, I'll make sure I'm extra thorough and spend every minute I can there, keeping you from listening to your garbage.

I've learned there are only two rules in roofing: no sleeves allowed, and jean shorts are mandatory.

Guys who did my roof played Mexican music.

What's your policy on that?

[glademaster]

Guys who did my roof played Mexican music.

What's your policy on that?

I'm a fan.

To further clarify my stance on country: Hank 1 and Hank 3 get to keep playing, but I pull the plug on Hank 2.

[BobMc]

My toilet ring applauds your lack of a god complex.

[PNWbrit]

I'm a fan.

One of the guys was Brazilian.

He'd grill lunch for the rest of the crew every day.

It was delicious.

Interesting guy, he was here through his son's educational visa. Back home he was an accountant. But paying for his son's education by schlepping shingles.

[Flyoverland Captive]

I'm a fan.

To further clarify my stance on country: Hank 1 and Hank 3 get to keep playing, I pull the plug on Hank 2.

Funny, I was listening to an old cd of Mpls pop-punkers The Magnolias today; one of the songs is “Die Hank Junior, Die”.

Life is a lattice of coincidences...

[glademaster]

One of the guys was Brazilian.

He'd grill lunch for the rest of the crew every day.

It was delicious.

Interesting guy, he was here through his son's educational visa. Back home he was an accountant. But paying for his son's education by schlepping shingles.

Wow, he must have been preternaturally comfortable with heights to casually pick up roofing in middle age. Not to mention the physically demanding work. I've run into a few Brazilian guys out this way. There's one in particular whose 6 upper, front teeth (apologies to all the grimacing .dentists out there for not describing them correctly) are gold. It's a striking look.

Funny, I was listening to an old cd of Mpls pop-punkers The Magnolias today; one of the songs is “Die Hank Junior, Die”.

Life is a lattice of coincidences...

Yeah, songs like "The South's Gonna Rattle Again," and "If the South Woulda Won" haven't aged well, to put it lightly.

[Conundrum]

Modern country is “hip hop for people who are afraid of black people”. -Steve Earle

[shafty85]

what work are they supposed to find?.

They’ve got bootstraps, don’t they?

Jamaican bitch i'm sort of banging...

Referring to women as “bitches”. You stay classy San Diego.

[rod9301]

There's a balance to be achieved; provide them a financial lifeline that maintains their stability until they can find work in their field but don't make it so much more lucrative that they decide it's better to not look for a job. I'm not suggesting we kick them out of a program that's keeping them from bankruptcy. However, when no one's applying for open jobs in an economy with 10%+ unemployment, something's amiss.

Yeah, but applying for work because they are afraid they will get the covid virus. Which is the point, we don't want restaurant workers to show up sick because they can't pay rent otherwise.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[PNWbrit]

Wow, he must have been preternaturally comfortable with heights to casually pick up roofing in middle age.

I don't think there was anything casual about it.

Guy was working his ass off.

Makes pushing a mouse around and writing html or peering into toilet flanges seem pretty insignificant... huh?

[glademaster]

I don't think there was anything casual about it.

Guy was working his ass off.

Makes pushing a mouse around and writing html or peering into toilet flanges seem pretty insignificant... huh?

I have no doubt he was working his ass off, and you know that wasn't what I meant by "casually" in that sentence.