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Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

economist.com

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Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#461

Post by Y7ZCQtNo39 »

avasylev wrote: post #417
giobox wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a great many, youtube is surprisingly awesome. My normal approach to home DIY now is to watch as many youtube videos of the process I want to try as possible, then make a determination if it is something I still want professional help with or can try to do myself.

YouTube is awesome for DIY, I moved to older house two years ago and with youtube helps I've added crown moldings, repainted all rooms, replaced baseboard, built patio, deck - lots of fun, I think without youtube I wouldn't done any of it, zero experience before. Funny, my dad did a lot of renovations, and a lot of times I'd get more details/better tips on youtube than asking him :) But youtube is great for common DI…

Would you say, for example, your painting is good as a professionals (e.g., paint lines are straight with respect to adjacent walls / ceiling, etc)? As someone who anticipates being a homeowner in a few years, I wonder if it's possible the first time you learn how to do something (without having the best technique for the skill) to get the best outcome.

I wouldn't want my home improvement projects to look half-assed just because I wasn't experienced or knew the "best practices" for the given home improvement task.

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#463

Post by crankylinuxuser »

golergka wrote: post #398
crankylinuxuser wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well I have something to share precisely about that. Was in 2001 prior to 9/11 in south Indiana. I applied to a factory. And another one. And another one. Nothing. No bites. I then found work at a gas station Subway across the first factory. Our primary business were the factories. 9/11 happened. Within days, the factories shut down. We at subway were like "WTF happened?" Cause we were staffed like normal for rush. T…

> I know I understood the blue collar hatred of illegals. ... Not that its right, mind you Honest question: why not? I have a lot of members of extended family who have gone through a LOT of pain to become legal immigrants in the US, and they hate the illegals exactly because illegals have broken the rules that they have payed so hard to follow. If an agent A sacrifices it's profits to follow the rules and agent B ju…

Because they're people too, and trying to survive in this perverse game of "Capitalism".

I value human rights more than I value state or federal "rights". And in this case, there's more than enough resources to go around.

And a second derivative answer - not everyone who came here had a choice.

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#464

Post by aphextron »

hyperion2010 wrote: post #107

I had a long talk with a guy getting his general contractor's license yesterday. He told me that down in San Diego they are continually short on construction workers, so much that one of his friends said that there is 10 years worth of construction that needs to be done and no one to do it. Wages at ~$45/hr, and probably rising, some projects paying perdiems for commutes from Orange County. Strange.

Sounds terrifyingly close to 2007

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#465

Post by s73ver_ »

moduspol wrote: post #412
s73ver_ wrote: post #405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't know what the circumstances of the interview were, though. It easily could be a minimum wage job, and the other people just found something else.

This isn't the only case I've seen.

In those other cases, was the offering better than other companies in the area? Was there a compelling reason to choose that company over the others, and yet a majority of applicants still didn't show up to interviews?

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#466

Post by s73ver_ »

linkregister wrote: post #457
s73ver_ wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, those things can happen. Doesn't mean they will. Remember, a large chunk of people in this country are working under at-will employment. That means that if the company doesn't want to accommodate you, they don't have to; they just let you go without saying why. The onus is now on you to prove beyond a reasonable doubt (and spending large amounts of money on legal fees to do so) that you were let go because of th…

No, the employee contacts the ADA and EEOC. Please reread my comment.

The employee contacts the Americans with Disabilities Act?

And beyond that, what guarantees that the EEOC is going to act, and that they'll find in your favor?

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#467

Post by phil21 »

Y7ZCQtNo39 wrote: post #461
avasylev wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YouTube is awesome for DIY, I moved to older house two years ago and with youtube helps I've added crown moldings, repainted all rooms, replaced baseboard, built patio, deck - lots of fun, I think without youtube I wouldn't done any of it, zero experience before. Funny, my dad did a lot of renovations, and a lot of times I'd get more details/better tips on youtube than asking him :) But youtube is great for common DI…

Would you say, for example, your painting is good as a professionals (e.g., paint lines are straight with respect to adjacent walls / ceiling, etc)? As someone who anticipates being a homeowner in a few years, I wonder if it's possible the first time you learn how to do something (without having the best technique for the skill) to get the best outcome. I wouldn't want my home improvement projects to look half-assed…

I think you'll find that it varies by the job and your own personal level of "halfassed".

I can do most home maintenance stuff - electrical, most plumbing, fixtures, appliance repair, etc. I pay someone to do drywall work or painting - because I'm pretty picky and I can always see where my work falls short.

I think you'll find for finishing work practice makes perfect and is where professionals shine. You can certainly do professional quality work, but expect a learning curve and to be re-doing sections of projects that don't turn out too well. I know several homeowners who have re-done bathrooms themselves, and only one would I say turned out professional looking in quality. That guy is simply a perfectionist who spent an inordinate amount of time on the project.

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#468

Post by s73ver_ »

turc1656 wrote: post #455
s73ver_ wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the employer is not paying what the "work ethic" is worth, then why should they get it?

If the employee knows that at the time the offer is made, then why would they accept it? Because it actually is the prevailing market rate for their role and they know that. Also, let's not forget that there is always a large risk when hiring someone, especially as in the OPs case where they are recently graduated. The value can't be certain, so businesses are conservative until it can be proven to be higher. This is…

But, they don't. And there's also a large risk when taking a job, especially when one is recently graduated.

I'm sorry, but I don't buy this idea that the business, the entity with all the power in the relationship, is entitled to be conservative but no one else is.

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#469

Post by literallycancer »

jondubois wrote: post #269
opportune wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always read these ridiculously high salaries and laugh. Your average HVAC worker is not making $400k. I do know people in construction/HVAC/plumbers/electricians and it's the bosses making that money, not the grunt workers. The people on the front lines still make good money, for some easily approaching $100k/year, so there's not really a need for embellishment. That isn't to say that it's unattainable, but it's ak…

$400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid. I highly doubt that blue collar workers get anywhere near that much. If they did, everyone would try to work in that industry because the barrier to entry is comparatively very low.

>400k is what senior executives of major multinational companies get paid. It's also what top surgeons get paid.

400k is seen quite often e.g. here: http://www.gaswork.com/search/Anesthesiologist/Job/All

So it would seem one just needs to choose the right niche, and doesn't even need to be the top.

Re: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

#470

Post by Aloha »

Aloha wrote: post #223
logfromblammo wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just give an automated field-sobriety test for alertness, judgment, and reflexes at the start of each shift? Pass the test, and you can clock in and get to work. Fail the test, hit the nap room (unpaid) for a while, and try again when you wake up. It would catch people who are drunk, high, having a stroke, or just sleepy, rather than just the guy who used cannabis two weekends ago and is perfectly capable of…

I couldn't pass a field sobriety test well rested and stone sober most of the time - this isn't a reasonable test.

I was unaware that being utterly uncoordinated with a lazy eye was cause for down voting.
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