So I take it that the ballasts were burned out?
"All you told me to do was change the tubes..." I wouldn't keep a guy like that for 5 minutes. Used to put up with crap before, not anymore. Too costly.
Our union is called the "International Union of Elevator Constructors", which in effect means Canada, and the USA. IDK about now, but in times past, our wages were calculated as an average of the top wages of the three highest paid wages in other building trades. Say, if sprinkler fitters, plumbers and electricians were the top three trades for wages, then our wages would be an average of those three. Each Local jurisdiction has their own wage rate. I think San Francisco (Local 8) is the highest paid nationwide, allegedly because they have the highest cost of living, including housing costs. I'm not sure that's really true, because Los Angeles and Orange County, (Local 18, just south of LA), has similar housing costs. One of my mechanics made about $120,000 US last year, with just a bit of overtime callbacks.
In 2001, my worst year financially, we had 17 union field employees, (8 crews, and an extra helper), and we had three jobs all over $1 million contract size, all going on simulataneously, as well as many smaller jobs, yet I didn't even make mechanics' wages! I was working my ass off! The more people you have, the less productivity you have, and the more losses due to late show-ups, going home early, inability to solve issues, poor workmanship, lost parts, etc. Plus, I used to get the bench warmers from the hall, who often got laid off their last company, because of their poor behaviour issues. Now we have a much better trained core of good employees, just 4 in the field at the moment, but the profit margin is much better. Our gross is less, but the net is a higher percentage of the gross, than it was before. People come in on time, get to the task at hand, consider it their pride to solve issues when they can, take care of the company tools, etc. So I work less now, and make more, relatively speaking. So there is sort of this invisible line, where if you cross it, and want to get big, you have to lift yourself up by your bootstraps to manage the higher workload, or alternatively, you can stay smaller, and make almost as much money. This is likely why most independants don't get really big. Their owners only have so much energy they can apply to the business in a 24 hour day.
I think Local 1, New York City, is an electricians' union, or maybe it's Local 2, idk, but one of those early union locals there in NYC were electricians. IDK if that's even true anymore, but at least at one time, they were. That sounds similar to Australia in that regard. But nationwide, in all other Locals, we are just elevator mechanics, with no electricians' license.
Last edited by Vic; 10/25/11 10:49 PM.
