Skilled Tradesman Hold your Ground in Tough Times - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

mrmike · 03-12-2009, 12:36 PM

Found this in our area Craiglist- this guy Tells em like it is !
Skilled Tradesman Hold Your Ground (Capital District)

Reply to: job-1049786007@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-02-25, 10:01AM EST

In these slow times more then ever SKILLED carpenters need to know what they are worth. I have been a carpenter for close to 13 years and have consistently averaged 50,000 - 70,000 a year being both self employed and working for other contractors. When you work for people who want to pay peanuts you make are trade look easy and not worth the hard work it truly is. So if you are self-employed get insuance, pay your taxes take pride in your business name and you will be successful. If you are going to work by the hour check the New York State website for the prevailing wage for your trade and use that as leverage. I know times are tuff and you need to feed your family but letting people take advantage of you by working for nine dollars an hour or installing tile for two bucks a foot is not the answer,( BJ's starts a $10.50 to be a cashier). Take some time to write a professional resume and apply to REAL companies that pay UNION wages or don't I will still be making my 70,000 a year.

To the homeowners and flippers paying these absurb rates I hope you know that you are responsible for the health of un-insured contractors if they are hurt working for while you they can sue for your personal assets and they will win, not to mention you will both be under investigation for tax evasion. So have some pride, be safe and hire a reputable, insured contractor or eventually you be sorry.

Location: Capital District
Compensation: SKILLED Carpenters are Worth More then $9 an Hour
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1049786007

IHI · 03-12-2009, 01:12 PM

Soundds well and good, but the simple fact of the matter, with the low buy in to become a contractor/carpenter there is just too many hacks out there with no business sense willing to work for whatever rate they can get even though their to stupid to realize in the big picture they're actually losing money. They saytimes like this are good since it weeds out the hacks that are plentiful when times are good, but the wake of crap they leave behind hurts us in it for the long haul.

So yeah, great link/text but unforetunately too many idiots out there willing to cut their won throats to get anything at all.

kevjob · 03-12-2009, 01:47 PM

CL is for crazies who think anyone can frame an addition so why pay for someone who has license insurance, profit etc... I stay far away from CL or any other crazy site where people post what they are willing to pay or figure what the job is worth to them.

jcalvin · 03-12-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmike

BJ's starts a $10.50

I hope that BJ's is a store or something...right?

SelfContract · 03-12-2009, 02:35 PM

Yes, it is called BJ's Warehouses store... just like SAM or CostCo, inc. in your areas.... and no, it is not from the street-girl you know.

rbsremodeling · 03-12-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcalvin

I hope that BJ's is a store or something...right?

At the end of 2009 this will get nominated by me for the best "I need a clarification" post of of the year

**framerman** · 03-12-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmike

you make are trade look easy and not worth the hard work it truly is.

This is so sad of are business.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmike

BJ's starts a $10.50

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcalvin

I hope that BJ's is a store or something...right?

That's priceless!

Buck25 · 03-12-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SelfContract

Yes, it is called BJ's Whorehouses store... just like SAM or CostCo, inc. in your areas.... and no, it is not from the street-girl you know.

It's from the one you don't know, and they're feelin' the economy too.

Street Girls Hold your "Ground" in Tough Times.

BKFranks · 03-12-2009, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmike

Found this in our area Craiglist- this guy Tells em like it is !
Skilled Tradesman Hold Your Ground (Capital District)

Reply to: job-1049786007@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Date: 2009-02-25, 10:01AM EST

In these slow times more then ever SKILLED carpenters need to know what they are worth. I have been a carpenter for close to 13 years and have consistently averaged 50,000 - 70,000 a year being both self employed and working for other contractors. When you work for people who want to pay peanuts you make are trade look easy and not worth the hard work it truly is. So if you are self-employed get insuance, pay your taxes take pride in your business name and you will be successful. If you are going to work by the hour check the New York State website for the prevailing wage for your trade and use that as leverage. I know times are tuff and you need to feed your family but letting people take advantage of you by working for nine dollars an hour or installing tile for two bucks a foot is not the answer,( BJ's starts a $10.50 to be a cashier). Take some time to write a professional resume and apply to REAL companies that pay UNION wages or don't I will still be making my 70,000 a year.

To the homeowners and flippers paying these absurb rates I hope you know that you are responsible for the health of un-insured contractors if they are hurt working for while you they can sue for your personal assets and they will win, not to mention you will both be under investigation for tax evasion. So have some pride, be safe and hire a reputable, insured contractor or eventually you be sorry.

Location: Capital District
Compensation: SKILLED Carpenters are Worth More then $9 an Hour
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1049786007

I don't know what the unemployment numbers are in your area, but here they are well over 10%. If any contractor advertises a job, they will get inundated with calls. I called a contractor this morning who said he was desperate to get a job and he's cut everywhere he could and his only choice was to find people who would work for less. He said that was the only way he would win a job. He advertised very early this morning on Craigslist, and by 10am he had over 300 people call him willing to work for peanuts just to get a job. I called four times and it was busy each time.

This is the same story I've heard from other contractors. If you're not willing to work for $15, forget it cause you're not getting a job. That is the situation here. Take it or leave it. Last time I made $15 an hour was probably 1994, but if I want a job, this is was I have to do. Otherwise we sit home and lose everything we have. That is the reality here.

I'd love to demand what I am worth, but I've got to eat and have 3 other family members to feed. Some money is better than NO money. Other parts of the country may be OK and you have plenty of work, but here that's is not the case.

Union is an absolute JOKE here. My local probably has at least 50% on the out of work list. I've been on it for 7 months and no calls. Yeah the pay is great, but they have no jobs. Last time they called me I was on the list for 6 months, they sent me to a job for 7 days until it was complete and they laid everyone off. Then back on the list again for 7 months. No one could live on 7 days a year. The union meetings are dire as well. All the shop stewards are saying their laying everyone off, the jobs are ending, and there's no new jobs in the future.

I could sit here and complain all day and things may be great in your area, but here it desperation time. It's either take less or don't eat.

KCCT · 03-12-2009, 06:04 PM

I give the CL poster an A for effort

**joasis** · 03-12-2009, 06:27 PM

As a GC, think about the other side as well. When I submit a bid, do I adjust for the hacks? After loosing over half a million in bids, you bet. And if I cut, I am not the only looser, but we all eat.