Hired Help Wake Up Call - What Are You Business Owners Doing?

[furtaker]

The hiring/help situation was bad a year ago. I thought it would be getting better by now but I think it's getting worse.

 

[srb]

Don't matter if it's paid for or not. Equipment cost the same money to buy outright or make payments. If also doesn't last long when using it to make money.

Equipment is sky high now,I thought it may go down …

And very true if they are not paying for it , Gets used hard, Even if it’s a little better than other crews keeping it tight.

 

[fireman32]

My Fd job is four guys short and probably gonna be even more short if things continue. We get about 1 application a month and they’re normally not a good candidate. Public safety isn’t really a high paying job, but the benefits are decent. Pine straw rakers around here make $14.50 a hour. Straw stackers and spreaders are paid by the bale.

 

[2dye4]

I’ve got a theory, but the politically correct don’t won’t to hear it as I’m listening to a gap tooth commercial.

 

[2dye4]

I’ve got a theory, but the politically correct don’t won’t to hear it as I’m listening to a gap tooth commercial.

 

[treemanjohn]

It's supply and demand. Illegals know it well. There's a ton of contractors that will pay $25+/hr for day labor. A contract tree climber makes $500 to $1000 per day

 

[Big7]

With the southern border WIDE OPEN and awash with gang bangers and fentanyl dealers getting rich that's the way it is. When I lived in Conyers, the Mexican population explosion was in full swing.
You could go to Home Depot and get some good workers for $10 an hour and the bonus would be a couple of Subway sandwiches split 5 or 6 ways.

We still don't have any in Monroe. Very seldom do you see one here.

You know it's bad when you can't find a good Mexican to work for cash.

 

[Darien1]

I got a man down near Milledgeville that wants to work and can't find a job to save his life

 

[Darien1]

I got a man down near Milledgeville that wants to work and can't find a job to save his life

 

[Doboy Dawg]

If you can find Snap On wrenches or sockets at a pawn shop for reasonable prices they're worth it,,,, most any other snap on tool is over priced and over rated, including all their air tools and electric impact stuff, Milwaukee electric stuff is much better , Snap on tool boxes are well built,, but not significantly better than other comparable boxes by other companies,,, and my boxes at my shop at home come from Home Depot and Harbor freight, I can sit a 5 drawer tool cart from Snap on and one from Harbor Freight side by side,, remove the name tags ,, and you'd have a hard time telling me which one was Snap on ,

They aren't what they used to be

I just bought this box off FB Marketplace for $500. The top was dinged up and stained. I refinished it with $15 worth of sandpaper and polyurethane.

A comparable box from Matco, Mac, or Snap On is at least $3,500. I’d rather spend money on quality tools than a overated box.

All my electric ratchets are Milwaukee, electric impacts are Dewalt. My pneumatic are Ingersol Rand. I have hand tools from Snap-On, Matco, Mac, Cornwell, Proto, SK, down to Harbor Freight. Quite a few tools from Gearwrench too.

 

[Tight Lines]

Nice!

 

[treemanjohn]

I had to check my math, but you’re telling me someone who likes to climb trees can pull $250k+ a year?

100%

 

[earlthegoat2]

I had to check my math, but you’re telling me someone who likes to climb trees can pull $250k+ a year?

Yeah but they usually blow it on meth and consequently don’t work everyday they can.

That’s a joke but has basis in many factual anecdotes from my own experience.

It is very hard to find a good AND reliable tree climber for many companies.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

Yeah but they usually blow it on meth and consequently don’t work everyday they can.

That’s a joke but has basis in many factual anecdotes from my own experience.

It is very hard to find a good AND reliable tree climber for many companies.

They also spend a lot of time and money trying to fix their knees after a few years.

 

[sinclair1]

100%

My tree guy in Woodstock was planning to retire when his 45 yr old climber retired. He said everyone is sharing climbers as no one wants to learn the trade.
He told me the climber was making as much as he did when the dust settled and the out of control workman’s comp was paid. He said WC was something like $10 per hour on the climber?
His climber made 3-400 per tree or some such. Supposedly it worked out better by the tree than an hourly wage.

 

[treemanjohn]

My tree guy in Woodstock was planning to retire when his 45 yr old climber retired. He said everyone is sharing climbers as no one wants to learn the trade.
He told me the climber was making as much as he did when the dust settled and the out of control workman’s comp was paid. He said WC was something like $10 per hour on the climber?
His climber made 3-400 per tree or some such. Supposedly it worked out better by the tree than an hourly wage.

Workers comp is about 55% of payroll. When I was in business years ago we had a preferred rate of 7%.

Most insurance companies are dropping tree services if your employees work above 40 ft

 

[livinoutdoors]

Seems like easy money???

 

[bighonkinjeep]

Hiring "day labor" for cash is just throwing gas on an already out of control fire. Many if not most of them are already on the dole. Theyre already collecting food stamps, welfare, housing assistance, etc. Any many scam the system claiming services by " borrowing " each others undocumented kids when applying for services. They also as burden taxpayer funded services from health departments to schools where they require special classes etc without returning a dime in taxes.

Add untraceable cash to taxpayer funded benefits and youll see why they pull up to the social services buildings for their food stamps in new suburbans and king ranch pickups. Think im kidding ? Go sit outside your local DFACS office.

 

[Tight Lines]

Hiring "day labor" for cash is just throwing gas on an already out of control fire. Many if not most of them are already on the dole. Theyre already collecting food stamps, welfare, housing assistance, etc. Any many scam the system claiming services by " borrowing " each others undocumented kids when applying for services. They also as burden taxpayer funded services from health departments to schools where they require special classes etc without returning a dime in taxes.

Add untraceable cash to taxpayer funded benefits and youll see why they pull up to the social services buildings for their food stamps in new suburbans and king ranch pickups. Think im kidding ? Go sit outside your local DFACS office.

I certainly can't speak for them as a whole, as they all have different stories, but the ones I've gotten to know and re-use over the years are church going, family focused, and seriously hard workers. They put a lot of value on the nuclear family and hard work IMHO. YMMV. And they are here due to demand, because those here than can are not.

 

[Danuwoa]

Looks like people is gonna have to learn how to do stuff for themselves again.

Mt buddy has got a sticker on his hard hat that says “Skilled labor ain’t cheap. Cheap labor ain’t skilled.” Looks like folks will indeed have to start doing things themselves or do without.

 

[bighonkinjeep]

I certainly can't speak for them as a whole, as they all have different stories, but the ones I've gotten to know and re-use over the years are church going, family focused, and seriously hard workers. They put a lot of value on the nuclear family and hard work IMHO. YMMV. And they are here due to demand, because those here than can are not.

If their only employment is undocumented day labor, they are still using more of the taxpayer funded resources than they are putting back and suppressing wages for lower socioeconomic tiered American workers.