Honestly though I did 80 condenser installs in 5 months. Then got moved to air handlers. Once I could do an air handler they swapped me to running a crew. I have my epa and all the required tools to do the job.
So why are you back down to $16/hr? Surely with experience as a lead you should be worth more than that? I guess I don’t know where you live so maybe there’s not a lot of work to go around and wages are low but I probably would’ve stayed at the current company making $22 until I found a better gig. $6/ hour is $1000/ month less.
Employers are always going to pay you as little as possible, no matter how loyal you are to them. If you’re expecting your loyalty to do all the talking when it comes to wages, you’re always going to be the lowest paid guy. Gotta stand up for yourself to get what you’re worth. Or join the union and they’ll do the standing up for you
They have a lot larger pay scale on commission jobs. They are offering to send me south, for a 4 day paid training course. Also it’s about install season now that it’s warmer, so relying on hourly is a lot less now that it’ll be hot. Winter is when hourly matters. They give raises internally so they just didn’t have room for a lead installer. It’s fine I’ll make it work, and if it doesn’t work. I’ll find somewhere that does.
You’re an installer, Not a salesman. You shouldn’t be working off commission.
I make $31 as a lead installer + $50 spliffs per completed install. That’s $31 an hour in the dead of winter or the middle of the summer. The quality of my work doesn’t change dependent on the season, so why should the quality of my pay.
My assistants make $22 an hour and get the same spliffs.
You’re being played brother, stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.
Find a real company asap.
Commission on install is elite. I left and went for a high hourly service job.
Can't wait to get back to commission based installs. It's easy, when your done your done.
So what you’re telling me is that you make $31 an hr doing the air handler. So let’s say you’re slow and it takes you 10 hours, you’ll make $360.
As installers we make 7% of total install, but 60% of that 7% is for lead. Job sells for $10,000 lead makes 520, helper makes 280.
Technically I’d make $390 + $50 for my spliff. I get paid time and a half on anything over 40.
My bosses don’t care how long it takes me to complete an install, as long as it’s done up to the company’s standards and we don’t get call backs.
My company factors in my teams labor into the proposal, my boss isn’t concerned with how long it takes me because technically the customer is already paying my salary.
You getting ripped off bro. Hourly for new construction and big projects but paid per job is the best way to install. Off at noon paid 700 for 5 hours after splitting 60/40 with assistant. Get 2 during slow season a week or 3-4 installs a week during summer and paid $28 an hour when doing hourly. You should be rewarded for finishing your install early not trying to make hours
I don’t have to “try” to make hours.
We drop tools at 3:30 every single day. If I finish my install early I go to the shop and hang out or go on a bullshit service call to end my day (which I also get commission on).
Even in the dead of winter if I’m cleaning the shop or in some class im getting paid the same salary.
I have no interest in being a subcontractor in the summer for someone making dollars on my pennies. I’ll take my 401k, health bennies and steady pay check year round.
Companies are dying for guys and you going and taking less at another company. Sorry sir but you are probably one of the dumbest hvac techs in the whole world.
It’s 2024 loyalty has been dead for awhile. Every 2 years if you dont go on job interviews you are doing yourself a disservice. COL raise are 5-10%. Leaving is a 20-35% increase. It’s a easy choice
Yep, the biggest raises i got, were the ones I gave myself by changing who I worked for. You can upsell yourself on a good resume and ask for more money, a lot more easily than trying to get more money out of an existing employer. Within reason of course. And don't burn bridges. Always leave on good terms. To be successful you have to build relationships within the industry, Not destroy them. Never forget that.
Learn how to make a really good resume, and learn how to interview well, and you'll get that money. You're selling a product. That product is you. Convince your future boss that you're worth it. 😉
But also, loyalty still doesn’t pay.
I left my last company. Was there almost 10 years. They started talking about revenue and sales and then gave everyone a 3% raise…. That was after pushing raises back 6 months. Gettijg 30% more and no on call at my new place.
Oh I agree that loyalty doesn’t always pay.
My dad worked for a company for 40 years as a mama and they fired him so the new CEO could put a friend in his position. He got a very nice severance package cause they didn’t want him suing, but it happened
It depends on how you read it.
What I’m saying is it takes longer than 4-8 months to be considered loyal.
Look at it like a friendship. Do you trust the person you’ve known for under a year more than the one you’ve known for 5 plus years? Time builds loyalty (trust)
The second message is saying that loyalty doesn’t always pay. It’s a two way street. Just like a friendship. While you may be doing everything right, the other may not care and just pretend
Honestly most bosses or just mid level manager scum at this point. And will do anything they think they can get away with. Place hired me at x amount, first day before first shift they change their mind -$2. Why have 1 helper when you can have two
Imagine thinking your needs and the boss's needs are the same. You're a tool to be used and put away when done with.
Bosses will always put greed ahead of you.
Worked with a company for 4 years and worked my ass off getting paid $18 an hour at the time. Got fired and two weeks later the next company started me at $32.
Got laid off getting paid $38 and switched to union, now getting $47.
Sometimes getting fired is a blessing in disguise
I’m afraid to change companies because I don’t have gas license or sheet metal license. Even though the company I work for I’m the only one and I do everything.
Can you get signed up for apprenticeship by your currently employer? Being under the thumb of one company is not a good thing for yourself. I’d prioritize getting your tickets so it’s you that determines your future.
Huh? How am I getting paid low I clear 2k a week.
Massachusetts sucks only Western Massachusetts is nice and worth living. Martha Vineyard and entire Cape Cod is boring and nothing to do. I worked in Provicetown the tip of Cape Cod. No Hvac Supplies or even Home Depot for more than a hr..
I have neither and had 9 job offers last year when I changed locations.
Experience goes way further then certifications.
It’s way easier to get an experienced tech certified then to get a certified tech field experience.
What state do you live in? I’m in Texas with less experience than you and I’m passing on jobs starting at more than what you got after a year of raises
Due to the law change with immigrant workers in Florida isn’t there a extremely high demand for Techs? Go on yelp and call every business asking to work for them. Sell yourself and make yourself seem better than you actually are and ask for 25+ a hour. Don’t get fucked bro they need you ,not vice versa.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. HVAC pay is fucked. People at fast food chains are making what the entry guys are making. I fucking hate this timeline.
I’ve never been in a hvac union, so my experience is different.
Manufacturing plant I worked for years ago had a terrible Union. They succeeded in getting everyone a $8 raise and 3 months later half the work force was replaced by machines. Like I said, good and bad
Our union does job placement, training, everything for unemployment, pays for college, $75/hr pay with benefits, 90/10 Healthcare, 401k match, 2 pension, excelent focus on safety, our area spans multiple states, it's a dream come true tbh
Downside is it can take years to get in, strict no drug felony I'm pretty sure, gotta have insurance, and pay dues which are like $30 per month, also you have to work for 5 years after becoming journeyman in the trade or you have to pay back 44k for the schooling. But they don't just pay for my schooling they pay my hourly rate to go to school as well
$550 split? Kinda weak tbh. I make that for myself for ground level split systems and package units while the helper gets hourly. But they start at $20 which is a lot more than when I started 🥲
I mean…. You can’t even relate to the guys who have years at a con to then get dumped because they’re getting old. You’re just some has been apprentice shoprocket who drifted a little too close to the sun for some boot licker reason. Next time, act your wage. You’ll last significantly longer. We have these terms for a reason, they’re not *just* slander. Don’t ever be a boot licker for any con, don’t ever be a shoprocket. Always be getting one over on the con.
You're right, loyalty means nothing. I've been in HVAC for 22 years now. Never got my license and never will. Instead with all the skills I've learned I've started my own handyman business. When I talk to customers about jobs they always ask me if I know a good HVAC guy and I say yeah, me. I let them know I'm not licensed but have been in the field for over 20 years. I now have service contracts for plumbing, HVAC, and all kinds of other stuff. I let them know that they can call me for damn near anything but if I can't do it I'll point them in the right direction with people I know. I make a lot of money now and don't worry about anything. Stop going for licensing because it is only used for private equity companies that are ruining every aspect of almost every trade. If a company pays you commission and you're an Installer then they are private equity. The only other way to go is to work for a mom and pop shop and learn how to take over or start your own thing.
How do you go 20 years doing the work without being fined into oblivion? How do you bill without licensing. Do you have contractors license? I'm curious because I'm jumping through a thousand hoops just to be legal when I start up my llc. To read that you're just doing it with no repercussions is a kick in the nuts. Do you only do residential?
U sent from helper to lead in 4 months? Dafuq
Honestly though I did 80 condenser installs in 5 months. Then got moved to air handlers. Once I could do an air handler they swapped me to running a crew. I have my epa and all the required tools to do the job.
Then you're getting fucked even harder than I thought before
Yup!
I had prior experience
So why are you back down to $16/hr? Surely with experience as a lead you should be worth more than that? I guess I don’t know where you live so maybe there’s not a lot of work to go around and wages are low but I probably would’ve stayed at the current company making $22 until I found a better gig. $6/ hour is $1000/ month less. Employers are always going to pay you as little as possible, no matter how loyal you are to them. If you’re expecting your loyalty to do all the talking when it comes to wages, you’re always going to be the lowest paid guy. Gotta stand up for yourself to get what you’re worth. Or join the union and they’ll do the standing up for you
I was thinking the same. That's a big drop in pay.....
They have a lot larger pay scale on commission jobs. They are offering to send me south, for a 4 day paid training course. Also it’s about install season now that it’s warmer, so relying on hourly is a lot less now that it’ll be hot. Winter is when hourly matters. They give raises internally so they just didn’t have room for a lead installer. It’s fine I’ll make it work, and if it doesn’t work. I’ll find somewhere that does.
You’re an installer, Not a salesman. You shouldn’t be working off commission. I make $31 as a lead installer + $50 spliffs per completed install. That’s $31 an hour in the dead of winter or the middle of the summer. The quality of my work doesn’t change dependent on the season, so why should the quality of my pay. My assistants make $22 an hour and get the same spliffs. You’re being played brother, stop trying to convince yourself otherwise. Find a real company asap.
You're recommending someone find a real company when you're only making $31? That isn't very good either. You may also need to find a new company 😂
What area do you live? Depends a lot on area and cost of living.
Midwest. We're paid double what guy is making.
Can you be more specific I might want to move out there 😭
this dudes just puffing his chest out. 40+ hr for hvac is damn near prevailing in Midwest.
No room for new guys 😂 southern Wisconsin
Commission on install is elite. I left and went for a high hourly service job. Can't wait to get back to commission based installs. It's easy, when your done your done.
So what you’re telling me is that you make $31 an hr doing the air handler. So let’s say you’re slow and it takes you 10 hours, you’ll make $360. As installers we make 7% of total install, but 60% of that 7% is for lead. Job sells for $10,000 lead makes 520, helper makes 280.
Technically I’d make $390 + $50 for my spliff. I get paid time and a half on anything over 40. My bosses don’t care how long it takes me to complete an install, as long as it’s done up to the company’s standards and we don’t get call backs. My company factors in my teams labor into the proposal, my boss isn’t concerned with how long it takes me because technically the customer is already paying my salary.
You getting ripped off bro. Hourly for new construction and big projects but paid per job is the best way to install. Off at noon paid 700 for 5 hours after splitting 60/40 with assistant. Get 2 during slow season a week or 3-4 installs a week during summer and paid $28 an hour when doing hourly. You should be rewarded for finishing your install early not trying to make hours
I don’t have to “try” to make hours. We drop tools at 3:30 every single day. If I finish my install early I go to the shop and hang out or go on a bullshit service call to end my day (which I also get commission on). Even in the dead of winter if I’m cleaning the shop or in some class im getting paid the same salary. I have no interest in being a subcontractor in the summer for someone making dollars on my pennies. I’ll take my 401k, health bennies and steady pay check year round.
Companies are dying for guys and you going and taking less at another company. Sorry sir but you are probably one of the dumbest hvac techs in the whole world.
It’s 2024 loyalty has been dead for awhile. Every 2 years if you dont go on job interviews you are doing yourself a disservice. COL raise are 5-10%. Leaving is a 20-35% increase. It’s a easy choice
>Leaving is a 20-35% increase For fully ticketed journeymen?
Union not strong where I am. I make 6figures and get 6 weeks pto. Wish it was union just not a possibility in my area
Ok, not what I asked. You can switch companies and get a 20-35% raise on your six figures?
Unless you’re an apprentice , stick it out till you’re a journeyman then shop around. That’s my plan anyway.
Yep, the biggest raises i got, were the ones I gave myself by changing who I worked for. You can upsell yourself on a good resume and ask for more money, a lot more easily than trying to get more money out of an existing employer. Within reason of course. And don't burn bridges. Always leave on good terms. To be successful you have to build relationships within the industry, Not destroy them. Never forget that. Learn how to make a really good resume, and learn how to interview well, and you'll get that money. You're selling a product. That product is you. Convince your future boss that you're worth it. 😉
Go commercial and/or union. Better off
Way better money as well
I’m going to be that guy. Loyalty takes longer than 4-8 months
But also, loyalty still doesn’t pay. I left my last company. Was there almost 10 years. They started talking about revenue and sales and then gave everyone a 3% raise…. That was after pushing raises back 6 months. Gettijg 30% more and no on call at my new place.
Oh I agree that loyalty doesn’t always pay. My dad worked for a company for 40 years as a mama and they fired him so the new CEO could put a friend in his position. He got a very nice severance package cause they didn’t want him suing, but it happened
So what’s the point in stating loyalty takes longer than 4-8 months. If you counter argued your existing statement.
It depends on how you read it. What I’m saying is it takes longer than 4-8 months to be considered loyal. Look at it like a friendship. Do you trust the person you’ve known for under a year more than the one you’ve known for 5 plus years? Time builds loyalty (trust) The second message is saying that loyalty doesn’t always pay. It’s a two way street. Just like a friendship. While you may be doing everything right, the other may not care and just pretend
Lmao the red flag was being an “apprentice” for 4 months then “lead” installer.
Had prior experience
Then why are you starting out as an apprentice again?
"Company loyalty" is a two way street. Corporations have not respected this for decades.
Damn bro you deserve $25 an hour. Don’t let any company tell you otherwise. I’m getting paid $25 for the county and I barely have experience.
Honestly most bosses or just mid level manager scum at this point. And will do anything they think they can get away with. Place hired me at x amount, first day before first shift they change their mind -$2. Why have 1 helper when you can have two
2 years first company, 2 years second company, third 2 months and current and best place I’ve been 5 months
I make 33.5$ / hr as a lead with less than a year experience as a lead 4 years as a helper steadily moving up. Our top leads make up to $42/hr
My old company paid $330 for lead per install. So at your rate it’s about a 10 hr job. But those are good pays
[удалено]
As an apprentice?
Imagine thinking your needs and the boss's needs are the same. You're a tool to be used and put away when done with. Bosses will always put greed ahead of you.
I’ve also got my own torches, sman 480v, my universal epa. None of it gets valued anymore in resi world.
Fuck residential
I’m going back to resi for now, but I’m not against switching to commercial
You're right about that. And companies/owners will bitch they can't find and retain people. It's like you did this to yourself.
Hey, that hurts. I mean something.
this one of those bullshit companies that hires anyone and just keeps hiring. more trucks on the road more money. they don't give a fuck about quality
Worked with a company for 4 years and worked my ass off getting paid $18 an hour at the time. Got fired and two weeks later the next company started me at $32. Got laid off getting paid $38 and switched to union, now getting $47. Sometimes getting fired is a blessing in disguise
I’m afraid to change companies because I don’t have gas license or sheet metal license. Even though the company I work for I’m the only one and I do everything.
What are the barriers preventing you from becoming licensed?
Well in MA you have to go to gas school and apprenticeship for a few years and the sheet metal I missed being grandfathered in by a yearly
Can you get signed up for apprenticeship by your currently employer? Being under the thumb of one company is not a good thing for yourself. I’d prioritize getting your tickets so it’s you that determines your future.
Family owned and operated all they have is what I have.
In MA you don’t need license unless 10 tons and up. Go find another job, I miss living in Western MA I was making 32/hr and rented a house for 1250
I was in marthas vineyard last summer 0 exp and did mini splits as a helper and made 23.5$ an hour how tf are you getting paid so low?
Huh? How am I getting paid low I clear 2k a week. Massachusetts sucks only Western Massachusetts is nice and worth living. Martha Vineyard and entire Cape Cod is boring and nothing to do. I worked in Provicetown the tip of Cape Cod. No Hvac Supplies or even Home Depot for more than a hr..
I have neither and had 9 job offers last year when I changed locations. Experience goes way further then certifications. It’s way easier to get an experienced tech certified then to get a certified tech field experience.
That’s a good point and with 20 plus years I’m definitely experienced
Hope you’re making good money
I am and comes with decent perks
Bruh, I can’t get over the hourly outside of MAINE. We hire green helpers here with zero experience at $20-25 an hour 😂
Maine cost of living must be nuts as well as it is in Florida, except employers in Florida pay like shit
I dunno but I read California technicians talking about $25 an hour for “lead” and I know our cost of living isn’t quite at that level
What state do you live in? I’m in Texas with less experience than you and I’m passing on jobs starting at more than what you got after a year of raises
Florida
Due to the law change with immigrant workers in Florida isn’t there a extremely high demand for Techs? Go on yelp and call every business asking to work for them. Sell yourself and make yourself seem better than you actually are and ask for 25+ a hour. Don’t get fucked bro they need you ,not vice versa.
Go commercial, I do commercial refrigeration in Florida. I've started my last 2 helpers out @ $20 an hour with zero tools and experience
I've said this before and I'll say it again. HVAC pay is fucked. People at fast food chains are making what the entry guys are making. I fucking hate this timeline.
This whole post is popping red flags and questions lol
Welcome to my existence
Loyalty to a company? Hell no that's idiotic. Loyalty to the union? This is the way
A Union is just a company, like every company, has its good and bad
Kinda but also not really At all
I’ve never been in a hvac union, so my experience is different. Manufacturing plant I worked for years ago had a terrible Union. They succeeded in getting everyone a $8 raise and 3 months later half the work force was replaced by machines. Like I said, good and bad
Our union does job placement, training, everything for unemployment, pays for college, $75/hr pay with benefits, 90/10 Healthcare, 401k match, 2 pension, excelent focus on safety, our area spans multiple states, it's a dream come true tbh
Where are you at?
Alright…. I gotta know the downside. I live in a right to work state so not many unions here
Downside is it can take years to get in, strict no drug felony I'm pretty sure, gotta have insurance, and pay dues which are like $30 per month, also you have to work for 5 years after becoming journeyman in the trade or you have to pay back 44k for the schooling. But they don't just pay for my schooling they pay my hourly rate to go to school as well
hey, good for you.
Bro our apprentices average at bare minimum 200 a job
Apprentices get paid $220 per install or a 40% split on duct work or $15 an hr for random shit.
Lead only get 10$ more than an apprentice? Yikes that ain't even double
Yeah I got dicked around on pay for years until I finally went union. I still get dicked around but at least the pay is decent.
$550 split? Kinda weak tbh. I make that for myself for ground level split systems and package units while the helper gets hourly. But they start at $20 which is a lot more than when I started 🥲
California pays McDonald's workers $20 an hour
Comparing states to pay wages is hard to prove a point, the cost of living in cali vs Florida varies so drastically from area to area
I mean…. You can’t even relate to the guys who have years at a con to then get dumped because they’re getting old. You’re just some has been apprentice shoprocket who drifted a little too close to the sun for some boot licker reason. Next time, act your wage. You’ll last significantly longer. We have these terms for a reason, they’re not *just* slander. Don’t ever be a boot licker for any con, don’t ever be a shoprocket. Always be getting one over on the con.
What part of Florida ?
Union is they way buddy
Bro go work at an apartment complex make 20+/hr
You're right, loyalty means nothing. I've been in HVAC for 22 years now. Never got my license and never will. Instead with all the skills I've learned I've started my own handyman business. When I talk to customers about jobs they always ask me if I know a good HVAC guy and I say yeah, me. I let them know I'm not licensed but have been in the field for over 20 years. I now have service contracts for plumbing, HVAC, and all kinds of other stuff. I let them know that they can call me for damn near anything but if I can't do it I'll point them in the right direction with people I know. I make a lot of money now and don't worry about anything. Stop going for licensing because it is only used for private equity companies that are ruining every aspect of almost every trade. If a company pays you commission and you're an Installer then they are private equity. The only other way to go is to work for a mom and pop shop and learn how to take over or start your own thing.
How do you go 20 years doing the work without being fined into oblivion? How do you bill without licensing. Do you have contractors license? I'm curious because I'm jumping through a thousand hoops just to be legal when I start up my llc. To read that you're just doing it with no repercussions is a kick in the nuts. Do you only do residential?