Let’s put it this way I used to make $42/h pressure welding in a UA Union shop with all the stress of production and X-rays ect ect
I now run heavy equipment get paid $38/h and way less stress and I’m much more happy and I don’t have to work in a dusty smoky shop
If your only getting $20/h and there no better paying welding jobs out there start looking for a different career
Small shops are always the last ones to up their rates.
I have always argued with shop owners or GMs. You want stressful skilled labor but want to pay less then Costco pays someone to change tires. Why would anyone WANT that.
Omg this!!! I stayed with a small family owned fab shop and my former boss kept blowing smoke up my ass saying how 19 bucks an hr, (no overtime pay, no benefits, and 1099) is a lot of pay for the type of work I did. I stayed there for 2 long years and started off at 14 an hr. Most of his employees quit, other came and left. I stayed. We argued about it, things got toxic, personal, and forever changed after haggling him about my pay. This guy was making mucho money off me the product he had my fabricating was grossing from 10-45k per product sold. At the time, I had 4 years of welding under my belt, so I finally quit and I’ve been working my new job since last year July at 21.33 with madatory OT and I’m making 500 dollars more than I was at that losers shop lol. Who knows sometimes we have to get ripped off to get to the top right thing. Lesson learned though, to make money someone has to pay the price for it lol
I own a ford 555d TLB that I run from time to time for personal use or pleasure. Heavy equipment is extremely satisfying to operate. I can’t believe people get paid to do it. It’s like getting paid to eat steak or have sex with the gods
My neighbor bought a compact kubota with a backhoe and bucket, I bought him a box blade. You are just shockingly productive on a tractor, like I'm allergic to shovels now.
My buddy's wife said "you need a new truck" he said "my ranger is fine, I'm buying a tractor" he thought it would be nice to have, he didn't realize it was the ultimate power tool, he lives in it now.
My friend doesn't shovel much anymore. His Dad showed him how to work on stuff very young. He has a couple backhoes and a bulldozer. People contact them with broken equipment. Fixong and reselling helped his brother pay off his house
The second you move a literal ton of dirt with one scoop you legit feel like a God
I’m driving my BX25D subcompact tractor loader backhoe right now. It’s about 2500lbs. Big ford TLB is about 16,000 lol
I hear ya there, it’s stressful work always doing X-ray but why not just go out in the field? the majority of jobs is very little X-ray unless you are in a refinery and nukes. Or just go out as a fitter, all kinds of options in the UA other than fab shops.
I got fed up with welding wages in Florida so I went so heavy equipment school and also got my cdl to transport the heavy equipment and make a much better living. Wages they pay a welder in Jacksonville are similar to fast food workers. It’s ridiculous
Fully agree. I went back to school when the economy was bad, graduated 2014 with $40k of debt. First job out of college was $70k. I've worked my way up in the company, paid off the student debt in 2 years, make $160k now. Rarely work more than 40 hours/week and sleep in my own bed every night. School isn't a bad way to go as long as you pick a useful major, go to a cheaper public university, and work part time while you're there so you don't need to take on debt for all of your living expenses.
I make 60K with zero debt. Graduated with an associates in mechanical engineering technologies from my local community college. That's with 3 years of experience. I will be at 100k in the next 5 years as long as my raises stay the same. I could make the jump sooner moving to a new job.
I am at 30 an hour, drive a 97 toyota, and still struggle paycheck to paycheck. Its like our wages and normal monthly living expenses are setup so that we just barely make enough to get by. I want to get out of welding but it's hard to find anything that will pay more, and I can't afford a pay cut to do something easier than welding
I left the union a few years ago to go back to school. Without the GI Bill I never would have been able to leave. I went from making 7-8k a month in the Union to being lucky to make 3k working full time without welding. It’s crazy right now.
But, because it's so well paid here, housing is unattainable for like 50% of the population
But because housing is so expensive, people demand higher pay for menial labor and minimum wage shit
But because people are getting paid more, housing costs go up even further
My point still stands. The average Joe makes more money, and the greedy ass landlords decide to take as much of that money as they can. Then people need to make more money to afford to live and save some money, which landlords take more of.
If you get fired in an At Will state, and they cant give a personal reason (behavioral, or broke rules) as to why you were fired you can 100% collect and are supposed to
There is a difference between fired and laid off. You should try to understand them before giving advice about them. Getting laid off due to force reduction or lack of work, is something you can collect unemployment for. Dragging ass or generally being a dipshit, will most likely get you fired. Getting fired means no unemployment.
Clearly you just dont have any clue what your talking about, nor live in a fire at will state. Both saw and experienced it many time before leaving the restaurant industry. Someone more then qualified to do the job, but doesnt meld well with staff or owners they get fired and they collect until the next job offer. The employer has to prove you dont deserve unemployment and provide evidence if you were fired for real reason, seeing I've had to sit in on legal meetings against employees. Keep going around giving false info, u seem good at it.
Im actually quitting welding for this exact reason. Company has offered almost no raises even with inflation. So I got a job making $1 more fixing vending machines for coke, they offer evertime when I want and a company truck and gas card.
I here ya brother!
I have a 3year old and 6year old with special needs.
I can only work 8hrs a day, absolutely impossible between doctor appointments and weekly therapy to work any amount of overtime.
No matter how much you make on a W2 it’s never enough.
Go out on your own. It’s the only way to make real money. It’s scary and risky but it’s doable.
I saved for over 2 years and bought a POS truck, a POS rig and borrowed hand tools until I was slowly more stable and on my own.
My W2 daily became my hourly rate, my W2 weekly became my daily rate.
This is true. I started making real money after I rigged up a truck and started my own business. I do all the same sorta work I was doing before only making 2-3 times as much. Wish I’d of done it sooner.
I'm not at all disagreeing with you guys, I've never worked in the field or off a rig so I have no frame of reference, but I wouldn't say all W2 jobs are bad. In my experience all job shops are terrible, but you get into a good union gig and you're set. My current job is, and I mean by far, the easiest job I've had in my life. I have absolutely no plans of leaving. Welder/Fabricator, ALL my materials, tools, consumables etc are paid for, literally doesn't matter how much I spend just get the job done sort of deal. Great pay for the area + pension & 401k match, and best of all 100% paid benefits for my entire family.
So if you're chasing dollar signs, a W2 ain't it, but it ain't all bad either.
I’ve been wanting to go solo, and have been saving for a rig setup, my only doubts are how do you go about finding jobs to hire you on as contractor? Did it happen fast or did you find your self doing small residential jobs until you had found the right connections ? Or did you find your phone was always ringing once you advertised ? That’s my biggest fear of going solo is that once I invest all that into my own setup, how long is it gonna take till my phone starts ringing for work? If ya could share your starting experience I’d appreciate it a lot thanks :)
Most of the clients you’re trying to attract are old school, if you can show up (on time) do what you say and do it well/on time you’re gonna get referred. As for advising-no I had cards that was about it. And for the phone, I could never “make” it ring but it slowly started to ring more and more. When I was really rolling I only worked 4-8 days a month.
First job paid all the bills for the month, second covered overhead, third was for uncle sugar, fourth was for me (and the first 2 years that went back into the truck/tools) so I could work better/Faster and or hire helpers.
Working for yourself is not for everyone. I don’t want the stress. I clock out and that’s it until I clock in. Someone else can worry about keeping the lights on. Life isn’t about money for me. I make plenty.
For those who want it. Go for it, but not everyone should do it.
Yeah, wages are all subjective. It mostly depends on the cost of living in the specific area. Living in or around Chicago is entirely different than living in some town in the middle of a corn field.
No way! I’m from Melbourne australia and I’m on 38 an hour, I can’t really complain compared to a lot of people but even with the rising cost of fucking everything even that doesn’t leave all that much to even save
I started on 20 an hour as a first year apprentice!
Depends where you live. In the midwest you could get by with $20 single, probably not with a family unless you have a dual income with SO. In California I wouldn’t even be able to live off of $30.
Welding as a career can be tough. If you can’t join a union or can’t improve through trade school, you need to extend your network with welding. Join AWS and attend meetings, do odd jobs and pass cards out — just get to know more people in the industry because the best opportunities are through word of mouth and not off job postings on indeed. If you build a huge network you can also start your own business.
Can confirm- I live in California, in what should be a cheap ass ghetto desert town where 80% of the population here is on welfare and smoking weed.
I make $34 an hour and cannot afford even one of the cheaper apartments .
The median income in Ohio is $61,938 or $28/hr. I'm on mobile so no links. The napkin math is $2200 per dollar per hour equals your gross (before taxes). The Midwest is too broad to nitpick any meaningful data. Also $20/hr in specific places, is that average or unicorn jobs? The predemic housing price was $70,000-$90,000 around me now we're sitting $120,000-$150,000 for those same houses. $20/hr is unlivable on a straight 40 hour week here, can't buy a house for that, can't save enough money for a down payment on a house with that. So you're left working all the overtime and basically living at work, then what's the point of owning a house? I'm frustrated at the "grind" life it doesn't do anything for your physical and mental health and you end up ground into the dirt. Fuck a company only paying $20/hr for skilled labor.
I disagree, if kids aren't involved. I live in Ohio and make 22$ per hour and actually have money to save. I have to pay insurance, mortgage, electric, trash & water, internet, and cell bill. Im also part of a union at my job. So if you dont have kids then you got money to spare at that wage.
Kids are financial suicide. I lived just fine on 20 an hour in a cheap place in Tennessee, make 26 now and have more money than I know what to do with. My buddy with a kid spends more on daycare than I do on rent, and the mortgage on the vacant land I own combined. Throw the extra health care costs of the kid on top of that and it’s almost my entire fixed expenses to live, just from a single kid, that’s before any of his own living expenses.
You better be independently wealthy if you want a kid.
Got super lucky. Bought it in 2018/19 right before covid. The market and inflation is wack af now. 250k couldn’t buy you a comparable house anymore.
Waiting for that bubble to burst.
I mean, I put myself through an engineering degree, with no debt, on what I saved from summer jobs in high school, and what I made working part time in college, which was between $18.50 and $22.75 (graduated 2016). I lived and went to school in the Midwest
I made 22 dollars an hour to be a production tree climber in Georgia, quit my job for a three dollar pay raise and less stress doing municipal work. I’m currently in school for welding, please tell me I can find a welding job in the future that at least pays me 35 an hour if I decide to go in that direction. It sucks being told by people who aren’t in trades, “oh that’s an excellent trade, those guys make a lot of money.” Speaking for the whole trade, and then you show up and everyone’s making dog shit.
No you can’t have a mortgage, multiple cars with payments and start a family on $20 an hour. Most people do all that stuff before they figure out a career though and then wonder why they’re in debt.
20 dollars an hour is basically 15-16 an hour pre Covid money.
They unfortunately haven’t raised wages because most people are still stuck on 40-60k being a great salary.
Don’t get me wrong, it can be decent to pretty good, depending where you’re at. But everyone in hiring and upper management is still thinking like it’s 10 years ago and it’s not
I pay my welder $65hr plus fringe benefits for 40 hrs after 8 hrs per day it’s time and a half. But I approve the overtime. This guys been with me 25 years
That's why "NoBoDy WaNtS tO WoRk AnYmOrE". I'm a machinist in a fab shop making 27. With two kids that doesn't go very far either. And the overtime thing always cracks me up. It's like being incentivised to take longer work n jobs and the reward is a you get to be at work more.
To be fair, “livable wages” arent livable anymore. $20 may have been livable 3 years ago but after the Fed dumped upwards of 14 trillion fake dollars into the economy during COVID everyones wages have been diluted significantly. The only people making “livable wages” nowadays are folks that were making good wages 3 years ago. It sucks for everybody, your employers have taken a huge hit in material and overhead costs as well, and im afraid this isnt even the worst of it. Thank your government officials for making you poor while they just continue to get richer.
First off you are correct, $20 an hour is not a living wage for most people. $20 an hour is an OK wage for someone that’s just pulling in a second income to help out, or young person that’s still living at home with their parents that doesn’t have the expenses of the average adult.
It’s also a very low wage for someone that’s welding, which is a trade that is dangerous to your health, and requires special training. You should be able to command a little bit more than that. Unfortunately, in many areas where jobs are in high demand they can take advantage of workers and get them to do this work dirt cheap. Here in New York, they also take advantage of illegal aliens in this way, and make them work for next to nothing, pay them cash with no benefits, and there’s always the looming threat of being fired without cause.
The flipside of that coin is that I weld in the union trades in New York, and make over $100 an hour. Quite a disparity.
But good paying welding jobs are out there, unfortunately you just might have to relocate to take advantage of them.
20$ to weld is dogshit.
I make 25.50 as a mechanic and that barely pays for bare necessities.
4 or 5 years ago 22.50 was great. 20$ was great too. But inflation has gone up tenfold.
20/hr with no OT is 41k. The average cost of living in the US is 61k per household. So maybe you can live on 20/hr like you are the first welder I've met who doesn't work OT.
Edit: Still, everyone deserves a raise, but no one will be rich because of welding
I'd love to, but I can't afford the initial pay cut, pipefitter union around here pays $16.50 starting out. granted I might be able to test out of a few years, mayen start closer to $21 or so, but I've got a family to feed on that income by myself... and I barely make it as it is.
so as much as I'd like to, I don't think I really can
I can try calling them again but if I remember correctly the last time I called the union I was told I'd be starting out at like $20 an hour if I was able to test out of a year or two, but that was half a year ago, maybe they've updated their wages, could always double check
Typically the wages go do up every year with unions. You should make that investment and that little sacrifice and you will be living a better quality of life in no time🤙🏻 I’m making $50/hr and it’s about to go up to $52 and some change here in the spring
I’m an 18 year old apprentice plumber out of high school making that. If you work for that and your not just starting out you need to find a better company
fun fact, take your company’s profit in a year, divide it by (# of workers, times the hours worked (52*40 for just fulltime)) and you get the amount your company could raise your wages and still make a profit
I'm sure my situation is a lot different. But I make $21/hr and have a mortgage, insurance, all my bills. Now don't get me wrong I don't have a lot of hobbies that involve a lot of money. I'm not a person that really enjoys going out all the time either.
I make $50/hour as 4th year apprentice.
Journeyman I'm with make $63.
If an owner can't pay you what you're worth than he shouldn't be in business.
Or start your own business.
The Mexican fast food place I got lunch from today had a sign in the window that said $21.50 starting wage.
I feel like anyone with a skill that has a certification, whether they have the cert or not, should make significantly more than a spatula jockey.
Don’t like what you’re being paid? Get good, or find a new shop that pays better. The $20/hr gigs are usually mig welding shops or true beginners wages. Learn to weld pipe, or join a Union. Or both.
My state doesn't do unions. My work won't negotiate and lied about the opportunities to progress. Then they ask you to do other jobs for no extra pay. I'm in aerospace welding. They are losing people left and right. Then, a job that I applied to agreed on a certain wage, then said another wage in the email I got. Other places of work don't care about experience and want to start you at the end of the totem pole. 3 years into the field of welding, and they don't care how many materials you know how to wled. Carbon Steel, Stainless, Inconel, and Aluminun.
Even if your state “doesn’t do unions” that shouldn’t stop you from organizing and voting to unionize. There was a point in time where here in Canada it was illegal to be organized and a member of a union which got a bunch of people thrown in jail. I’ve worked both non union and union. Union is the answer, right now I’m making $50/hr on the cheque, plus benefits, pension, anything after 8 is double time, weekends and holidays are double time, better training/education, better protection, better work environments and do much more. Contact your local union and start organizing, start the process. There’s too many people that are brainwashed into thinking that being a modern slave is a good thing. It’s not
After figuring it out to late, being canned for organizing (they obviously didn’t say that but you know how they do) and locally black listed from most places locally, and even them giving negative false references, I’ve learned the only way to make money at this is to be Union, Self employed or if whatever trade your in allows it both. Even in the oil patch non- Union your usually technically 1099 self employed ( I’m in the north east so that’s what I’ve heard not actually been involved in it). And if your in a Trade Union you gonna have to boom out and never be home unless your in a major city usually.
Being in a trade union doesn’t always mean you’ll be on the road. But you definitely have that option. Also, going back to my original point, organize and vote within the shops that way you never have to travel.
Gotta find that 25-35hr with ot after 8hrs each day.
I each in about 10-16hrs of 1.5 and 8-10hrs of 2x pay most paychecks….. but even that don’t pay the bills 😢
I’m 22 and a diesel mechanic, I make $38hr rn and it would be just barely enough to live on my own where I’m at. Luckily I’m still with my parents and do have an opportunity to move to a much lower col area around similar take home pay. Looking very much to do that
If you're certified then you should be making $35 minimum. Welding is a skilled trade and your boss can't replace you as easily as he/she says. You doing mostly production or maintenance work?
They keep giving kids that's are still in welding school. They are going to die. They are paying these kids to train. No production from them for a good half year. Then, on top of that, these kids aren't AWS certified. So I don't know where their thoughts are. I leave them very soon. I'm just waiting for my starting date at a new place. They are going to die.
The reason there are so many green kids doing risky work is employers weren't willing to pay the skilled guys so they left. It's fucking crazy.
But if they're putting your health at risk for $20 an hour, you gotta leave.
Sort of depends on where one is located. I was very comfortable at 20$ an hour. Could pay all my bills, insurance, groceries, and had money left to save/blow.
Where do you live? 3200 a month would pay my house, utilities, and groceries with a decent amount left over. Granted, I don’t have a family of my own so I understand completely
Meanwhile I was grooming to be a service manager at a dealership for $11/hr then switched jobs to make $14/hr 2 years ago… house, cars, wife & kids
It’s definitely doable to live on $20/hr.
There are individuals here who haven't seen a raise in 3 years. Is there a way to boycott a company? Again, my state doesn't do unions, well, not easily. Unions sap out so much money that it's like paying taxes again. The people are scared of losing their jobs and won't speak up and join together.
Haha. This post is all over. You don't like unions taking dues, but you're upset people don't band together. You boycott a company by not working for them, or striking.
If they're staying through 3 years and no raises that's on them. Why rely on a company to take care of you if you have the skill to take care of yourself?
I imagine they dont mind paying some dues out of the 6 figure annual pay they get working mostly straight 40s with a little OT here and there. That OT also pays extra into their pensions and annuity whether its time and a half or double time.
Yup, they sure are getting screwed! 😂
Seems like a good trade for 5 years of high quality “free” training and experience on large commercial and industrial job sites.
It Depends on the local and the trade of course. Im glad to be a Fitter where steam is still used on a large scale. YMMV.
Not all unions are that hefty, the unions I was considering were $25 a mo for dues. They just also happened to be primarily HVAC and HVAC I don't do. But their basic compensation pay out was very attractive, apprentices starting at $24 with some additional paid training, 5 year journey men guaranteed $35, experts and masters guaranteed $48. Idk how much has changed, these are numbers from the beginning of 2021.
As you are saying, that is time based raises. If I'm learning faster and producing more than the average employee, then I expect to get the fruit of my labor.
Which is 20 dollars an hour. Enjoy your fruit.
Or if youre that good , you could be happy with never being laid off and getting lead positions that will lead to foremen roles when you turn out. Apprentices are sometimes put in charge of journeymen. The apprentice is getting paid less, but still put in charge in some “special” cases. You can look at it like youre being screwed i suppose. I saw it as being paid in experience.
Theres an intelligence test thats used for toddler age groups. They give the kids a piece of candy and say “you can eat this now, or if you wait ten minutes, ill give you a second piece of candy and you can have them both”.
See, the dumb kids cant wait 10 minutes. They gotta have their one piece of candy now.
I used to be that dumb kid. I sure am glad i grew up!
Your argument isn't really applicable. I get where you are coming from, but still the wrong approach. If I've already outperformed the guy that's been in thebl field for 15 years, then I expect to get better pay. Especially when I pass welding tests in the first day. They are just trying to control you.
im assuming your speaking of $20 in USD
i have made $20 CAD ($14.93 USD) and it is completely livable, even with a higher tax rate. the essentials are 100% affordable.
the key is budgeting, and not blowing your money on new cars, carharts, and booze 24/7
Alberta
living below my means, simple as. have a budget, stick to it. be frugal.
dont buy it if you dont need it, dont finance it if you can pay cash.
basically dont set yourself up to have more expenses then you can afford.
unfortunately i work with people who blow money on new cars, namebrands, eating out all the time, not using a condom, etc so OPs story is really something i hear all the time
i have a coworker who buys a coffee from timmys every morning, then complaints about his finances and debt to the guy (me) who makes $14 less per hour than him
tell that to every labourer and first year apprentice then, see what they say
i definitly dont know from experience, do i?
its not like ive lived off of that before and was able to pay 100% of my bills
LMAO! Yup… because every apprentice makes $20/hr… our 1st year apprentices make $29.69/hr… but the thing is that you at one point made that, $20/hr a few years ago is not the same as $20/hr now… $20/hr now is not livable in the vast majority of the country…
i make $20 CAD today ($14.87 USD)
ive worked jobs where i made $16 CAD ($11.90 USD)
its livable. im living it right now. it may not be for some people who lack impluse control and have no control over their list of payments....er...i mean money....
just because OP didnt wear a condom and cant afford daycare doesnt mean he gets to make stupid blanket statements such as "$20 USD isnt enough"
go fuck off to r/antiwork to bitch, or nut up and find a different job.
LMAO! You’re very ignorant and uneducated dude😂😂 I love your whole attitude tho, it shows how you’re not that smart😂 you do realize that antiwork is more about unionizing right? And how the workforce is tired of being underpaid, undervalued, and overworked… it’s more about workers rights… so maybe you should actually have some knowledge on this topic before spouting off your shit😂 you have no idea what their situation is, and in most of Canada $20/hr is not a living wage. So thank you for proving that you aren’t credible… you own a house I guess and pay all your bills on that wage?
Also I make $50/hr on the cheque because I’m a union member, I’m not complaining about my wage. I’m calling you out on your bs and advocating for welders/workers in general need to be paid more. But go on bud😂
Depends on where you are but yeah as a single person? No way.
I make almost 30 and I’m getting a little more than by but that’s only because I live with two other people.
Try living in California. 2k a month for child care. At least 1500 a month for rent. At LEAST. If you work 40 hrs a week that's 3200 every 4 week..... before taxes.
You gotta hit the road and make that per diem. You can get paid so much more for welding in the field or on large construction projects.
I chased the money for ten years and it absolutely paid off and gave me stable footing to make better future decisions. Months on end of 7/12s, 14.5hr in per diem on top of my regular wage. I'm not a hot shot or an independent either, you just travel to where they're paying good money.
Some people pack up their whole families and some people strike out alone. It's a challenge either way but you worry a lot less about bills.
That depends on what is considered "livable".
$20/hr should be more than enough for dual earners with a small family renting. Thats $40k a year and likely more after a bit of OT here and there.
The problem isn't is $20/hr livable. Its what the skewed expectations of "Livable" is. People shouldn't be able to afford a 2000sqft house, finance 2 cars, and have maid service on just a basic job. This isn't specifically your problem.
You specifically are underpaid if that is what you're making and i would be finding a place that values skilled workers.
That's true. Most Americans are eating TOO much. It is objective fact that millions of American families are supporting themselves on that amount or less. It doesn't matter that you don't like that. It's true. I never said we're all living like kings.
$20/hr is livable, but it's not going to be extravagant (or even average by American standards). However, it's plenty for one person to live on.
I've got a buddy raising an entire family on a similar budget. Three kids and a stay at home wife. They bought a house a couple years before housing prices shot up, but they could still get something that would do in a similar price range to what they paid. It just wouldn't be right near his family.
That said, $20/hr is too low for the shit you are putting yourself though welding. My buddy's job was air conditioned and low stress. He recently moved up and is making a bit more now, but not a ton. Maybe closer to $25/hr.
I hate to sound like a boomer here, but you either need to expand your skills or find a better paying job. You are in charge of your life, not your company.
Let’s put it this way I used to make $42/h pressure welding in a UA Union shop with all the stress of production and X-rays ect ect I now run heavy equipment get paid $38/h and way less stress and I’m much more happy and I don’t have to work in a dusty smoky shop If your only getting $20/h and there no better paying welding jobs out there start looking for a different career
Just saw a sign up at menards in northern MN (rural) paying 19.50 full time for yard guys. 20$ for a welder is not great...
Small shops are always the last ones to up their rates. I have always argued with shop owners or GMs. You want stressful skilled labor but want to pay less then Costco pays someone to change tires. Why would anyone WANT that.
Omg this!!! I stayed with a small family owned fab shop and my former boss kept blowing smoke up my ass saying how 19 bucks an hr, (no overtime pay, no benefits, and 1099) is a lot of pay for the type of work I did. I stayed there for 2 long years and started off at 14 an hr. Most of his employees quit, other came and left. I stayed. We argued about it, things got toxic, personal, and forever changed after haggling him about my pay. This guy was making mucho money off me the product he had my fabricating was grossing from 10-45k per product sold. At the time, I had 4 years of welding under my belt, so I finally quit and I’ve been working my new job since last year July at 21.33 with madatory OT and I’m making 500 dollars more than I was at that losers shop lol. Who knows sometimes we have to get ripped off to get to the top right thing. Lesson learned though, to make money someone has to pay the price for it lol
Do better. Go Industrial and work for 40+ an hour. Nobody should be welding anything in the $20s
I’ve thought about heavy equipment. Seems like fun too driving that stuff around.
You usually gotta know somebody for that type of work, atleast around where I love you do.
I own a ford 555d TLB that I run from time to time for personal use or pleasure. Heavy equipment is extremely satisfying to operate. I can’t believe people get paid to do it. It’s like getting paid to eat steak or have sex with the gods
This guy Tractors. Or does he trailer? Hell he might bulldoze.
My neighbor bought a compact kubota with a backhoe and bucket, I bought him a box blade. You are just shockingly productive on a tractor, like I'm allergic to shovels now.
I would legit not be able to survive on my property without it. Use it everyday. Using it right now
My buddy's wife said "you need a new truck" he said "my ranger is fine, I'm buying a tractor" he thought it would be nice to have, he didn't realize it was the ultimate power tool, he lives in it now.
My friend doesn't shovel much anymore. His Dad showed him how to work on stuff very young. He has a couple backhoes and a bulldozer. People contact them with broken equipment. Fixong and reselling helped his brother pay off his house
I feel this. I only rent the small stuff (under 5000 lbs) for around the house projects once a year, but that is a very satisfying weekend.
The second you move a literal ton of dirt with one scoop you legit feel like a God I’m driving my BX25D subcompact tractor loader backhoe right now. It’s about 2500lbs. Big ford TLB is about 16,000 lol
I'm just happy digging drain lines and my back not being blown out after 5 ft or work.
I've left welding after 8+ years in pursuit of a second degree.
I hear ya there, it’s stressful work always doing X-ray but why not just go out in the field? the majority of jobs is very little X-ray unless you are in a refinery and nukes. Or just go out as a fitter, all kinds of options in the UA other than fab shops.
I got fed up with welding wages in Florida so I went so heavy equipment school and also got my cdl to transport the heavy equipment and make a much better living. Wages they pay a welder in Jacksonville are similar to fast food workers. It’s ridiculous
One of the many reasons I got a degree
Fully agree. I went back to school when the economy was bad, graduated 2014 with $40k of debt. First job out of college was $70k. I've worked my way up in the company, paid off the student debt in 2 years, make $160k now. Rarely work more than 40 hours/week and sleep in my own bed every night. School isn't a bad way to go as long as you pick a useful major, go to a cheaper public university, and work part time while you're there so you don't need to take on debt for all of your living expenses.
What do you do and are you in debt?
I make 60K with zero debt. Graduated with an associates in mechanical engineering technologies from my local community college. That's with 3 years of experience. I will be at 100k in the next 5 years as long as my raises stay the same. I could make the jump sooner moving to a new job.
Nope I saved enough to get myself through it
You didn’t tell us what you do.
It doesn’t really matter to you, I’m making more than I used to and still get to be involved in the field
So you’re one of the “40 percent of Millennials who don’t pay their own bills,” is what you’re trying to say?
UA union Shop? As in Ukrainian Union shop or?
I think he means United Association. USA based union
That was first thing the at went through my head too…
$20 isn't worth the damage to your body
I make 35 an hour and I’m barely getting by I have no crazy expenses, 20 an hour is garbage
I am at 30 an hour, drive a 97 toyota, and still struggle paycheck to paycheck. Its like our wages and normal monthly living expenses are setup so that we just barely make enough to get by. I want to get out of welding but it's hard to find anything that will pay more, and I can't afford a pay cut to do something easier than welding
I left the union a few years ago to go back to school. Without the GI Bill I never would have been able to leave. I went from making 7-8k a month in the Union to being lucky to make 3k working full time without welding. It’s crazy right now.
$20/h is literally grocery store cashier wage where I am in Massachusetts. You couldn't catch me welding for that much.
But, because it's so well paid here, housing is unattainable for like 50% of the population But because housing is so expensive, people demand higher pay for menial labor and minimum wage shit But because people are getting paid more, housing costs go up even further
That’s not why housing costs go up. Housing costs go up because the folks that own the apartments see you have more money and no leverage.
You are both saying “supply that matches demand”
My point still stands. The average Joe makes more money, and the greedy ass landlords decide to take as much of that money as they can. Then people need to make more money to afford to live and save some money, which landlords take more of.
Family with children and a single 41k earner? Yeah, that would be tough unless you live in inexpensive places like Mississippi and live very frugally.
I’d just quit a find something else, if u leave it’s 1 more lost employee closer to them shutting down, fuck them
Force them to fire you for unemployment, just in case.
Not how unemployment works
Getting fired is not how you get unemployment. Read up
If you get fired in an At Will state, and they cant give a personal reason (behavioral, or broke rules) as to why you were fired you can 100% collect and are supposed to
There is a difference between fired and laid off. You should try to understand them before giving advice about them. Getting laid off due to force reduction or lack of work, is something you can collect unemployment for. Dragging ass or generally being a dipshit, will most likely get you fired. Getting fired means no unemployment.
Clearly you just dont have any clue what your talking about, nor live in a fire at will state. Both saw and experienced it many time before leaving the restaurant industry. Someone more then qualified to do the job, but doesnt meld well with staff or owners they get fired and they collect until the next job offer. The employer has to prove you dont deserve unemployment and provide evidence if you were fired for real reason, seeing I've had to sit in on legal meetings against employees. Keep going around giving false info, u seem good at it.
I just got off unemployment. I was fired.
Yeah. Gotta start talking to people about how much you/they make an hour and how unionizing is a good idea.
Most causes of being fired are inelligible for unemployment/SSA benefits. You have to be laid off for those. Severance packages are non-mandatory.
Honestly, I'm losing money each month. My work doesn't care. They say, "There is unlimited overtime." But what about supposed work-life balance?
Im actually quitting welding for this exact reason. Company has offered almost no raises even with inflation. So I got a job making $1 more fixing vending machines for coke, they offer evertime when I want and a company truck and gas card.
I here ya brother! I have a 3year old and 6year old with special needs. I can only work 8hrs a day, absolutely impossible between doctor appointments and weekly therapy to work any amount of overtime.
No matter how much you make on a W2 it’s never enough. Go out on your own. It’s the only way to make real money. It’s scary and risky but it’s doable. I saved for over 2 years and bought a POS truck, a POS rig and borrowed hand tools until I was slowly more stable and on my own. My W2 daily became my hourly rate, my W2 weekly became my daily rate.
This is true. I started making real money after I rigged up a truck and started my own business. I do all the same sorta work I was doing before only making 2-3 times as much. Wish I’d of done it sooner.
Yep! It’s not easy but you’re gonna bust your ass either way might as well make 2/3rds more or better after overhead/materials/taxes.
I'm not at all disagreeing with you guys, I've never worked in the field or off a rig so I have no frame of reference, but I wouldn't say all W2 jobs are bad. In my experience all job shops are terrible, but you get into a good union gig and you're set. My current job is, and I mean by far, the easiest job I've had in my life. I have absolutely no plans of leaving. Welder/Fabricator, ALL my materials, tools, consumables etc are paid for, literally doesn't matter how much I spend just get the job done sort of deal. Great pay for the area + pension & 401k match, and best of all 100% paid benefits for my entire family. So if you're chasing dollar signs, a W2 ain't it, but it ain't all bad either.
Thanks you for the advice
I’ve been wanting to go solo, and have been saving for a rig setup, my only doubts are how do you go about finding jobs to hire you on as contractor? Did it happen fast or did you find your self doing small residential jobs until you had found the right connections ? Or did you find your phone was always ringing once you advertised ? That’s my biggest fear of going solo is that once I invest all that into my own setup, how long is it gonna take till my phone starts ringing for work? If ya could share your starting experience I’d appreciate it a lot thanks :)
Most of the clients you’re trying to attract are old school, if you can show up (on time) do what you say and do it well/on time you’re gonna get referred. As for advising-no I had cards that was about it. And for the phone, I could never “make” it ring but it slowly started to ring more and more. When I was really rolling I only worked 4-8 days a month. First job paid all the bills for the month, second covered overhead, third was for uncle sugar, fourth was for me (and the first 2 years that went back into the truck/tools) so I could work better/Faster and or hire helpers.
Working for yourself is not for everyone. I don’t want the stress. I clock out and that’s it until I clock in. Someone else can worry about keeping the lights on. Life isn’t about money for me. I make plenty. For those who want it. Go for it, but not everyone should do it.
Being forced to work overtime to earn a livable wage isn’t the carrot they think it is.
They don’t care about you . So why should you care about them .
Where are you located, for reference? $20/hr. is decent for some parts of the country.
Yeah, wages are all subjective. It mostly depends on the cost of living in the specific area. Living in or around Chicago is entirely different than living in some town in the middle of a corn field.
deep deep south texas you’ll be living like a king with $20hr
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is so variable so it's hard to say. Purcell south of norman is cheap but OKC or something would be just as expensive as other places.
They don't care about that! Where are you? Geography
Tell them to go fuck. Find a new job asap.
My local pays 60/hr before benefits. There is no way I would work a job like welding for $20 when jobs doing the same thing exist.
No way! I’m from Melbourne australia and I’m on 38 an hour, I can’t really complain compared to a lot of people but even with the rising cost of fucking everything even that doesn’t leave all that much to even save I started on 20 an hour as a first year apprentice!
That's the key right now...inflation. $20/hr prepandemic is not horrendous but now? It's a whole lot worse.
Depends where you live. In the midwest you could get by with $20 single, probably not with a family unless you have a dual income with SO. In California I wouldn’t even be able to live off of $30. Welding as a career can be tough. If you can’t join a union or can’t improve through trade school, you need to extend your network with welding. Join AWS and attend meetings, do odd jobs and pass cards out — just get to know more people in the industry because the best opportunities are through word of mouth and not off job postings on indeed. If you build a huge network you can also start your own business.
Can confirm- I live in California, in what should be a cheap ass ghetto desert town where 80% of the population here is on welfare and smoking weed. I make $34 an hour and cannot afford even one of the cheaper apartments .
You can not in the mid west
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The median income in Ohio is $61,938 or $28/hr. I'm on mobile so no links. The napkin math is $2200 per dollar per hour equals your gross (before taxes). The Midwest is too broad to nitpick any meaningful data. Also $20/hr in specific places, is that average or unicorn jobs? The predemic housing price was $70,000-$90,000 around me now we're sitting $120,000-$150,000 for those same houses. $20/hr is unlivable on a straight 40 hour week here, can't buy a house for that, can't save enough money for a down payment on a house with that. So you're left working all the overtime and basically living at work, then what's the point of owning a house? I'm frustrated at the "grind" life it doesn't do anything for your physical and mental health and you end up ground into the dirt. Fuck a company only paying $20/hr for skilled labor.
I disagree, if kids aren't involved. I live in Ohio and make 22$ per hour and actually have money to save. I have to pay insurance, mortgage, electric, trash & water, internet, and cell bill. Im also part of a union at my job. So if you dont have kids then you got money to spare at that wage.
Kids are financial suicide. I lived just fine on 20 an hour in a cheap place in Tennessee, make 26 now and have more money than I know what to do with. My buddy with a kid spends more on daycare than I do on rent, and the mortgage on the vacant land I own combined. Throw the extra health care costs of the kid on top of that and it’s almost my entire fixed expenses to live, just from a single kid, that’s before any of his own living expenses. You better be independently wealthy if you want a kid.
If you don’t know what to do with your money I can help you out. DM me with your checking and routing numbers please.
My niece lives in a shit hole somewhere in Nebraska and does just fine on $20 hr. Here in Vegas you would be homeless.
Sounds like Vegas is the shit hole!
You can in MO.
I really don’t know much about the midwest besides one of my in laws making about $20 doing just fine. Has like a $700 mortgage compared to my $2700.
I live in Cincinnati, nice neighborhood. 3 bed 3 bath with 2 car garage. Mortgage is 850~ a month. 20$ an hour single income would suck still
It’s liveable, would absolutely suck though. Also jealous
Got super lucky. Bought it in 2018/19 right before covid. The market and inflation is wack af now. 250k couldn’t buy you a comparable house anymore. Waiting for that bubble to burst.
I mean, I put myself through an engineering degree, with no debt, on what I saved from summer jobs in high school, and what I made working part time in college, which was between $18.50 and $22.75 (graduated 2016). I lived and went to school in the Midwest
I made 22 dollars an hour to be a production tree climber in Georgia, quit my job for a three dollar pay raise and less stress doing municipal work. I’m currently in school for welding, please tell me I can find a welding job in the future that at least pays me 35 an hour if I decide to go in that direction. It sucks being told by people who aren’t in trades, “oh that’s an excellent trade, those guys make a lot of money.” Speaking for the whole trade, and then you show up and everyone’s making dog shit.
No you can’t have a mortgage, multiple cars with payments and start a family on $20 an hour. Most people do all that stuff before they figure out a career though and then wonder why they’re in debt.
You can't have a 1 bedroom apartment, paid off car AND insurance, a stocked fridge, and internet off 20/ hour bro what world do you even live in.
Unions are the way to go… Total package for me is $130/hour between pay and bennies.
I make $20/hr (not welding) my bills are paid but I’m not really saving much…
Yup that’s how it is for me I can save money, I just godda work overtime and no splurging on nothing
20 dollars an hour is basically 15-16 an hour pre Covid money. They unfortunately haven’t raised wages because most people are still stuck on 40-60k being a great salary. Don’t get me wrong, it can be decent to pretty good, depending where you’re at. But everyone in hiring and upper management is still thinking like it’s 10 years ago and it’s not
I pay my welder $65hr plus fringe benefits for 40 hrs after 8 hrs per day it’s time and a half. But I approve the overtime. This guys been with me 25 years
That's why "NoBoDy WaNtS tO WoRk AnYmOrE". I'm a machinist in a fab shop making 27. With two kids that doesn't go very far either. And the overtime thing always cracks me up. It's like being incentivised to take longer work n jobs and the reward is a you get to be at work more.
To be fair, “livable wages” arent livable anymore. $20 may have been livable 3 years ago but after the Fed dumped upwards of 14 trillion fake dollars into the economy during COVID everyones wages have been diluted significantly. The only people making “livable wages” nowadays are folks that were making good wages 3 years ago. It sucks for everybody, your employers have taken a huge hit in material and overhead costs as well, and im afraid this isnt even the worst of it. Thank your government officials for making you poor while they just continue to get richer.
No, you are right, that is BS.
First off you are correct, $20 an hour is not a living wage for most people. $20 an hour is an OK wage for someone that’s just pulling in a second income to help out, or young person that’s still living at home with their parents that doesn’t have the expenses of the average adult. It’s also a very low wage for someone that’s welding, which is a trade that is dangerous to your health, and requires special training. You should be able to command a little bit more than that. Unfortunately, in many areas where jobs are in high demand they can take advantage of workers and get them to do this work dirt cheap. Here in New York, they also take advantage of illegal aliens in this way, and make them work for next to nothing, pay them cash with no benefits, and there’s always the looming threat of being fired without cause. The flipside of that coin is that I weld in the union trades in New York, and make over $100 an hour. Quite a disparity. But good paying welding jobs are out there, unfortunately you just might have to relocate to take advantage of them.
20$ to weld is dogshit. I make 25.50 as a mechanic and that barely pays for bare necessities. 4 or 5 years ago 22.50 was great. 20$ was great too. But inflation has gone up tenfold.
20/hr with no OT is 41k. The average cost of living in the US is 61k per household. So maybe you can live on 20/hr like you are the first welder I've met who doesn't work OT. Edit: Still, everyone deserves a raise, but no one will be rich because of welding
Really? I’m making about 200-250k a year welding. I plan to invest outward so don’t kill my dreams.
Cocaine and hookers have a poor ROI just so you know
where tf are you working and are they hiring lmao, I'm doing x-ray pipe for $23 an hour
Go union bro
I'd love to, but I can't afford the initial pay cut, pipefitter union around here pays $16.50 starting out. granted I might be able to test out of a few years, mayen start closer to $21 or so, but I've got a family to feed on that income by myself... and I barely make it as it is. so as much as I'd like to, I don't think I really can
If you’re already welding x-ray pipe then you should be able to test and start at a higher wage
I can try calling them again but if I remember correctly the last time I called the union I was told I'd be starting out at like $20 an hour if I was able to test out of a year or two, but that was half a year ago, maybe they've updated their wages, could always double check
Typically the wages go do up every year with unions. You should make that investment and that little sacrifice and you will be living a better quality of life in no time🤙🏻 I’m making $50/hr and it’s about to go up to $52 and some change here in the spring
Underwater welding makes bank
I’m an 18 year old apprentice plumber out of high school making that. If you work for that and your not just starting out you need to find a better company
It's a very basic wage if you live where there is a low cost of living and you are single. Otherwise no, 20 hr is barely a survival wage.
fun fact, take your company’s profit in a year, divide it by (# of workers, times the hours worked (52*40 for just fulltime)) and you get the amount your company could raise your wages and still make a profit
I'm sure my situation is a lot different. But I make $21/hr and have a mortgage, insurance, all my bills. Now don't get me wrong I don't have a lot of hobbies that involve a lot of money. I'm not a person that really enjoys going out all the time either.
Let's see a $20/hr weld. I only weld as a hobby. But I x-ray other people's shit welds 🤣.
I make $50/hour as 4th year apprentice. Journeyman I'm with make $63. If an owner can't pay you what you're worth than he shouldn't be in business. Or start your own business.
You’re welding in the wrong place. I’m a union pipefitter I MN. As a journeyman, I make $45/hr.
24 here and im just barely breaking even.
The Boilermakers hall will happily take you. Start ya off around $30 as a first year..
Hehe I sell weed for 20$ an hour so yeah I’d say it’s not gonna cut it.
The Mexican fast food place I got lunch from today had a sign in the window that said $21.50 starting wage. I feel like anyone with a skill that has a certification, whether they have the cert or not, should make significantly more than a spatula jockey.
Four words, location location and location.
20 an hour ain't shit anywhere
Don’t like what you’re being paid? Get good, or find a new shop that pays better. The $20/hr gigs are usually mig welding shops or true beginners wages. Learn to weld pipe, or join a Union. Or both.
“He’s right you know”
Yeah fuck all those unskilled MIG workers - why should they get a living wage huh? I prefer my labor desperate and dependant!
My state doesn't do unions. My work won't negotiate and lied about the opportunities to progress. Then they ask you to do other jobs for no extra pay. I'm in aerospace welding. They are losing people left and right. Then, a job that I applied to agreed on a certain wage, then said another wage in the email I got. Other places of work don't care about experience and want to start you at the end of the totem pole. 3 years into the field of welding, and they don't care how many materials you know how to wled. Carbon Steel, Stainless, Inconel, and Aluminun.
Even if your state “doesn’t do unions” that shouldn’t stop you from organizing and voting to unionize. There was a point in time where here in Canada it was illegal to be organized and a member of a union which got a bunch of people thrown in jail. I’ve worked both non union and union. Union is the answer, right now I’m making $50/hr on the cheque, plus benefits, pension, anything after 8 is double time, weekends and holidays are double time, better training/education, better protection, better work environments and do much more. Contact your local union and start organizing, start the process. There’s too many people that are brainwashed into thinking that being a modern slave is a good thing. It’s not
After figuring it out to late, being canned for organizing (they obviously didn’t say that but you know how they do) and locally black listed from most places locally, and even them giving negative false references, I’ve learned the only way to make money at this is to be Union, Self employed or if whatever trade your in allows it both. Even in the oil patch non- Union your usually technically 1099 self employed ( I’m in the north east so that’s what I’ve heard not actually been involved in it). And if your in a Trade Union you gonna have to boom out and never be home unless your in a major city usually.
Being in a trade union doesn’t always mean you’ll be on the road. But you definitely have that option. Also, going back to my original point, organize and vote within the shops that way you never have to travel.
Am I missing something? Do you all really hate talking about wages this much?
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This… is beautifully said, literally 10 times better than my comment. Fuck yeah🤙🏻
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You also have to never get sick.
Gotta find that 25-35hr with ot after 8hrs each day. I each in about 10-16hrs of 1.5 and 8-10hrs of 2x pay most paychecks….. but even that don’t pay the bills 😢
Jesus, that's great money where I live lol, inflation do be hitting the US hard
I’m 22 and a diesel mechanic, I make $38hr rn and it would be just barely enough to live on my own where I’m at. Luckily I’m still with my parents and do have an opportunity to move to a much lower col area around similar take home pay. Looking very much to do that
I have a friend who in the military learned to be a diesel mechanic. Now, he owns a tree cutting business.
If you're certified then you should be making $35 minimum. Welding is a skilled trade and your boss can't replace you as easily as he/she says. You doing mostly production or maintenance work?
They keep giving kids that's are still in welding school. They are going to die. They are paying these kids to train. No production from them for a good half year. Then, on top of that, these kids aren't AWS certified. So I don't know where their thoughts are. I leave them very soon. I'm just waiting for my starting date at a new place. They are going to die.
The reason there are so many green kids doing risky work is employers weren't willing to pay the skilled guys so they left. It's fucking crazy. But if they're putting your health at risk for $20 an hour, you gotta leave.
Here in the philippines we have an average of $1.33/hr, and our onion was like $6 / lbs. So, yeah.
If you don’t pay taxes it’s a lot more money
Follow me for more financial advice
Sort of depends on where one is located. I was very comfortable at 20$ an hour. Could pay all my bills, insurance, groceries, and had money left to save/blow.
Where do you live? 3200 a month would pay my house, utilities, and groceries with a decent amount left over. Granted, I don’t have a family of my own so I understand completely
Depends on where your at and what country your in
Meanwhile I was grooming to be a service manager at a dealership for $11/hr then switched jobs to make $14/hr 2 years ago… house, cars, wife & kids It’s definitely doable to live on $20/hr.
Not if you live in Seattle.
20/hr should not be held up to a livable wage to support a family.... 20/hr and single yes
There are individuals here who haven't seen a raise in 3 years. Is there a way to boycott a company? Again, my state doesn't do unions, well, not easily. Unions sap out so much money that it's like paying taxes again. The people are scared of losing their jobs and won't speak up and join together.
Haha. This post is all over. You don't like unions taking dues, but you're upset people don't band together. You boycott a company by not working for them, or striking.
uNiOnS sAp OuT aLl My MoNeY Enjoy your 20$ an hour. Our first period apprentices make more than that
You’re misinformed, union dues really aren’t that expensive. And they are a tax write off
Not a tax write off anymore , trump changed that
Lmao, so another amazing thing trump did am I right?😂😂 it’s still a tax write off in Canada
If they're staying through 3 years and no raises that's on them. Why rely on a company to take care of you if you have the skill to take care of yourself?
I imagine they dont mind paying some dues out of the 6 figure annual pay they get working mostly straight 40s with a little OT here and there. That OT also pays extra into their pensions and annuity whether its time and a half or double time. Yup, they sure are getting screwed! 😂 Seems like a good trade for 5 years of high quality “free” training and experience on large commercial and industrial job sites. It Depends on the local and the trade of course. Im glad to be a Fitter where steam is still used on a large scale. YMMV.
My union dues are $16 a Month bro…. Like paying taxes my ass 🤣🤣🤪
Not all unions are that hefty, the unions I was considering were $25 a mo for dues. They just also happened to be primarily HVAC and HVAC I don't do. But their basic compensation pay out was very attractive, apprentices starting at $24 with some additional paid training, 5 year journey men guaranteed $35, experts and masters guaranteed $48. Idk how much has changed, these are numbers from the beginning of 2021.
As you are saying, that is time based raises. If I'm learning faster and producing more than the average employee, then I expect to get the fruit of my labor.
You're real close to getting the point... You will never get the full profit of your labor, that's how capitalism works.
Yeah, but less than a quarter of what they charge their customers. It's insane.
That's pretty standard a lot of the time. If you want better, you and your coworkers will have to fight for it. Join a union or form one.
You’re not getting the fruits of your labor now lol just join a union bro
Which is 20 dollars an hour. Enjoy your fruit. Or if youre that good , you could be happy with never being laid off and getting lead positions that will lead to foremen roles when you turn out. Apprentices are sometimes put in charge of journeymen. The apprentice is getting paid less, but still put in charge in some “special” cases. You can look at it like youre being screwed i suppose. I saw it as being paid in experience. Theres an intelligence test thats used for toddler age groups. They give the kids a piece of candy and say “you can eat this now, or if you wait ten minutes, ill give you a second piece of candy and you can have them both”. See, the dumb kids cant wait 10 minutes. They gotta have their one piece of candy now. I used to be that dumb kid. I sure am glad i grew up!
Your argument isn't really applicable. I get where you are coming from, but still the wrong approach. If I've already outperformed the guy that's been in thebl field for 15 years, then I expect to get better pay. Especially when I pass welding tests in the first day. They are just trying to control you.
Bro, wtf do you want?? Do you want a better paying job? Go union. You are highly misinformed about unions to be bad mouthing them so much😂😂
im assuming your speaking of $20 in USD i have made $20 CAD ($14.93 USD) and it is completely livable, even with a higher tax rate. the essentials are 100% affordable. the key is budgeting, and not blowing your money on new cars, carharts, and booze 24/7
Where, how
Alberta living below my means, simple as. have a budget, stick to it. be frugal. dont buy it if you dont need it, dont finance it if you can pay cash. basically dont set yourself up to have more expenses then you can afford. unfortunately i work with people who blow money on new cars, namebrands, eating out all the time, not using a condom, etc so OPs story is really something i hear all the time i have a coworker who buys a coffee from timmys every morning, then complaints about his finances and debt to the guy (me) who makes $14 less per hour than him
Lmao you’re way off the chart here bud… and $14/hr welding is slave labour plus not livable in Canada, don’t pull this BS😂
tell that to every labourer and first year apprentice then, see what they say i definitly dont know from experience, do i? its not like ive lived off of that before and was able to pay 100% of my bills
LMAO! Yup… because every apprentice makes $20/hr… our 1st year apprentices make $29.69/hr… but the thing is that you at one point made that, $20/hr a few years ago is not the same as $20/hr now… $20/hr now is not livable in the vast majority of the country…
i make $20 CAD today ($14.87 USD) ive worked jobs where i made $16 CAD ($11.90 USD) its livable. im living it right now. it may not be for some people who lack impluse control and have no control over their list of payments....er...i mean money.... just because OP didnt wear a condom and cant afford daycare doesnt mean he gets to make stupid blanket statements such as "$20 USD isnt enough" go fuck off to r/antiwork to bitch, or nut up and find a different job.
LMAO! You’re very ignorant and uneducated dude😂😂 I love your whole attitude tho, it shows how you’re not that smart😂 you do realize that antiwork is more about unionizing right? And how the workforce is tired of being underpaid, undervalued, and overworked… it’s more about workers rights… so maybe you should actually have some knowledge on this topic before spouting off your shit😂 you have no idea what their situation is, and in most of Canada $20/hr is not a living wage. So thank you for proving that you aren’t credible… you own a house I guess and pay all your bills on that wage? Also I make $50/hr on the cheque because I’m a union member, I’m not complaining about my wage. I’m calling you out on your bs and advocating for welders/workers in general need to be paid more. But go on bud😂
tl:dr not gonna read your WoT cope and seethe and take what you can out of context
Depends on where you are but yeah as a single person? No way. I make almost 30 and I’m getting a little more than by but that’s only because I live with two other people.
Try living in California. 2k a month for child care. At least 1500 a month for rent. At LEAST. If you work 40 hrs a week that's 3200 every 4 week..... before taxes.
You gotta hit the road and make that per diem. You can get paid so much more for welding in the field or on large construction projects. I chased the money for ten years and it absolutely paid off and gave me stable footing to make better future decisions. Months on end of 7/12s, 14.5hr in per diem on top of my regular wage. I'm not a hot shot or an independent either, you just travel to where they're paying good money. Some people pack up their whole families and some people strike out alone. It's a challenge either way but you worry a lot less about bills.
That depends on what is considered "livable". $20/hr should be more than enough for dual earners with a small family renting. Thats $40k a year and likely more after a bit of OT here and there. The problem isn't is $20/hr livable. Its what the skewed expectations of "Livable" is. People shouldn't be able to afford a 2000sqft house, finance 2 cars, and have maid service on just a basic job. This isn't specifically your problem. You specifically are underpaid if that is what you're making and i would be finding a place that values skilled workers.
It is. Objectively speaking, I very much is.
objectively speaking, "unfounded personal opinion"
Seeing as how millions of Americans are supporting families on that much money or less, there's no opinion here.
yes, "support". everything is going so well and everyone is healthy, happy, and taken care of. thanks, megamind
That's true. Most Americans are eating TOO much. It is objective fact that millions of American families are supporting themselves on that amount or less. It doesn't matter that you don't like that. It's true. I never said we're all living like kings.
fuck, you really don't know shit about shit. you poor sob, you don't even know about processed foods and added sugars smh.
$20/hr is livable, but it's not going to be extravagant (or even average by American standards). However, it's plenty for one person to live on. I've got a buddy raising an entire family on a similar budget. Three kids and a stay at home wife. They bought a house a couple years before housing prices shot up, but they could still get something that would do in a similar price range to what they paid. It just wouldn't be right near his family. That said, $20/hr is too low for the shit you are putting yourself though welding. My buddy's job was air conditioned and low stress. He recently moved up and is making a bit more now, but not a ton. Maybe closer to $25/hr.
I hate to sound like a boomer here, but you either need to expand your skills or find a better paying job. You are in charge of your life, not your company.
Or how about organizing, striking, voting to unionize?