BLOG FOR FRIDAY - FINDING TOMORROWS CRAFTSMEN

Twill...I missed it 1st time through.

You've hit the perverbial(sp?), nail, directly on the head, as fatr as I'm concernered. That is avsolutely the key....

Effeciency/increaesed skills = MO $!...That's how most of us did it, and continue.

Your correct, in that 25 yrs ago was the "Hay-days"....I think it had more to do with us, (dinosuars), that the $/rate of pay.

OS; 25 yrs ago, I was paying $8-10sq, for what we're paying $25 for today....It's good money, even by today's standards...80 sqs/week = $2,000/week; That's $104k/yr.

Problem is; They do 20 - 40 sqs/week today, which equates to the same NET, as 25 yrs ago....Money's there...industrious people is what we're lacking.

Rocky...Like a snap-shot from the past....Wish i could find shinglers that put on simply 8 sqs/day! I pay minn. $25/sq...and that's shingling only, (already dried-in)....I remember 20+ yrs ago, it was expected to get 12 - 20 sqs/day per man,,,(these are all 4 or 5/12 of course)

Twill,,,As alway....I hear ya...Your a preach'n to the choir, here.

OS and twill, you guys are getting away from the post just a little bit. But since wages are included; I pay 16 a sq for installed shingles. I pay extra for air conditioners, coolers, solar panels, skylites , etc: Most guys brag they can do 4 sq an hour when I hire them. Ends up they do 1-1/2 to 2 sq an hour. Let's use 2 sq an hour, times $16 ea= 32.00 times 40 hours in a week. Thats $1280.00 a week in wages only. On top of that I give health, dental and eye ins., 1 week paid vaca after one year and up to 2 weeks after 2 years. I also supply them with a truck, gasoline and oil, maintanence on the truck and a ladder. I pay his taxes and his unemployment and workers comp. Yea, there are some weeks they only make 500-600 but sometimes they push 1500 to 2000 a week. Those are my 4 shingle crews. My tearoff crews are comparable from top down, as well as my tile crews and foamers. How can anybody complain about those wages. With the new tools nowadays and the ease of installation, they make a damn good living, for roofers, or at least I thought.

Over the past two decades, the construction industry, (in the west, anyhow), has become dependent on the illegal workforce.....Wages have stalled....What was once a fribrant, romantic, (for lack of better words), & rewarding career path, has become a dismal/menial service job.

I've lost several ouitstanding individuals to other career paths, simply because of the general work-place environment of illegal/non-english speaking peers.....It's not much fun anymore.

I hire ONLY allegient American,

V the B, you answered many of your questions. I brought something similar up a couple of months ago when we were all discussing storm chasers and illegals in the work force. My thoughts are; that, yes when the schools are having career nights, we as contractors or our state associations should be setting up booths to show case our industry. There are many jobs in our industries such as helpers, apprentices, journeyman,tilemen, foamers, single plyers, hot moppers, distribution, sales, manufacturing etc. Generaly they, as young people, have to start at or near the bottom of the trade and pay scale just like any other trade. A lot of the trade has moved away from the asphalt products abnd they don't get nearly as dirty and safety is much more a concern today. The industry should be more appealing over all. I would beleive that less than 50% of students are going on to college and even less are going to finish college, so they have to turn to the trades and on-thejob-training If we are paying as much as hvac, plumbing and electrical and we should be, then we can keep the kids away from drywall, masonry, cement, painting and other trades that compete for our youth. We need to convince mom and dad at these career fairs that roofing is a honorable profession that instills knowledge, trust and honesty in our profession with out breaking our backs

Of all the thinking I did about my blog I never even thought of the fact that you gravitate to where you could support your family. Money.

Regarding your book. Make it into a PDF and it can be made into an e-book and we will sell it on the CoffeeShop for you - No charge. An E-book will save you the cost of printing it and if they see it on a website they can probably figure out how to print it out. There are a variety of websites that we can get to post it for you. Webmaster Steve would be HAPPY to help you set up the process - (wait until we tell him!) It won't be on the best sellers list due to a limited audience but your book will be appreciated I am sure. If you put a vampire in it it would sell more.