prevailing wage

[OTGBOSTON]

like it or not it exists. Here are some figures from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Dept. of labor.

2 axle driver- $42.26
3 axle driver- $42.30
Backhoe/frontend loader $54.49
brick/stone/artifical masonry $62.19
chainsaw operator- $43.60
fork lift/cherrypicker- $54.49
laborer-$43.45
tree trimmer-$15.50
tree trimmer groundsman-$13.60

These are just a few of the ones that I thought you guys might find interesting. If anyone can make sense of it please fill me in

 

[SkwerI]

Couldn't the 'tree trimmer' guy be classified as a chainsaw operator or perhaps 'cherrypicker' operator (God I hate that term!) in order to get a wage in line with the other categories?

It obviously seems like something designed by somebody who doesn't actually work for a living but sits at a desk. :roll:

 

[rumination]

Yup, that sure doesn't make much sense. Seems like a tree trimmer would also be a chainsaw operator.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

I wish I had the answers! Right now I have two contractors who are fighting over the prevailing wage issue, to the point of hiring lawyers, and investigators. The whole thing shouldn't involve me because we have someone that makes sure our contractors are in compliance. Of course, I am in the middle since I have a working relationship with both of these guys

 

[treetx]

It obviously seems like something designed by somebody who doesn't actually work for a living but sits at a desk. :roll:

Are you saying that desk jobs aren't real work or that this person wasn't really working at their desk?


What is a tree climber or any person's time worth? What is time to a hog?

At the end of the day, it is cutting trees, not brain surgery. Most trees will still be there in 100yrs in spite of what arborists do to them, not because of what arborists do to them.

 

[squisher]

Kind of a loaded post Nate. Maybe you've been spending to much time working at a desk? I know I did.

Alot of trees will still be standing in 100 years because of maintenance work done to them. If not they would become to much of a hazard and be removed long before that.

 

[SkwerI]

Nate enjoys trying to bait me. :roll:

 

[Blinky]

Seems to me somebody forgot to factor in risk. Tree trimming, that is, real, skilled tree trimming requires as much knowledge and experience to do safely as a driver or a lift operator... never mind the athletics involved.

It's not hard to teach most anyone how to drive a forklift or a loader, but how many of those guys will be fit enough AND have the head for work at height?

Skilled ground work is very dangerous and demanding... I'm talking about rigging and chipping. Dragging brush alone is straight labor but running ropes takes attention and experience.

Those low prevailing wage figures are probably results of unionization in the transportation and construction industries... I'm sure they exist but I've never met a union tree trimmer; tree care hasn't been organized nearly as long as most blue collar occupations.

 

[treetx]

Nate enjoys trying to bait me. :roll:

Asking Brian questions he can't answer = baiting
Nah, merely trying to figure what you meant. If you meant that working behind a desk isn't working? Just curious.

Far more risk/reward behind a desk than up a tree.

Shoot, I dig it when I can get behind a desk like today. Sheesh, in the last week I have been to Denver, Philadelphia, and Oklahoma City. Actually, I'd say I see more country side and less dog shit than back in the day of doing tree work.

 

[squisher]

I disliked being behind a desk very much. I watched my fitness go out the window and over a matter of four years went from the happiest go lucky guy you'd ever meet to being depressed and incredibly negative.

Life ain't all about money and yes I say that only because I've accumulated enough that now for me, life ain't all about money.

 

[TC3]

Seems to me somebody forgot to factor in risk. Tree trimming, that is, real, skilled tree trimming requires as much knowledge and experience to do safely as a driver or a lift operator... never mind the athletics involved.

It's not hard to teach most anyone how to drive a forklift or a loader, but how many of those guys will be fit enough AND have the head for work at height?

Skilled ground work is very dangerous and demanding... I'm talking about rigging and chipping. Dragging brush alone is straight labor but running ropes takes attention and experience.

Those low prevailing wage figures are probably results of unionization in the transportation and construction industries... I'm sure they exist but I've never met a union tree trimmer; tree care hasn't been organized nearly as long as most blue collar occupations.

Great post.

 

[treetx]

I hear you with the fitness part but rarely are blue collar workers the poster children for fitness.

It is what you make of it. For me it takes a conscious decision to be active.

 

[Koa Man]

I operated a forklift for several years working at an airline cargo department. It took me 1 day to get decent at it and after 1 week I was trusted enough to load the cargo aircraft.

How many people will trust a climber with 1 week of experience to do a difficult takedown?

Couldn't the groundsman position be a laborer making 3 times as much? That labor list is screwed up, however, I would be happy with that if I was bidding for government work there and that was all I had to show I paid my guys.

 

[Al Smith]

Prevailing wage rates are misleading and manipulated .Sometimes they may fall in line with union scale and sometimes not . It's all a political football.

 

[hornett22]

if you put me behind a desk,i only have one request..........

please put a pistol in the top drawer so i can shoot myself.

 

[Blinky]

Desk jobs aren't bad as long as they're challenging. I got plenty of exercise outside the office. I just couldn't deal with the pissy little morons that pass for corporate leadership these days.

The leadership density in tree work is much, much higher than in white collar work.

 

[sotc]

my buddy is line clearence trimmer in the union. IBEW he makes 23 bucks an hour (ish) and a groundie makes about 15

 

[squisher]

That sucks and is why I never even considered residential treework until it was on my own. Straight to the bush for me.

 

[treetx]

Desk jobs aren't bad as long as they're challenging. I got plenty of exercise outside the office. I just couldn't deal with the pissy little morons that pass for corporate leadership these days.
.

Leadership?? Seems like it all boils down to diffusion of responsibility and the fact that none of us is as dumb as all of us.

Challenging? Yes, Frustrating? Yes, but so is dealing with piss tank groundies that pick up sticks for beer money.

 

[treesandsurf]

At the end of the day, it is cutting trees, not brain surgery. Most trees will still be there in 100yrs in spite of what arborists do to them, not because of what arborists do to them.

That is the sort of mentality that reduces the standard of wage for 'arborists'. This is the thought-process of the dark ages of arboriculture, welcome to modern arboriculture!



jp

 

[gf beranek]

I started at $4.85 hr in '69. 18 years later I was making $12.85 hr. In comparison the private jobs and woods work paid good back then. 200/300 a day.

Local 1245 IBEW maintains to keep the tree workers wages and bennifits down as low as possible. It's a company Union. Maybe not in the begining, but when I joined and to this day the IBEW is outright screwing the tree workers out of a descent wage scale. It should match the lineman who work right along side the tree guys. But that will never happen.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I started at $4.85 hr in '69.

Damn, that's big bucks! I started 8 years later at $20 a day!

 

[stehansen]

Those low prevailing wage figures are probably results of unionization in the transportation and construction industries... I'm sure they exist but I've never met a union tree trimmer; tree care hasn't been organized nearly as long as most blue collar occupations.

I think this is probably the answer.

 

[Al Smith]

.

Those low prevailing wage figures are probably results of unionization in the transportation and construction industries... I'm sure they exist but I've never met a union tree trimmer; tree care hasn't been organized nearly as long as most blue collar occupations.

The political football I spoke about .

Some line clearance jobs are in fact unionized but most residential type stuff is not.Thus when the dept of labor does the survey those jobs come in way under the unionized sector of this job market.Some perhaps even far below the average scale for non unionized workers .They take into consideratrion old Joe Blow working with a beat up old saw and and a rusty pick up truck too .

I'm an IBEW member and years ago if a large housing project arose that came under the Taft-Hartley act,the wages for commercial/industrial people as myself was nearly double that of the residential wiremen that worked on housing.As a result the prevailing union rate was not competative in this sector of the market .

When they figure those wage rates,they lie,plain and simple.It just depends upon the general feeling for labor is in the area in question .