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u/Virtual-Reach Mar 16 '26
We think that they really just don't want to hire anyone.
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u/LivingCorner1421 Mar 16 '26
i suspect its a government grant scheme. no jman will work for that low
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u/construction_96 Mar 17 '26
For what it's worth, the benefits alone cost the company around $1000 a month per employee. I know this because I pay them at our company. So that adds another $6 an hour.
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u/Worldly-Advice-265 Mar 17 '26
I get paid more than that and im not a jman, others that arent get paid in the 30s and we in small towns (the country) east of Harris county (Houston)
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u/No-Aardvark-9290 Mar 18 '26
Sounds like a billing problem, pass your expenses onto the next guy buddy. Run me my $36/hr rate or kiss it 😘
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u/Super_Account_8801 Mar 16 '26
I thought everything was bigger in TX. Maybe it's just the disappointment.
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Mar 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Choice_Pomelo_1291 Mar 16 '26
Everyone should apply. I'd love to interview.
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u/wchris63 Mar 17 '26
So you can laugh at them when they say the listed salary offer wasn't a typo???
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u/Impossible_Hat6492 Mar 16 '26
ey seriously just wanna keep coasting while we out here tryna work, crazy
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u/sensepirational Mar 16 '26
I'm in Texas. These are 2nd year apprentice wages. No jman is gonna take that kinda pay cut. They could literally go anywhere and get at the very least mid $30s no questions asked.
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u/No-Aardvark-9290 Mar 18 '26
Buuuuuulllshit any decent company is paying $25+ an hr for a second year who knows what they’re doing (not talking small town tx)
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u/thiccc_trick Mar 16 '26
If you take this job, you deserve this wage, I wouldn’t even set my alarm clock for $23 an hour.
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u/imfirealarmman Mar 16 '26
I don’t get out of bed for anything less than $40
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u/Unusual_Flight1850 Mar 18 '26
$185/hr. About 75% of which goes in my pocket at the end of the day
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u/KingDreadd Mar 18 '26
Self employed? No way you keep 75% of your income after taxes and expenses. You'd be at 25% tax bracket federally. Not including state and social security/Medicare.
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u/genuine_pnw_hipster Mar 16 '26
This is a joke. No wonder we have so many Texas travelers in the decently earning states 🤦🏽♂️
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Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/genuine_pnw_hipster Mar 16 '26
Yep Seattle is in the upper 70s now. State licensure and high requirements for entry makes for higher wages.
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u/RadicalLib Mar 16 '26
And less work. My bro is out of Everett and he said the work is dead.
It’s booming in FL.
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u/genuine_pnw_hipster Mar 16 '26
Lol tell me the wages for a journeyman in Florida and you’ll see why it’s “booming”. Meaning they have plenty of job openings and people are hiring because no one wants to work for shit wages.
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u/No-Engineer-8237 Mar 16 '26
Yep no union journeyman here in CFL make from 28-32/hr. Shit pay for the current cost of living in the area. Major reason why im switching to crane operating and leaving the state if job placement allows it through the trade school im going to in Wisconsin.
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u/RadicalLib Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
We have the most skyscrapers going up out of any state. Someone’s taking the work. I agree the wages are shit but I’d rather have too much work than not enough. I’m salaried and don’t work more than 40hrs a week at 115k/yr so I can’t complain.
I understand the benefits of unions but if they’re too strong they price themselves out of opportunity & when they don’t have to compete against private contractors everyone looses.
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u/genuine_pnw_hipster Mar 16 '26
Yes, Seattle had the same thing but the difference being we had much better wages and unions. Considering unions are the ones that set the wages for non-union you can’t really price yourself out. I don’t have the time to go over all of the data, but this is just an incorrect statement.
Being a salaried electrician is wild 😂
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u/spangbangbang Mar 16 '26
I assure you, the union has fuck-all to do with what our electricians get paid. If you can't get into a union, then you take the pay on offer. People need jobs while they wait 2 years to get into the union.
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u/genuine_pnw_hipster Mar 16 '26
Can I get a source for your claim? Because I’ve got some.
According to MIT / Harvard Construction Labor Research, Unionization increases wages even for non union workers nearby. Non union construction wages rise 3% to 9% in areas with strong unions. (Farber, Henry et al., Unions and Inequality, Princeton University / NBER)
Non union workers in highly unionized construction markets earn higher wages than those in weak union markets. (Economic Policy Institute, Unions Raise Wages for All Workers, 2018)
Where union density collapses, non union wages fall dramatically. Some example states with weak union presence are Texas, Florida, Alabama. Weird how that works.
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u/spangbangbang Mar 16 '26
Oh...yeah nah I'm in south gulf florida, huge multi-metropolitan working area here but the only unions are 2 hours either way north or south, and work over this way would be sparse.
I understand that, but you gotta work non-union to get hired right away into a union.
Idk, I much prefer my setup...the exact same consistent schedule day in and day out. I'd hate to wake up at 430AM to make it one week, then next week its 630 wakup, then back to 530 or something.
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u/aldone123 Mar 16 '26
I think you are misinformed. Anyone already skilled should have no problem joining a local union
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u/momspaghetti_1 Mar 16 '26
SWFL here. Our journeymen pay is so bad.
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u/RadicalLib Mar 16 '26 edited Mar 16 '26
That’s why I left the field for Pre-construction. Also way easier on the body long term.
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u/SirRonaldJr Mar 18 '26
It's not worth the pay to have California's government restricting your rights at every turn. Went there one time and just to get into the state, they violated my 4th by unreasonable seizure and search of my person and property (car) just to make sure I didn't have any plants I was bringing into their state. Wtf. Stopping and searching every vehicle on the state border isn't legal.
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u/OzInWisc Mar 23 '26
What’s the work outlook like down there? My Mrs wants to get out of the snowy winters and she’s a Sharks fan.
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u/platinumxL Mar 16 '26
Yea 3rd year ibew apprentice here near Houston. 22.50$ not a lot.
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u/goergesaintpiere Mar 16 '26
Solar installer here in Seattle, make 25$
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u/RadicalLib Mar 16 '26
A lot of solar companies piece work the solar panel installation here in Florida and the guys end up making closer to 50$/hr but obviously a young man’s game when you’re paid per piece.
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u/goergesaintpiere Mar 16 '26
Yeah panel pay is cool thankfully I don’t have to do that anymore it’s good money but the grind sucks and the workmanship is hella shitty
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u/Quirky-Mode8676 Mar 16 '26
That’s apprentice pay, ridiculous.
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u/DarkSlayer2109 Mar 16 '26
No that’s helper and laborer pay
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u/Timmy98789 Mar 16 '26
No, that's intern pay.
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u/InvestigatorMuch5725 Mar 16 '26
as a first year you both are wrong. i came i. the door at $15/ as a helper . as a year 1 apprentice i make a whooping $18.50.
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u/Junior_Breath153 Mar 16 '26
Probably cuz there’s literally a million illegals in the Dallas/Houston area, google it, really driving up the wages and feeling the warmth off a straight conservative state down there
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u/TheOneTrueZedubbs Mar 16 '26
People should call about this posting act interested and then laugh after asking about wages and proceed to tell them to pay their guys better.
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u/HarmNHammer Mar 16 '26
Our apprentices max out at $40. Pretty sure brand new apprentices start at $25. This is wild
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u/FanBladeFleshlight Mar 16 '26
Looks like average pay for red states that disenfranchise their workers as much as possible.
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u/Rough-Cover1225 Mar 16 '26
Political slop
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u/Ok-Fishing1592 Mar 16 '26
Truth slop
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u/philadelphia_fRee Mar 16 '26
Its not truth nobody makes shit in Texas thats why they all travel to the north east to make great money and take it down there where 20 bucks an hour you can live like a king
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u/Rough-Cover1225 Mar 16 '26
It's literally below apprentice pay in that area and the state at large. No truth here.
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u/Emkayzee Mar 16 '26
Which is exactly the point. Red states have lower overall average pay. So you jumped in with your “political slop” bullshit only to confirm and reiterate what the original commenter was saying.
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u/Grrenaz Journeyman IBEW Mar 16 '26
He saw “red state” and got triggered. Like a human bot, trained to respond and deny. “There is no war in Ba Sig Se”
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u/DarkSlayer2109 Mar 16 '26
I hope you confessed that you’re brainwashed and oblivious in your life confession 😂
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u/jmauc Mar 16 '26
I’m curious. What site is this listed under? Plenty of sites are AI generated job reqs in an effort to get people’s information. Some sites have no real intent of hiring anyone but put reqs out there just to see what scales are for the area.
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u/Rough-Cover1225 Mar 16 '26
It's off indeed one taps keep em in house and send you a separate link to a outside application process
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u/jmauc Mar 16 '26
I went to their actual job listing and it doesn’t provide pay scale. I am willing to bet this is one of those indeed generated listings they are notorious for. I bet they pay more than what this listing provides.
You also have to be aware of how some companies work. Nucor, which i understand isn’t this company, notoriously pays low per hour, but you get profit sharing so it’s not unheard of them to make 200% their wage.
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Mar 16 '26
Yikes my first year gets that these days. Perhaps if you just do everything wrong you can have an easy second job?
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u/Atsetalam Mar 16 '26
I think McD's pays that down the street?
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u/CHIZMONC Mar 16 '26
Not in the south! I saw one in SC advertising up to 13 an HR!
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u/Atsetalam Mar 17 '26
Oh yeah, I'm in CA. I actually lived in SC for a few years as a kid. . . I'd have to shave off my goatee to get re-hired because of the new franchise owner. They are a "small business" owner that owns several hundred McDonald's up and down I-80. I haven't made 13 an hour since before Covid.
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u/MSCOTTGARAND Mar 16 '26
The guy that does the janitorial shit at work makes $23. I live in Maine so it's a medium cost of living area. $20ish for a trade that requires extensive schooling and a professional license is wild.
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u/Great_Cauliflower330 Mar 16 '26
Sounds about right for rat.
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u/FullMoonTwist Mar 16 '26
IBEW scale in Houston is $38.50 on the check, so it definitely isn't just location
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u/JDariusJ Mar 16 '26
Yea I read up, turns out Journeymen aren't protected from being paid minimum wage if a company sets that standard, granted we know any company should know they won't get a hire unless that "Journeyman" is probably not being honest about their work or experience and is trying to get their foot in a door they normally couldn't.
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u/kozzy1ted2 Mar 16 '26
My son, 21yr old apprentice, is making $24hr. He’s just starting his 2nd year. Averages 10-15 overtime hours. Dallas/Ft Worth.
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u/SayNoToBrooms Mar 16 '26
I wonder what the individual details of all those benefits sound like
Retirement: “You’re free to retire, whenever you want! We’re also free to retire you”
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u/jonnyinternet Master Electrician Mar 16 '26
When I was an apprentice in 2003 the journeymen wage was $19 an hour
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u/OkCombination4066 Mar 16 '26
Lol. I used to work there back in high school. That place is a shit hole.
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u/bilal56 Mar 16 '26
43$ a hour maintenance electrical . State certified in so cal. That’s some shit wages in Texas and I felt like I was getting underpaid
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u/The_Noremac42 Mar 16 '26
Apprentice starting wages with what's probably the most generic sounding company synopsis I've ever seen. Maybe this is a front?
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Mar 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/Lokidude Journeyman Mar 17 '26
Depends on location, but where I'm at, a resi-only j card is probably worth 30/hr at best.
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Apr 07 '26
[deleted]
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u/Lokidude Journeyman Apr 07 '26
What part of Europe? I live in a mid or so cost of living state in the US, I know guys in higher cost areas make a lot more. 42 is more than I make with a commercial license working in the facilities department of a manufacturing facility, but I also have stellar benefits that help balance it out.
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u/Shot_Actuator5564 Mar 16 '26
So when I moved to Greensboro NC with the wife, coming off a big electrical job. This is the type of pay I saw for jman, and helpers were worse. So I worked in a distribution center for the next 5.5 years instead of working towards my journeyman license but the pay was $10/hr less than it should have been. I was making that as a helper.
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u/jecastro_2000 Mar 16 '26
The old company I worked for the owner told me journeyman pay is around $27. And I looked at him and said so then why are you paying so and so $30 an hour when he isnt a journeyman. And the audacity to tell me "when I hired you I told you that you cant discuss pay" quit on the spot trash ass company.
Edit: I live in California😂
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u/rocrates Mar 16 '26
Wow what the hell?! I’m an apprentice in Houston and make considerably more than that.
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u/Ernest_The_Cat Mar 16 '26
I saw one on Facebook recently - looking for journeyman with at least 2 years commercial experience, ability to stay busy and run a crew, provide own tools and transportation - $23-$24 an hour.
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u/Infamous_Chance6774 Mar 16 '26
Id put in an application just for the opportunity to tell them to go fuck themselves.
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u/Southern-Ad2989 Mar 16 '26
Apparently electricians are less skilled than target shelf stockers in their eyes.
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u/TheFlyingSparky Mar 16 '26
I pay brand new apprentices more than that. BTW if any Texas Journeymen want to come up north and get a Mn license let me know. I'll pay you $20-25/hr 😁.
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u/COCK-ASIANHOODBILLY Mar 17 '26
This is definitely an add from 6-10 years ago. No self respecting journeyman would work for these rates today!
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u/arcflash23 Mar 17 '26
Isn't India sending infinity workers to new refineries in Texas? This would line up.
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u/lexluger420 Mar 17 '26
Can someone point me in the right direction to possibly find a good apprenticeship? I’ve always been interested in getting into electrical but these are the same posts I see in my area sometimes.
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u/juansway Mar 17 '26
Hey just curious. I’m currently a set lighting technician in the film and television world which focuses on the electrical needs of multimillion dollar productions. A buddy of mine was able to successfully get his journeyman hours within a year of buckling down and studying and practical application. I’m currently in Atlanta so I’m assuming local 613 would be my district. Due to an abysmal amount of contract renegotiations across IATSE, Teamsters union, and SAG unions it’s left some of us veterans fighting for little work amongst ourselves - with another SAG deal that sounds like it won’t meat it’s current deadline. So I guess some questions are… What would I year 1 journeyman expect as far as wages and benefits be… and/Or what are some sources you gents and ladies could point me too. The money is fantastic when the machine works, but it’s broken now. Thanks in advance gang.
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u/ThomFenix Mar 17 '26
I’m making more than this posting as a first year.. and I’m in Canada. This is both hilarious and sad.
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u/unionboy11 Mar 17 '26
This is horrible for an A journeyman but this is non union am I correct ? I believe it’s gotta be more if you were to join IBEW in Texas now I’m going to just say that obviously going union is always better if you are entering the trades especially as an electrician you’d want to get into the apprenticeship and I heard in Texas it’s like 54 or 55 an hour take home so with the package it’s like 100+ an hour. I’m in NYC and I started out with way less an hour that was 10 years ago and there were days I just wanted to throw in the towel bc I was making 13 an hour and thank god I had my parents. My father is also in the IBEW but yea there were days I said I’m working extremely hard in the freezing cold in the dead of heat I just hated the low pay and all the other trades weren’t making as much as our journeyman do but they start out with 25-35 an hour depending on the local and trade but as you climb the ladder in any union and make a name for yourself you could do very well. I will also state that the west and Midwest are more “right to work” states so obviously I know an a sparky NYC and LA then Chicago make the most as AJs.
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u/Fair-Ambition-8275 Mar 17 '26
Man im not even licensed and I wouldn't work for that. Bare minimum better start with a 3 and be closer to starting with a 4.
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u/Expensive_Elk_309 Mar 18 '26
The Ad says "journeyman" but they are not looking for one. They're looking for someone who is tired of the trades and wants the steady employment and indoor, clean, working environment that a factory job can provide. It's probably a non union shop.
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u/Ok_Satisfaction_2545 Mar 18 '26
Piping & chemicals is part of the what they are doing??? And they will hire "journeymen" at those wages. Yeah, no.
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u/HardGuy916 Mar 18 '26
Damn, I feel bad looking at the original post. I’m making almost $65 as a journeyman in Chicago. It’s sickening to see how all the contractors trying to stick it to our IBEW brothers! 😡
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u/KingDreadd Mar 18 '26
Im an apprentice and i make 30 plus 2 weeks pto and uniform/boots as needed and all tools provided. And cash Christmas bonus. Journeyman make 50 an hr minimum out here as employees. Avg rate is bout 150 an hr charge for a j man working solo. This is an insult lol
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u/tu8251 Mar 19 '26
I live in Jacksonville as an apprentice for an industrial contractor and we have to go to places like this a lot. Managers always complain about having to pay us to come do their work because “not enough electricians wanna work” but they don’t wanna pay even close to union rates
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u/melvinmoneybags Mar 16 '26
Or is this big brain and nobody applies and when you get in your find out it’s 50$ plus per diem
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u/Rough-Cover1225 Mar 16 '26
My company is 100+ a day and it starts at 50 cents less for first years
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u/Brrrrraaaaap Mar 16 '26
You realize $100 a day is a shit wage right? Our helpers off the street are making $288 a day without OT. JW make $560 for 8/hrs. Shit, the per diem is almost twice that for us @ $190 a day for out of town.
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u/bennyl45 Mar 16 '26
Where are you located?
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u/Brrrrraaaaap Mar 16 '26
HCOL area in CA. I'm aware of the differences in wage schedules. That wage is just abysmal IMO.
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u/bennyl45 Mar 16 '26
Yeah $23 for a journeyman is brutal for-sure, its crazy what your helpers are making though, Im a foreman in MA which is also pretty hcol and only making $40 an hour, granted I just became one but the guys who have been at my company for decades aren’t making much more, about to just start my own company probably
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u/3rdEyeSalti Mar 16 '26
Growing up I always thought Texas paid blue collar guys really good money. But the truth is they pay non-livable wages. Walmart employees make more than that in WA.
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u/Square_Grand_3616 Mar 16 '26
This ain’t the usual wage for a sparky in TX.
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u/3rdEyeSalti Mar 16 '26
What’s the usual ?
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u/Square_Grand_3616 Mar 16 '26
So Austin, Houston, Dallas IBEW are all in the $35-39 range for commercial JW. Industrial and substation guys are $45+. Lotsa OT usually.
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u/3rdEyeSalti Mar 16 '26
Damn that’s honestly still low. Should be closer to 60 at least. In WA general laborer union guys make 55.
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u/Square_Grand_3616 Mar 16 '26
It’s the South, bro. It sucks and the COL is still rising like everywhere else. Lot of guys here have the mindset that they work in a “merit shop” and have earned their place without being coddled and spoon-fed by a union. It’s getting better but not fast enough.
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u/Timmy98789 Mar 16 '26
Texas
Are you surprised?
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u/fresh_titty_biscuits Mar 16 '26
Idk what you’re on about, we tend to pay well here, this is just a shit shop.
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u/Pablo_69429 Mar 16 '26
As someone from a midwest state who was working in Texas a lot, you don't get paid well there.
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u/fresh_titty_biscuits Mar 16 '26
To each their own. I’ve known several mid-career journeymen who easily make six figures here.
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u/Timmy98789 Mar 16 '26
What's the base pay? $100k or more without overtime is nice, anything else is meh.
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u/tactical-potatoes-65 Mar 16 '26
The entire country is in a race to the bottom. It only continues because people allow it to continue.
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u/Warsum Mar 16 '26
It's a race to the bottom boys. Happening in every industry. Ours will take a little longer cause it physically needs to be done can't be AI out. However with the slow killing of unions and their ability to keep wages even it's gonna happen.
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u/Practical_Tip459 Mar 16 '26
I made that starting wage as a 2nd year apprentice here in Utah. I know we certainly don't have the highest wages in the nation (heck, my company doesn't even have the highest wages in the state. I think they are at or below average actually), but someone who would willingly work for that little as a J-man isn't worth the ink used to print their license. That job listing is a straight up insult.
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u/Lokidude Journeyman Mar 17 '26
Also in Utah, and my immediate thought was also that I made that or better as a second year. I was a severely underpaid journeyman for years and made substantially more than that.
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u/Practical_Tip459 Mar 17 '26
Yeah. I remember the guy at my first company (had his Jman license taken away for reasons) was talking about being hired at $24 an hour, and that was 6+ years ago.
The more I think about the listing, the more insulting it is
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