# Average Wage for Apprentice.



## MDShunk

Depends on your geographic area, but in mine 12 bucks is about what a green helper makes.


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## wcord

MDShunk said:


> Depends on your geographic area, but in mine 12 bucks is about what a green helper makes.


Non union 1st year 0-2000hrs 12.78 (40% of JM rate) plus 8% for holiday/vacation pay
2nd year 2-4000hrs 15.98 (50%)
3rd year 4-6000hrs 20.77 (65%)
4th year 6-8000hrs 25.56 (80%)
Journeyman 31.95

Union rates are higher as a JM makes roughly $36 plus 10%

With the shortage of JM and apprentices, most of the shops here are paying union rate

Pretty hard to compare your rate as it appears that your area has a 2 year apprenticeship but i would think that you should be getting 60-75% of JM rate


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## al13nw4r3LC76

Back when I was Resi super green I was making 10$ an hour in Washington. I would say you should be more around 15$. I wanna say the Resi JW's here make somewhere around 25$ an hour open shop.


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## FCR1988

al13nw4r3LC76 said:


> Back when I was Resi super green I was making 10$ an hour in Washington. I would say you should be more around 15$. I wanna say the Resi JW's here make somewhere around 25$ an hour open shop.


Yea $15 sounds about right. My instructor at school said we should be insulted if offered anything less than $13. But this is my first job as an apprentice.

Where are you in Washington?


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## rnr electric

absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


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## Jupe Blue

Washington minimum wage = $8.67

I would think someone with 2200 hours of experience would be making more than $10/hr. 

Keep your day job, but look for a new employer. Someone who will pay you what you are worth.

For what it's worth:
Here is the wage scale for a residential apprentice with your work hours in IBEW Local 48 (Oregon & SW Washington) 

Pay Period OJT Hours Payrate
3 1751-2500 $18.20


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## mikeh32

i am a first year pay, second year apprentice. 

I make 15.59, and when I work under the national VDV, I make 16.59

Plus what ever my vacation pay is


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## Frasbee

rnr electric said:


> absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


Reminds me why so many non-union companies can suck to work for.


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## rnr electric

Frasbee said:


> Reminds me why so many non-union companies can suck to work for.


 this is true, and i agree. but we work year round, no layoffs, work for general public and dont have to wait for a shutdown. Ill be completley honest, i know too many union guys that are out of work right now to convince me otherwise


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## FCR1988

rnr electric said:


> absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


I see what you mean. I'm currently finishing a two year "electrical studies" program at the tech school and it's suppose to be one of the only ones in Washington and one of the best on the west coast. The only one who does all the load calcs, wire sizing, inventory etc is the boss. Plus my Journeyman only makes 16 an hour. I think I'm just in the wrong company.


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## rnr electric

FCR1988 said:


> I see what you mean. I'm currently finishing a two year "electrical studies" program at the tech school and it's suppose to be one of the only ones in Washington and one of the best on the west coast. The only one who does all the load calcs, wire sizing, inventory etc is the boss. Plus my Journeyman only makes 16 an hour. I think I'm just in the wrong company.


 Elect studies is a good program, but try to familiarize (hope i spelled that right) with load calcs,wire sizing, and most important "the NEC". Although some stuff may seem irrelevant to you now in the short term, most things will eventually come up and you must be able to navigate the literature to make the right call..(even if its later on). On the subject of wages, i tell all my guys this.. " i would LOVE to pay you a hundred dollars an hour, that means you are generating 325 an hour for our company." Simply put, you should know if you are worth more, and if you feel you are, definately move on to a better company. ( dont move to fl. though.. wage scale here SUCKS):001_huh:


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## Frasbee

rnr electric said:


> this is true, and i agree. but we work year round, no layoffs, work for general public and dont have to wait for a shutdown. Ill be completley honest, i know too many union guys that are out of work right now to convince me otherwise


I've worked for companies that had "leadmen" making 16 an hour. Since their pay sucked so bad all they had to flaunt was their poorly equipped van and title. 

What tickles me the most is that they often claim working for them is a "great learning experience". Which means you get all the responsibility without the pay.


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## SparkYZ

rnr electric said:


> absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


If you like taking advantage of guys because they can't get work, more power to you. You know what happens when you pay your guys in peanuts? As soon as something better come by, POOF! they're gone. Treat your guys like dirt and you wont have loyal people, and they shouldnt be! 14-18 an hour for a journeyman is a complete joke. What a "doosh"


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## rnr electric

Frasbee said:


> I've worked for companies that had "leadmen" making 16 an hour. Since their pay sucked so bad all they had to flaunt was their poorly equipped van and title.
> 
> What tickles me the most is that they often claim working for them is a "great learning experience". Which means you get all the responsibility without the pay.


 once again i agree.. However i would add this. they should be employed year around, with a steady paycheck,and no matter how their title is applied they are not at the unemployment line (mostly, i would hope). what i mean is this. Union guys make great money, and have great benifits, but small shop guys stay busy year round.


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## FCR1988

rnr electric said:


> Elect studies is a good program, but try to familiarize (hope i spelled that right) with load calcs,wire sizing, and most important "the NEC". Although some stuff may seem irrelevant to you now in the short term, most things will eventually come up and you must be able to navigate the literature to make the right call..(even if its later on). On the subject of wages, i tell all my guys this.. " i would LOVE to pay you a hundred dollars an hour, that means you are generating 325 an hour for our company." Simply put, you should know if you are worth more, and if you feel you are, definately move on to a better company. ( dont move to fl. though.. wage scale here SUCKS):001_huh:


We get a lot on the NEC and all that. They don't call it the Electricians Program anymore because someone complained that we we're really electricians - only students. But yea, he apparently bids ridiculously low on all the projects, so thats one reason why he doesn't pay us much. I'm thinking about going on my own once I get enough hours.


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## rnr electric

SparkYZ said:


> If you like taking advantage of guys because they can't get work, more power to you. You know what happens when you pay your guys in peanuts? As soon as something better come by, POOF! they're gone. Treat your guys like dirt and you wont have loyal people, and they shouldnt be! 14-18 an hour for a journeyman is a complete joke. What a "doosh"


 I am sure if i was in L.A i wouldnt do this.. however im not. im in fla. and i pay the average wage for my geographical area. would you propose i pay alot MORE and lose money due to competitors.. all you did here was validate your lack of experience,and totally closed mind,whos the doosh:thumbsup:


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## rnr electric

FCR1988 said:


> We get a lot on the NEC and all that. They don't call it the Electricians Program anymore because someone complained that we we're really electricians - only students. But yea, he apparently bids ridiculously low on all the projects, so thats one reason why he doesn't pay us much. I'm thinking about going on my own once I get enough hours.


 If he bids low he has gotta make it up somewhere.. LABOR,MATERIAL,or PROFIT. (not including overhead). and he is probably getting it back in labor, I dont know what your area pays but i would suggest this. start putting out resumes everywhere and see what offers come to the table. if he is short changing you, you will know it very quickly. if a reputable company offers to start you at what you are making now, with an offer to move you up in a specified time. assuming you can do what you tell them. I would move on


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## rnr electric

SparkYZ said:


> If you like taking advantage of guys because they can't get work, more power to you. You know what happens when you pay your guys in peanuts? As soon as something better come by, POOF! they're gone. Treat your guys like dirt and you wont have loyal people, and they shouldnt be! 14-18 an hour for a journeyman is a complete joke. What a "doosh"


 also after re-reading this i would like to add this. i have 3 lead men that have been with me for more than 6 yrs now. furthermore, ALL 3 of my leadmen have been with me from the beginning,some actually started as green helpers.


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## HARRY304E

rnr electric said:


> absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


$14 for a j-man really?:blink: you must be proud.

the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.

Really in your case there is no reason whatsoever to become an Electrician so you can make $29,000 per year ...:laughing:

You could make more collecting cans off the streets 20 hours a week:laughing:


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## rnr electric

HARRY304E said:


> $14 for a j-man really?:blink: you must be proud.
> 
> the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.
> 
> Really in your case there is no reason whatsoever to become an Electrician so you can make $29,000 per year ...:laughing:
> 
> You could make more collecting cans off the streets 20 hours a week:laughing:


 Really. $20 hr for a green helper.. :thumbsup:. BTW read all of what i wrote here( if you are gonna qout it at least do it accurately), i wrote between 14-18 hr.. sorry guys that is the going rate here. personally i wish i could change it but its not my decision.


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## rnr electric

HARRY304E said:


> $14 for a j-man really?:blink: you must be proud.
> 
> the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.
> 
> Really in your case there is no reason whatsoever to become an Electrician so you can make $29,000 per year ...:laughing:
> 
> You could make more collecting cans off the streets 20 hours a week:laughing:


 BTW i agree with you, Being from Maine i was absolutely "culture shocked" when i moved to florida..


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## B W E

Before going out on my own last year, I was at $25 with full benefits and a gas card. Our lead guy was right around $32-34, with another guy at $27-29. I can't see paying a GREEN helper $20, as the reality is a green helper usually slows you down, if you are spending any time at all teaching him and letting him try stuff on his own. What that means is you're not really making any money off of him, IMO. However, a GREEN helper who has a phenomenal attitude and work ethic is definitely worth paying well..... Too bad mine thinks the grass is greener in the union and is leaving soon, otherwise he'd be due for a healthy raise.


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## rnr electric

B W E said:


> Before going out on my own last year, I was at $25 with full benefits and a gas card. Our lead guy was right around $32-34, with another guy at $27-29. I can't see paying a GREEN helper $20, as the reality is a green helper usually slows you down, if you are spending any time at all teaching him and letting him try stuff on his own. What that means is you're not really making any money off of him, IMO. However, a GREEN helper who has a phenomenal attitude and work ethic is definitely worth paying well..... Too bad mine thinks the grass is greener in the union and is leaving soon, otherwise he'd be due for a healthy raise.


 finally.. somebody with an open mind,mand open for convesation:thumbsup:. my original answer said min. wage to see if he will work.i have had helpers that made good money (for the area) because they were willing to learn and work. not ride the train and get a paycheck. Although the wage standard here is lower, we also deal with alot of bums that will not work. but a guy with a good attitude and a little motivation can make a decent living here


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## HARRY304E

B W E said:


> Before going out on my own last year, I was at $25 with full benefits and a gas card. Our lead guy was right around $32-34, with another guy at $27-29. I can't see paying a GREEN helper $20, as the reality is a green helper usually slows you down, if you are spending any time at all teaching him and letting him try stuff on his own. What that means is you're not really making any money off of him, IMO.  However, a GREEN helper who has a phenomenal attitude and work ethic is definitely worth paying well..... Too bad mine thinks the grass is greener in the union and is leaving soon, otherwise he'd be due for a healthy raise.


My point is a Electricians helper is worth the money because he is in school and has skin in the game you will find if you pay a man a dam good wage he will make money for you.


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## HARRY304E

rnr electric said:


> finally.. somebody with an open mind,mand open for convesation:thumbsup:. my original answer said min. wage to see if he will work.i have had helpers that made good money (for the area) because they were willing to learn and work. not ride the train and get a paycheck. Although the wage standard here is lower, we also deal with alot of bums that will not work. but a guy with a good attitude and a little motivation can make a decent living here


Like i said before you should be able to recognize a bum right off the bat and fire him on the spot.


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## knowshorts

I hired a 51 year old underemployed painting contractor this week whose only electrical experience is hanging a couple of ceiling fans in his house for $25 per hour for 17.5 hours of work over 2 days. Even though he was "green". he's not young, and a fast learner. 

He helped me pull wire and build gutter.


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## Frasbee

rnr electric said:


> once again i agree.. However i would add this. they should be employed year around, with a steady paycheck,and no matter how their title is applied they are not at the unemployment line (mostly, i would hope). what i mean is this. Union guys make great money, and have great benifits, but small shop guys stay busy year round.


I'm not even talkin' about the union boys. I've worked for more companies than some guys have in their entire careers just because I've seen that loyalty doesn't always get you far in this trade.

The very first company I worked for laid off all the other helpers but kept me on because I put out just as much (if not more) and got paid the least at 12 an hour. By the end of that week I had quit and moved on to a company doing PW work at 15.63

I think it's sad how little a journeyman can make non-union. And honestly up here it's no different. There's very little money in residential and small time commercial for an employee.

Anyway, I'm aware of Florida's scale, I worked in New Orleans for most of my career so far and the scale in Louisiana is about the same 18-22 for non-union, 25 or so for Union journeymen. It's about the same non-union up here.


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## brian john

HARRY304E said:


> $14 for a j-man really?:blink: you must be proud.


Harry, how do you know what is “the going rate” is in his area? You could be WAY OFF BASE with this comment.




> the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.


That is YOUR CHOICE and may be what you have to pay for good help, obviously he can get away with less.



> Really in your case there is no reason whatsoever to become an Electrician so you can make $29,000 per year ...


How do you know this?, You live 900 miles north of him. Hell 60 miles west of me the scale drops in 1/2



> You could make more collecting cans off the streets 20 hours a week:laughing:


READ ALL OF THE ABOVE


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## brian john

HARRY304E said:


> My point is a Electricians helper is worth the money because he is in school and has skin in the game you will find if you pay a man a dam good wage he will make money for you.


Yeah and if the market won’t cover it, you will be in the unemployment line with all the other folks waiting for CHANGE.


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## HARRY304E

brian john said:


> Yeah and if the market won’t cover it, you will be in the unemployment line with all the other folks waiting for CHANGE.


I know what you mean..


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## user4818

HARRY304E said:


> the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.


Just something to point out here - Harry does not have full time employees and only pays people as needed. 

As I've pointed out before, there is a world of difference between paying someone $20 an hour when you only need help once in a while, and paying a full time employee that. 

IMO a truly green helper is not worth $20 an hour. Most j-men aren't even worth that. :no:


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## rnr electric

Again, I truly wish that the wages here were better than they are.
Yes all my guys get 40+hrs every week.. Full time employees. Three of which I have had over 5 years. I always pay them for forty hrs. Even on slow weeks when we only log 30 or so hrs. Back when it was booming here you could get up to 20 an HR or so, if you were really good help, these days the market here just won't allow it, with competitive bidding at least.

Sent from my iPhone using ET Forum


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## MarkyMark

HARRY304E said:


> $14 for a j-man really?:blink: you must be proud.
> 
> the minimum wage here is $8 and i would not even think of asking a green helper to work for less than $20.
> 
> Really in your case there is no reason whatsoever to become an Electrician so you can make $29,000 per year ...:laughing:
> 
> You could make more collecting cans off the streets 20 hours a week:laughing:


Wow, that would be over 500 cans collected per hour! For a guy who worked that hard, I would gladly hire for $20 an hour too. :laughing:


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## ilikepez

He's only paying $16 an hour for the J-man frank? That is horrible. I guess your getting hours but damn.


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## stevo1020

Boy...I am really getting the screws put to me. I am a journeyman with 9.5 years of experience in resi and commercial and only make $11 per hour. Never really looked into how much other electricians make, though. I think my boss may have a talk coming to him.


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## B W E

stevo1020 said:


> Boy...I am really getting the screws put to me. I am a journeyman with 9.5 years of experience in resi and commercial and only make $11 per hour. Never really looked into how much other electricians make, though. I think my boss may have a talk coming to him.


I think that would be more your fault than his.


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## user4818

stevo1020 said:


> Boy...I am really getting the screws put to me. I am a journeyman with 9.5 years of experience in resi and commercial and only make $11 per hour. Never really looked into how much other electricians make, though. I think my boss may have a talk coming to him.


You must work for Rewire. :laughing:


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## kaboler

I make $18.60/ hour + 10% holiday pay. 1st year apprentice.


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## rnr electric

kaboler said:


> I make $18.60/ hour + 10% holiday pay. 1st year apprentice.


 Kaboler, if you dont mind my asking.. What do you do,do you work at a plant,or factory, are you a union guy,or do you work in the field as a service tech,for a big company with govt contracts, or small company doing things like houses, small commercial jobs etc. The only reason i ask is to get a feel for the labor rate difference between here and there.


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## kaboler

rnr electric said:


> Kaboler, if you dont mind my asking.. What do you do,do you work at a plant,or factory, are you a union guy,or do you work in the field as a service tech,for a big company with govt contracts, or small company doing things like houses, small commercial jobs etc. The only reason i ask is to get a feel for the labor rate difference between here and there.


Alberta is big on jobs and wages. There is so much oil mney and jobs here most journeymen make at least $70k a year. And part of the apprenticeship agreement is first year is 50% of journeyman rate.

I work for a small non-union outfit but we get some oilfield shop work and such. We do jobs nobody wants a lot of the time.


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## rnr electric

basically a signing bonus for the 50% first year then.. does that extend to the second year,3rd also, and so on, or do you get a pay reduction after 1st yr?. BTW i think it great that you find yourself in an area that is willing to pay a fair wage to keep a guy interested in a trade, around here most walmart employees start off better paid than our plumber and electrical apprentices


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## kaboler

some jobs:

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/detail-eng...9&kwd=electrician&Categ=7*&OpPage=50&Stdnt=No
note hours/week. overtime yummy

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/detail-eng...9&kwd=electrician&Categ=7*&OpPage=50&Stdnt=No
note number of vacancies

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/detail-eng...9&kwd=electrician&Categ=7*&OpPage=50&Stdnt=No
typical. note vacancies

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/detail-eng...9&kwd=electrician&Categ=7*&OpPage=50&Stdnt=No
good company


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## kaboler

rnr electric said:


> basically a signing bonus for the 50% first year then.. does that extend to the second year,3rd also, and so on, or do you get a pay reduction after 1st yr?.


it goes up incrementally at 60% 2nd year, 70% 3rd year, 80% 4th year as per apprenticeship board agreement as a minimum.


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## rnr electric

kaboler said:


> it goes up incrementally at 60% 2nd year, 70% 3rd year, 80% 4th year as per apprenticeship board agreement as a minimum.


 NICE:thumbsup:.


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## kaboler

keep in mind that Alberta's boomtown, and still need qualified experienced trades of all kinds. Even through this "recession".


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## HARRY304E

kaboler said:


> keep in mind that Alberta's boomtown, and still need qualified experienced trades of all kinds. Even through this "recession".


I thought you guys were not having a recession.


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## yukonsparky

I make currently $21 per hour plus benefits for a first year. J man wage is 34 per hour


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## Ontariojer

rnr electric said:


> Kaboler, if you dont mind my asking.. What do you do,do you work at a plant,or factory, are you a union guy,or do you work in the field as a service tech,for a big company with govt contracts, or small company doing things like houses, small commercial jobs etc. The only reason i ask is to get a feel for the labor rate difference between here and there.


Just in case you were interested. In my area (1 hour south of Toronto) apprentices start around $11-$12 per hour(40% of an average journeyman wge at that company) in a non-union shop. It goes up roughly 10% per year until the 5 year apprenticeship is up nd the exm passed. The average house here costs About $300k. A four bedroom 2 bath home here costs around $400k.


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## rnr electric

Ontariojer said:


> Just in case you were interested. In my area (1 hour south of Toronto) apprentices start around $11-$12 per hour(40% of an average journeyman wge at that company) in a non-union shop. It goes up roughly 10% per year until the 5 year apprenticeship is up nd the exm passed. The average house here costs About $300k. A four bedroom 2 bath home here costs around $400k.


 so that would actually put a j-man right around where we are.. with the apprentices falling very short (here that is).


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## rnr electric

Also I think the electrical field is a long term payoff, What i mean is this.. most helpers here make very little money but can advance to good money later on.. but alot of guys would prefer to tote lumber and make $15 hr to start and never really advance. and live "house to house" IMO


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## Ontariojer

rnr electric said:


> so that would actually put a j-man right around where we are.. with the apprentices falling very short (here that is).


Jman makes 25-30 per hour here, open shop. I thought you said a Jman makes 14-18 there?


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## I_get_shocked

I have never been paid less than $20/ hr to perform electrical work, even on my first day. 

I think the area has much to do with it.


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## FCR1988

I_get_shocked said:


> I have never been paid less than $20/ hr to perform electrical work, even on my first day.
> 
> I think the area has much to do with it.


The weird thing is that Cost Of Living here is higher than most places in America. So, I have a hard time understanding how most of the ECs pay so little. Especially, when there is quite a bit of new construction.


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## brian john

My first job in 1970 was $2.50 an hour which was high, most firms started helpers out at $1.75. The firm I went to work for was in need of lots of labor fast, hence the higher wage.


My wife and I made $9,900.00 that year $100.00 short of what I thought would be rich.:blink::blink::blink:


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## lefleuron

FCR1988 said:


> The weird thing is that Cost Of Living here is higher than most places in America. So, I have a hard time understanding how most of the ECs pay so little. Especially, when there is quite a bit of new construction.


 
This is just taking advantage of people, the times, and non-union labor.

The unions set a rate of pay for every year of your apprenticeship. Its a contract.

With the deal you have, this EC could keep you at 10 all the way through. If you leave, so what? He will just rip off another guy starting out in the trade.


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## bustabo

I know where the OP is coming from. Out of tech school I started out at 9$ being green about 5 years ago. Took me over a year for a measly dollar raise. I was the fastest learner and hardest worker out of the few green guys. Left and worked somewhere else for 13$ an hour and got screwed on my logged hours for almost a year. Left there and was top dog (still not licensed) for 20$ and a take home van. Got laid off for a year and where i am working now in high end resi I started at 16$ to get my foot in the door and it hasn't been barely 8 months and I've gotten 2x1$ raises almost every 3-4 months with plenty more to come.


Lemme add that within 2 months I had 80 hours PTO, and basically as much OT as I want. Barely ever work under 42 hours a week.


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## rnr electric

brian john said:


> My first job in 1970 was $2.50 an hour which was high, most firms started helpers out at $1.75. The firm I went to work for was in need of lots of labor fast, hence the higher wage.
> 
> 
> My wife and I made $9,900.00 that year $100.00 short of what I thought would be rich.:blink::blink::blink:


 amen!! i started in 83 making $5 "under the table" and thought i was killing it


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## dawgs

I started in 1990 fresh out of high school for $5 an hour. Took a dollar pay cut from my farm job I had.


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## lefleuron

All I can say is that if I lived in a low dollar "right to work" state, I would load up the family and move.

Around here, people at Walmart make $9.00 to $10.50.

You can't tell me a gallon of milk is that much cheaper. Or a hamburger, or anything else.

Are new trucks 1/3 the price in these poor wage areas? I bet not.

How in hell do people live on $400.00 a week gross, or even $640.00!!??

And why would anyone choose to make $400.00 a week gross and do electrical work?

Basically, work as hard as a guy making $34.45 but never have anything to show for it - no thank you.


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## FCR1988

Apparently, the company I work for has the most jobs because he bids low - hence the low pay. I did end up getting $12 now after a few weeks. I need to go back to school in a month so its not that big of a deal. 

Other guys in my program are getting 14 - 17 an hour, so it looks like I just didn't shop around enough.


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## donaldelectrician

*Wages + perks*

I had a Boss that paid my BAR BILL every night for 3 weeks on a road job !

Dose that add to wages ?




Donald " Outstanding Citizen of the Conch Republic "


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## rnr electric

donaldelectrician said:


> I had a Boss that paid my BAR BILL every night for 3 weeks on a road job !
> 
> Dose that add to wages ?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Donald " Outstanding Citizen of the Conch Republic "


 no..that falls under benefits:thumbup:


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## jahaiap

rnr electric said:


> absolute green helper HERE, usually make min.wage, until he shows that he will work. but if you can do what a j-man can do (mentally, not just physically) i would bump you to his wages.usually between 14-18 hr. But keep in mind this, you must be able to do his job.. figure ckts,service size,inventory trucks, invoicing back to office,keep YOUR help reliable and productive,all this is on more than one job. my lead guys have multiple jobs going at any time that i expect them to help keep up with all these things. its very easy to say you are as good as him or you can pull wire or bend pipe as fast as him.. but a good lead man can do all of this at once and still be productive himself, im not saying you cant do this, if you can, thats where your wages would be with me.. thx


What part of FL are you from? Im from Naples and the numbers in your post really hit the nail on the head for the wages in my area. Thats pretty much what you can expect around here. The wages in our trade took a big blow from the housing boom and the flow of "I'll do it for $x less than you will" workers. It hasnt come back from what I've seen. Lead guys around here make about 18/hr. That is a service tech, with a van and possibly a helper doing service work. I personally know guys that are doing that same job for 13/hr. Pretty crappy in my opinion. You get what you pay for and I personally would be afraid to pay a service tech that little, not a whole lotta motivation there....


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## rnr electric

jahaiap said:


> What part of FL are you from? Im from Naples and the numbers in your post really hit the nail on the head for the wages in my area. Thats pretty much what you can expect around here. The wages in our trade took a big blow from the housing boom and the flow of "I'll do it for $x less than you will" workers. It hasnt come back from what I've seen. Lead guys around here make about 18/hr. That is a service tech, with a van and possibly a helper doing service work. I personally know guys that are doing that same job for 13/hr. Pretty crappy in my opinion. You get what you pay for and I personally would be afraid to pay a service tech that little, not a whole lotta motivation there....


Panama city destin area.. One thing that killsthe market here is that all the condos have maintenance guys.. And the housing market sucks here as well. Only the ultra high end neighborhoods are still building

Sent from my iPhone using ET Forum


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## ahanova

rnr electric, when you wrote, "...if you can do what a j-man can do... I would bump you to his wages," you must not have perceived that, although someone can do the same work, they are not the same as a licensed journeyman. I can send out a licensed journeyman to a service call. I can't send an apprentice. That is the difference. Licensing to send them anywhere I need them makes the $16-18/hour apprentice a $25/hour residential journeyman and, in turn, a $35/hour commercial journeyman. Not meaning to belittle your comment, I too, believe that one should be paid for their abilities. However, "babysitting" has to be factored into what a company is willing to shell out for a journeyman vs an apprentice.


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## rnr electric

ahanova said:


> rnr electric, when you wrote, "...if you can do what a j-man can do... I would bump you to his wages," you must not have perceived that, although someone can do the same work, they are not the same as a licensed journeyman. I can send out a licensed journeyman to a service call. I can't send an apprentice. That is the difference. Licensing to send them anywhere I need them makes the $16-18/hour apprentice a $25/hour residential journeyman and, in turn, a $35/hour commercial journeyman. Not meaning to belittle your comment, I too, believe that one should be paid for their abilities. However, "babysitting" has to be factored into what a company is willing to shell out for a journeyman vs an apprentice.


I agree, however in my region a journey mans card is about useless. We are not required here to have a journeymans lic. At all, so nobody has one, so you have to take people at their word regarding experience (and keep a close eye on them until proven)and try to weed out the idiots through the interview process. However, I agree with you that the fact that if you have tested and put in your time and achieved a j card, that does make you worth more to me, it shows me that you plan on this being your CAREER.. Not just your job.


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## Spartan98

So it's not based on hrs in field or in the classroom, to become a journeyman??? We have to complete 2000 classroom hours and 8000 hours in field in order to reach that classification.


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## rnr electric

Spartan98 said:


> So it's not based on hrs in field or in the classroom, to become a journeyman??? We have to complete 2000 classroom hours and 8000 hours in field in order to reach that classification.


My masters license covers the whole company. No journeyman or helper lic. Required. Being from Maine, I had to apply for a Helper lic. Before I could be on the job. And j card before I could be left alone on job. Not that way here though


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## ColinH

15$ an hr (40% of jw wage) as a first year ( technically second counting tech school ) non union commercial apprentice working out of Minneapolis / St Paul MN. Resi guys just make a whole lot less in general it seems.. around here at least they do.. 

In North Dakota, particularly northwest region, there is a big oil boom going on and many fairly new apprentices are getting 20$ an hour or more and working anywhere from 40-70 hours a week, with journeyman and foreman making 40-50 to even 60$ an hour. I think a lot of that work is oilfield motors and controls, ( plcs, drives, starters )


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## FCR1988

ColinH said:


> 15$ an hr (40% of jw wage) as a first year ( technically second counting tech school ) non union commercial apprentice working out of Minneapolis / St Paul MN. Resi guys just make a whole lot less in general it seems.. around here at least they do..
> 
> In North Dakota, particularly northwest region, there is a big oil boom going on and many fairly new apprentices are getting 20$ an hour or more and working anywhere from 40-70 hours a week, with journeyman and foreman making 40-50 to even 60$ an hour. I think a lot of that work is oilfield motors and controls, ( plcs, drives, starters )


Don't let the pay fool you in ND. I got offered a job $20/hr as an apprentice in Minot, but with the big oil boom and the flooding, housing was ridiculous and that's only if you could find a place to live. Tiny studios were going for 2k a month.


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