Folks Of Interest SHOP OWNERS, How do you get workers?

If you can beat $73/hr, medical, dental, vision, relocation for me and the wife, and cover here real estate agent licensing testing, we'll be right up.

 

B-I-N-G-O.

If work is performed, those work hours count, and they are paid, even if the overtime was not authorized.

Keep doing that, and you will be on the fast-track to getting a HEFTY fine.

 

Wish I could. Shoot, wish I made that....

 

Well, if it is any consolation, I have no place to work on cars anymore, and no time to work on them.

I am not sure that this was a very good trade.

 

Sure wish I was near to you ! I would be knocking at the door . 55 YO , Retired 36 YOS , one company . Never late one day to work , only absent one time from stage 4 cancer (24 years ago ) . Stationary Engineer by trade . Building hot rods and bikes before I could drive . Worked 2 years as ASE Mechanic , 2 years as Welder . Qualified to fix anything from a Pregnant Whore to a Basketball Game ! Good luck , noticed same issues with new employees , never show up and work is too hard for pay ! WTH , I know what would have been said to me with type of attitude towards my job !

 

Death row Dave. Stationary engineer? Who calls then that anymore? East coast thing?

 

I agree about the pay issue but I have experienced the opposite also. I paid people well and couldn't keep good help. It was absolutely my biggest problem. They would exaggerate about their skills and were undependable. I was complaining to my 70 year old neighbor and he said "I could use some extra money." He turned out to be the best employee I ever had. WATUPWIDAT?

 

Just as an aside, when I was hiring (aerospace), I had the same issue of finding anyone qualified. Or unqualified. The low end jobs, which were basically "Here's a rope-hold it steady" paid $25/hour. Couldn't keep those gigs filled.

I'm currently having the opposite issue-I have some work I'm not comfy doing. Having trouble finding a shop willing to do it.

 

And here I thought it was a Motown thing. I was fortunate to get the 2 I have, and we worked together in the old place for over 5 yrs. I keep seeing tech school in suggestions. Well I hope you have better luck than I in that regard. I had 4 or 5 different tech school grads in the last 7-10 yrs. Can I be honest here? FUCK EM. Even the ones I didn't hire know more than I ever will (58 yrs old and painted my 1st complete at 14). If they weren't know-it-all types they were candy ass coddled bitches. One even called his mother and had her stop in just to see who I was. She was actually sorta cute so I turned on the charm a bit. "Take care of my boy." "Sorry dear, that's your job." was my response. This guy was in his mid 20s!! She did send us in some chocolate chip cookies a time or 2, but they weren't good enough to endure repetitive instruction and plain ol dumb shit. All of them were like the last one in one form or another. You might get that 1 in 1,000 that actually learned a good work ethic and won't pout in the corner if what he did needs to be better. I'm to the point that if what I do goes away when I do then the market has spoken. I'm proud to say that even the worst of them never got personal criticism from me. I don't do that, never have, never will, yet even the most direct of mentoring and guidance scared em as if I was getting personal. By personal I mean things like "...you suck..." or "...what kind of bullshit work is this?" I was always the "...this needs to be better..." or "Here's a way to get to this a bit easier..." If I show a trick learned over decades of mistakes I delivered my usual "...I'm kinda lazy like that..." which should be an ice breaker, a way of sharing the experience. Not any more.

I don't have an answer for you. Maybe network your friends and associates, hell even your best clients. Colleagues too. Somebody knows somebody who digs your gig and wants in. I hope that happens for you without trying because the harder you try the worse it burdens you. All the cliche' comments about the next generation truly apply. Entitled, pampered, smarter than you'll ever be, envious, lazy, etc. One young one recently said about learning fix his own brakes, "Why when I could just have it done. I don't like this greasy shit." And that's the new work force? Keep punchin fellow shop owner.

 

Stationary Engineer , Power Generation , boilers , turbines , pressure vessels . Just junk to try to maintain to keep power online . Not thinking and East Coast thing , I hold a National Engineers License , covers anywhere in USA. A lot of knowledge , I wish I could pass on . No one interested in working a manual labor job anymore

 

I always asked my paint supplier to feel out employees at other shops that he knew were good craftsman and unhappy where they were

 

Hired a guy but he only lasted a few days. Don't know unless you try. Maybe I'm just to picky I dunno but anyhow we're still on the hunt.

 

I said it before and will again - Damn, I wish I was closer ! I am dedicatedly looking for a change from restoring vintage British cars full time (~25 years). Wouldn't mind a change in scenery though , especially after that 3 feet of friggin snow we just got, lol !

Might have to put a resume together , although I've only had a couple jobs in my whole life - would be pretty short list .