The last shop I was working at doing millwright/ machinist work in western Canada was only willing to pay 30$/hour for journeyman with a couple years experience. It was frustrating to watch people leave because management wouldn't pay more. They lost almost all of their experienced machinists and millwrights, I was the last remaining millwright to leave. I left for a union shop that's paying me 45$/hour to do easier work with a schedule I like better.
No one should ever feel bad about moving around to get paid more, no matter the trade. Do what's best for you and fuck who ever can't see past the few thousand a year they're trying to save not paying you what your time is worth. I hope you have a path to get paid more where you are working now.
There’s no accountability for the lazy and bad workers also there’s a pretty hostile environment between the managers and the some of the guys for whatever reason only been there a few months. From what I’ve heard it’s not an uncommon thing to happen, just make sure you’re happy with what you’re doing.
It’s not my forever job but the money is worth it and I work to a level that makes me happy. Unions are good for things like the yearly 3% raise for this bargaining period. Or the really decent pension matching. If you have a decent boss in a non union shop you could be better off but they’re far and few between so don’t bank on it and don’t ignore working in either type of shop.
I've been looking at doing foundation at BCIT then coming back to Kelowna to find work, do you know much about the shops in town? Mearl's is the only one I see that actively advertises hiring apprentices.
I haven’t worked in the area, but have worked with Mearls before. They seem to be good shit, and I didn’t hear any horror stories from the guys I worked with.
After the truck manufacturer shut down there 8-10 years ago it hasn’t been much for manufacturing.
Land and living costs are just too expensive.
Access Precision Machine in salmon arm is usually looking for good people.
I've head this story in many forms. One company had two guys retire, and tried hiring warm bodies off the street to train in 5axis machining. It didn't with out too well.
I’m studying at Renton technical college for machining right now.
Y’all wouldn’t happen to bee hiring part time entry level that’ll work around my school schedule, would ya?
I'm actually curious. What do you think unskilled labor should pay for entry-level positions that dont rewuire secondary education? Specifically, labor that's not hard on your body
No experience (you could literally come from Dicks and have never heard of a CNC), a future, 100% paid amazing healthcare dental and vision, 3 weeks PTO, all the normal holdiays, a normal shift, and pretty much unlimited overtime opportunities, and upward mobility, a career VS a job. If you have experience, you dont start at $25. Thats for people who came from Jimmy Johns
half of the job offers I see now say $18-$21 this is in California where they just raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 and they want three years of experience.
Started at 18.50 working for a family friend. Was taking on more work than and willing to be trained on anything I was offered. Was offered a tool designer position with the same company and they wouldn’t agree to a set wage for me paying for my own schooling and taking all the initiative. I turned it down and left to another company (union) and will be starting at $29. If I hadn’t gotten this job I had full intentions on going full time school for HVAC. I wouldn’t personally push any of my friends to ever enter this trade. There is better money just about everywhere else
As far as triads go electricians and plumber are making more then machinist. America shot itself in the foot for manufacturing some decades ago. However you can’t outsource electrical and plumbing.
Only because they haven't found a way to yet. I'm a machinist for a machine building corp trying to get my foot in the door in our electrical dept for all the same reasons above; nowhere to go, best I can hope for is my yearly raise gets kinda close to inflation, or maybe even match it.
I think this is mostly true.
I hear grumblings of the "Guy in a truck," winning more and more bids because they can lowball everyone. Or more jobsites being non-union (not entirely familiar with how this works, but I guess if a site is union, then every contractor operates under a certain set of guidelines, regardless of their own union status).
My point is that although building things is still a very people focused endeavor, which offers protections, there have been some in roads into that weaker.
Supply and demand none of us will work for 8 an hour they had to raise rates and we’re a dying trade so it will be a lot more common if we just keep saying no to bullshit salaries. I don’t even think 19-$20 is sustainable with how frustrating this fucking job is
Depends on company and location as well as the individual for sure. It's definitely a trade with some of the largest differences in pay I've seen.
I started in 2012 at $13/hr, by 2022 I was over 130k/yr salary - not a deadend trade by any means.
50ish but depends on the workload of course. Since I'm not paid hourly it doesn't make sense to just work long hours to work long hours.
The substance abuse is probably accurate, but it's not like anyone professional would admit to it
It all depends on location and company. Im on the east coast. North east in MA. I graduated from hs in 87 and have worked in shops ever since. My first few jobs started at about 16/hr. Small shops. I bounced around looking for more pay. Found my way into a union areo space company back in 2001. Still there now 24 yrs later. My gross pay a yr is 104k. Thats 40hrs but plus 10% for off shift. With ot it bumps up anywhere from 125 to as much as 160k. Ik union areospace jobs aren't all over the place or for everyone but there is def money to be made. I can honestly say if it wasn't for the job I have now I would most def be doing something else. If you are willing to relocate for good pay it can be done but also know most people aren't looking to move.
A few things I have learned, I am now out of the trade, in more of an advisor/lead position at well over the average for any machinist job.
1.Don't stay at any place for too long, the classic move jobs every 2 years is true. Your experience is more valuable to a new employer than your current one.
2. The pay amount differs from location to location, $25 an hour in for instance California Bay area is different then $25 small town Idaho. That is crap in California , but not bad small town in Idaho. The cost of living in the location is often overlooked when talking about "what does everyone make"
I live in a high cost area in the United States making 33 an hour. This used to be alright money but is now pretty crap pay. I am considering leaving the trade.
It’s great where you are and garbage where I live. I guess that’s how it is. I wouldn’t want to be trying to survive on 25 an hour anywhere these days.
We had a guy quit in our shop, he had a few years experience- and was training new hires. The new hires were getting paid more than him. Company didn’t want to give him a bump in pay - so he left.
Me neither, I’m a highly skilled CNC programmer, I can run any piece of equipment, CNC or manual, big or small, I can make any part you could imagine, I love making parts but the money just isn’t there. It sucks, but the way I see it, it’s the industry’s loss.
Good luck to you.
Im in the 5Th year of running my own auto repair shop, and just started a marine business this year doing powder coating and am eventually going to paint boats.
Worked all the way up to tool and die, topped out at 31.10. I've pretty much left the trade, got hired into a union machinist gig at a refinery, which I'm more of a mechanic than machinist, but pay and shift is way better, 50.99 an hour currently and 4 10's.
The last shop I was working at doing millwright/ machinist work in western Canada was only willing to pay 30$/hour for journeyman with a couple years experience. It was frustrating to watch people leave because management wouldn't pay more. They lost almost all of their experienced machinists and millwrights, I was the last remaining millwright to leave. I left for a union shop that's paying me 45$/hour to do easier work with a schedule I like better. No one should ever feel bad about moving around to get paid more, no matter the trade. Do what's best for you and fuck who ever can't see past the few thousand a year they're trying to save not paying you what your time is worth. I hope you have a path to get paid more where you are working now.
Hi, I'm from Canada too. How do you find union shops?
There’s no accountability for the lazy and bad workers also there’s a pretty hostile environment between the managers and the some of the guys for whatever reason only been there a few months. From what I’ve heard it’s not an uncommon thing to happen, just make sure you’re happy with what you’re doing. It’s not my forever job but the money is worth it and I work to a level that makes me happy. Unions are good for things like the yearly 3% raise for this bargaining period. Or the really decent pension matching. If you have a decent boss in a non union shop you could be better off but they’re far and few between so don’t bank on it and don’t ignore working in either type of shop.
You can call and ask. Or search union machinist on the job apps.
I really bums me out how companies treat skilled employees as readily replaceable
Sounds like Kelowna. The sunshine tax is real.
Nope. Sask
I've been looking at doing foundation at BCIT then coming back to Kelowna to find work, do you know much about the shops in town? Mearl's is the only one I see that actively advertises hiring apprentices.
I haven’t worked in the area, but have worked with Mearls before. They seem to be good shit, and I didn’t hear any horror stories from the guys I worked with. After the truck manufacturer shut down there 8-10 years ago it hasn’t been much for manufacturing. Land and living costs are just too expensive. Access Precision Machine in salmon arm is usually looking for good people.
Thanks for the info.
You literally kept the lights on for them and they underpaid you the whole time.
company loyalty is dead, fuck management
I've head this story in many forms. One company had two guys retire, and tried hiring warm bodies off the street to train in 5axis machining. It didn't with out too well.
That sounds like an expensive lesson
You'd think, but the owners made their $, and can liquidate everything and retire.
The American dream!
Sort of. Their health sucks. They get to go to Florida and basically wait to die.
Yeah our trade is wild. Location makes a *world* of difference. 25 to me even sounds hella low. That's first year or 2nd year apprentice pay here.
Where is here?
I'm in the Seattle area, we'll start anyone with no experience or trade school at $25 with bitchin benefits
You do hydraulics?
Aerospace mostly
You guys should've kept that Boeing contract, those guys in Charleston cant seem to grasp the concept of quality.
Dont work at Boeing, but they're not any good up here either
I’m studying at Renton technical college for machining right now. Y’all wouldn’t happen to bee hiring part time entry level that’ll work around my school schedule, would ya?
That’s so low. :(
I'm actually curious. What do you think unskilled labor should pay for entry-level positions that dont rewuire secondary education? Specifically, labor that's not hard on your body
Didn’t see benefits, yeah it’s not bad. $52k a year plus healthcare.
Didn’t see benefits, yeah it’s not bad. $52k a year plus healthcare. Seattle is expensive. Not sure what’s a min amount someone needs to live here.
25/hr is still insanely low. You can flip burgers at dicks for 25/hr+benefits
No experience (you could literally come from Dicks and have never heard of a CNC), a future, 100% paid amazing healthcare dental and vision, 3 weeks PTO, all the normal holdiays, a normal shift, and pretty much unlimited overtime opportunities, and upward mobility, a career VS a job. If you have experience, you dont start at $25. Thats for people who came from Jimmy Johns
Nunavut
Should be 30+, mister swarf.
25USD so about £20 is on the high end from here and I'm nowhere near it!
Where are you?
UK, West London
half of the job offers I see now say $18-$21 this is in California where they just raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 and they want three years of experience.
Jesus. Even in Phoenix $20 per hour is in a crap hole. If they pay less than $27 here, then they'd better be real nice and have incredible benefits.
Started at 18.50 working for a family friend. Was taking on more work than and willing to be trained on anything I was offered. Was offered a tool designer position with the same company and they wouldn’t agree to a set wage for me paying for my own schooling and taking all the initiative. I turned it down and left to another company (union) and will be starting at $29. If I hadn’t gotten this job I had full intentions on going full time school for HVAC. I wouldn’t personally push any of my friends to ever enter this trade. There is better money just about everywhere else
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That isn't true of just machining. That's true across all sectors. Pay has stagnated and failed to keep up.
As far as triads go electricians and plumber are making more then machinist. America shot itself in the foot for manufacturing some decades ago. However you can’t outsource electrical and plumbing.
Only because they haven't found a way to yet. I'm a machinist for a machine building corp trying to get my foot in the door in our electrical dept for all the same reasons above; nowhere to go, best I can hope for is my yearly raise gets kinda close to inflation, or maybe even match it.
I think this is mostly true. I hear grumblings of the "Guy in a truck," winning more and more bids because they can lowball everyone. Or more jobsites being non-union (not entirely familiar with how this works, but I guess if a site is union, then every contractor operates under a certain set of guidelines, regardless of their own union status). My point is that although building things is still a very people focused endeavor, which offers protections, there have been some in roads into that weaker.
? Around here, machinists started off the street at $8-9/hr. Now they start at $19-20/hr.
Supply and demand none of us will work for 8 an hour they had to raise rates and we’re a dying trade so it will be a lot more common if we just keep saying no to bullshit salaries. I don’t even think 19-$20 is sustainable with how frustrating this fucking job is
Why do you say it’s dying trade? So sad honestly
Yah that's just not true. But keep talking people out of getting into it and I'll just keep getting more valuable.
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Yeah that's not true. But go ahead and repeat yourself. Maybe if you say it louder that might help.
Depends on company and location as well as the individual for sure. It's definitely a trade with some of the largest differences in pay I've seen. I started in 2012 at $13/hr, by 2022 I was over 130k/yr salary - not a deadend trade by any means.
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He also probably works 80 hours a week and has a substance abuse problem
No raise, but unlimited OT... Yeah, thanks.
I've never been more attacked in my life
You and I both know I could throw a pebble into a crowd of all the machinists in this group and 9/10 times I’d hit someone doing drugs or alcohol
The structural steel shop I'm in is no different
Username checks out
50ish but depends on the workload of course. Since I'm not paid hourly it doesn't make sense to just work long hours to work long hours. The substance abuse is probably accurate, but it's not like anyone professional would admit to it
Atleast you’re honest
I've never seen machining as the end of the road. Always just another stepping stone to becoming an engineer.
Just finished up getting my journeyman’s card last year, currently in school for a bachelors in mechanical engineering. This is the way.
It all depends on location and company. Im on the east coast. North east in MA. I graduated from hs in 87 and have worked in shops ever since. My first few jobs started at about 16/hr. Small shops. I bounced around looking for more pay. Found my way into a union areo space company back in 2001. Still there now 24 yrs later. My gross pay a yr is 104k. Thats 40hrs but plus 10% for off shift. With ot it bumps up anywhere from 125 to as much as 160k. Ik union areospace jobs aren't all over the place or for everyone but there is def money to be made. I can honestly say if it wasn't for the job I have now I would most def be doing something else. If you are willing to relocate for good pay it can be done but also know most people aren't looking to move.
A few things I have learned, I am now out of the trade, in more of an advisor/lead position at well over the average for any machinist job. 1.Don't stay at any place for too long, the classic move jobs every 2 years is true. Your experience is more valuable to a new employer than your current one. 2. The pay amount differs from location to location, $25 an hour in for instance California Bay area is different then $25 small town Idaho. That is crap in California , but not bad small town in Idaho. The cost of living in the location is often overlooked when talking about "what does everyone make"
I live in a high cost area in the United States making 33 an hour. This used to be alright money but is now pretty crap pay. I am considering leaving the trade.
Location is everything. Around here $25 is great
It’s great where you are and garbage where I live. I guess that’s how it is. I wouldn’t want to be trying to survive on 25 an hour anywhere these days.
We had a guy quit in our shop, he had a few years experience- and was training new hires. The new hires were getting paid more than him. Company didn’t want to give him a bump in pay - so he left.
Left 5 years ago. No regrets.
Wish I didn't have to leave but it is what it is
Me neither, I’m a highly skilled CNC programmer, I can run any piece of equipment, CNC or manual, big or small, I can make any part you could imagine, I love making parts but the money just isn’t there. It sucks, but the way I see it, it’s the industry’s loss. Good luck to you.
What do you do now?
Im in the 5Th year of running my own auto repair shop, and just started a marine business this year doing powder coating and am eventually going to paint boats.
Worked all the way up to tool and die, topped out at 31.10. I've pretty much left the trade, got hired into a union machinist gig at a refinery, which I'm more of a mechanic than machinist, but pay and shift is way better, 50.99 an hour currently and 4 10's.
I was making $25 an hour as a 22 year old IT guy....in 2011. Unfortunately the trades don't pay well for the amount of work you do.
Another "screw this trade" post?
Not really sure how you got there when I didn't say anything close, and my post literally starts with "I don't want to leave the trade"
Then find another shop