Automotive Technicians for fair pay

I am a automotive repair technician. I have worked in the industry for 12 years. I have not gone to technical schools but have received factory training, apprenticed, and self taught through reading and web-based training. I am very good at what I do but am increasingly dissatisfied at the constant drop in flat rate labor times and the decreasingly poor pay employers wish to pay us. More and more I see dealerships and aftermarket shops alike use Mitchell and All-Data to figure out service labor times. I am currently working for a chain repair shop and it is the second of its kind in my last year of working that I have looked to and I have worked at 2 different dealerships in the last year. I have noticed that the times that these companies want to use out of Mitchell and All-Data Do not seem to incorporate many of the variable factors to decide labor times such as hand tools, shop lay-outs, technician knowledge, parts time, test drive, or tool cost. Instead it seems as all they do is find the lowest time and not the average labor time, and use all of the top time-saving tools that cost us as technicians 10's of thousands of dollars. I am looking for support from my co-workers and piers. We need to join together and push towards a fair labor standard and pay system. I feel we should be licensed to work in this field and if we were we could better demand a fair pay for our investment. If you are interested in trying to develop a requirement for licensing to work in this field to achieve a better standard in our field both in quality and in compensation, then we need to act and require licensing to work in any repair facility in the U.S.

As a member of one of the greatest labor unions on the planet, and as a relative of an Auto Techinician who is currently being low balled by greedy shop owners I encourage all Auto Technicins to Unite, Build Power and win Justice for all who apply their craft. As we approach the 75th anniversary of the sit down strike of 1937, now more than ever does the middle class laborwer need protection from Corporate greed. Fair Labor Laws need to vbe in place to protect hard working Auto Techinicians from being gouged by their bosses who then pocket huge profits at the Tech's expense. There are loopholes in the flat rate system that need to be closed by the Dept. of Labor and by all Auto Techs organizing into onr bargaining unit. Unite, Build Power, Win Justice!!

Brad Francis said: As a member of one of the greatest labor unions on the planet, and as a relative of an Auto Techinician who is currently being low balled by greedy shop owners I encourage all Auto Technicins to Unite, Build Power and win Justice for all who apply their craft. As we approach the 75th anniversary of the sit down strike of 1937, now more than ever does the middle class laborwer need protection from Corporate greed. Fair Labor Laws need to vbe in place to protect hard working Auto Techinicians from being gouged by their bosses who then pocket huge profits at the Tech's expense. There are loopholes in the flat rate system that need to be closed by the Dept. of Labor and by all Auto Techs organizing into onr bargaining unit. Unite, Build Power, Win Justice!!

What are the steps to take for those of us that what to help?

Yes automobiles are getting more difficult and the shops and dealerships are charging more per labor hour but the technicians rate of pay is not increasing with the vehicles we are repairing or inflation. Flat rate means the repair technician accepts and carries pretty much all of the liablity and the shops carry very little on none. Plumbers ,roofer , electricans ,hvac ....ect. none of which personaly pay for tools in dollar amounts the we do. Most tool boxes cost as much as a decent used car. Basically just a poor industry to work in. But choose your rate.....choose your fate....

This is in responce to comment that was made by a few techs that i have seen on several different web sites. They bring up the cost of tools and toolboxes. I have been a ASE master tech for over 18 years, and i figured out a few things. 1) toolboxes hold your tools, they serve no other use. If you pay as much for your toolbox as you do for a decent used car, that is your choice! If you buy stuff like that off the tool trucks you are the sucker! I would never pay for the name snap-on or mac,etc. for a tool box. Now, i do have to buy some speciality tools off the trucks because there are no other companies that offer them, but for the basic hand tools, air tools, and others I would just as soon go to northern tool or habor freight or sears. So you have to go there rather than them come to you, but with the lifetime replacements these others offer, why not pay 5 to 10 dollars worth of gas/fuel to save hundreds on buying the names. So in closing, your tools and the type of tools you buy is your choice. Your employer nor the customers are forcing you to buy the name brands. So quit complaining about the cost of tools and buy smart!

as a customer who had to get his diesel motor fixed,and the only way they could fix it was to remove the body, now all i had was a creaking noise that they cannot find, a motor that did not seem to run right, And the knowledge thatthe tech managed to do the job in have the time. So he doubled his paycheck and didnot even do his job right. when i went looking for the creaking noise i found fasteners not properly torqued and clips that where broken. So is flat rate a way of encouraging techs to be dishonest and employers to encourage dishonesty to make more money.
Note: I sold this newer truck and bought a older truck, one that i can fix myself, Have not been in a automotive shop, in over three years.

rob in Nanaimo, British Columbia said: as a customer who had to get his diesel motor fixed,and the only way they could fix it was to remove the body, now all i had was a creaking noise that they cannot find, a motor that did not seem to run right, And the knowledge thatthe tech managed to do the job in have the time. So he doubled his paycheck and didnot even do his job right. when i went looking for the creaking noise i found fasteners not properly torqued and clips that where broken. So is flat rate a way of encouraging techs to be dishonest and employers to encourage dishonesty to make more money.
Note: I sold this newer truck and bought a older truck, one that i can fix myself, Have not been in a automotive shop, in over three years.

Yes, if you read the above comments about being licensed. I would have to say that most if not all of this would end. If he, as a Technician were licensed and registered with the State you would have someone to go to about that. Most likely the person that did the job wouldn't be able to get the documents to be able to work on cars, so most of this would end. You would get rid of the anyone can work on the car. Have an Apprenticeship Program set up where a Master Technician would Train, Test, and have to sign off that the person under them is qualified to repair car. He's also responsible for the testing, for the quality of the work being performed. This program could be set up for a 3 to 5 year requirement. Then the State would have to test and set up the rules for the person to get a license and all would have to abide by it to get there license. No License no working on cars.
The Manufactures would have a cow. They may have to actually pay the Technician then.
Right now just walk into a shop and call yourself a technician in the Spring when the Dealerships need bodies and go at it.

frustratedtech in Bensalem, Pennsylvania said:

O'yes, I have seen worst. I had just recently done a job for C.O.D. with a Motor's time of 8.80 hrs. Now the next day (I work at a Dealership) the Service Adviser walks past me and mention's that the guy had a Warranty which at this Dealer means Manufacturer Warranty Time. At there time which is, ready for this: 4.3 hrs. Now it's been sooo slow and were lucky to see 30 hours a week so 5 hours difference is a lot. There was no warranty, I found out the customer paid for it.
Anyway with further checking I found out that this was his way for giving the customer a discount and saving his commission at my expense. Dirty and Rotten way. I mentioned it to the Service Director after talking to my friend the Parts Manager (he lost money also)and they paid me the difference.
Now I have checked my hours turned from the time I started in this "career" 35 years ago. Guess what, I don't think in 35 years I have had 3 paychecks in a row that were right. Guess what, none of them were in my favor.
You need and I have always wrote my own estimates. No one else is doing the work so I get to write what "I" think its worth. If someone else writes it then they can do the work also.
I guess I have been beaten up by this industry enough to quit caring about what management thinks, since the technology has surpassed any possibly of them even remotely understanding it.
Yes, if we were licensed and registered with the State a lot of this would end. Then they can write any time they want because I'll be on hourly with overtime and they can give away anything they want to.
O.M.G. they may actually have to learn how to run a real business.
O, by the way I figured we would have to start with about $100,000,000 get lobbyist. Spend about 15 years to change anything. Remember your going against the Manufacturer's and very big money. That may work right now that most of the government don't like them.