journeyman salary report on this website is a joke

alex grichuhin in Salt Lake City, Utah said: what the hell are you talking about. those stats are wrong i am a plumber i also have a RCP rescpiratory practitioner degree and a licensed with my 4 f years of school to become one and i am still plumbing we make 35 an hour we are the highest payed in construction its a fact i dont care what you say, its a fact and i love to build i dont deal with poop or pee or people i do new construction and love it. i have a 401k and mutual funds at 10% so when i am 45 i will have 2.2 million alone aww you stupid people thought we were dumb. try it yourself it takes lots and lots of math, and lots of common sense.

i have been a union plumber for 16yrs in calif. we are the highest paid in the plumbing trade in the u.s. i will say your crazy if you think your getting 2.2 million. how is it every union member is losing their ass in the stock market right now. 20yr memebers losing up to 100k. they put the max into their pensions and dont get that kind of money. lmao where did you get your numbers.

Im an ironworker local 63 rep. make between 85 to 100 work pretty much all year round 40 n change per hr. and after 40 hrs. double bubble son 8 yrs exp.

mayo in Chicago, Illinois said: Im an ironworker local 63 rep. make between 85 to 100 work pretty much all year round 40 n change per hr. and after 40 hrs. double bubble son 8 yrs exp.

I hear you Ironman Mayo!

I've been a member of Cleveland Plumber's Local #55 for 32yrs. I'm in good shape at 50. I had the great opportunity to be a part of many world class projects and institutions. I've earned over 6 figures for more then 10yrs. The Union afforded me the chance to get my college degree by allowing almost 2yrs of credits towards my 4yr degree. It's true as others have stated that regardless of economic conditions that you can be employed if you got the skills...which the Union provides. I haven't lost more then 90 days to unemployment since 1986.

Anyone who tries to put down Unions can kiss my a$$.

Best wishes to all my fellow Union members and best of luck to all who wish to join our proud ranks.

bob in Seattle, Washington said: Tony your going to find it difficult to be a plumber in oregon....I am originaly from mesa and I never ended up gettting working as a plumber in oregon....first off oregon does not reconize arizona as a equivailent...oregon also makes if very dificult to become a journeyman....you need to document every aspect of your career from soldering potable to DWV to finish also they require class time 500ish hours talk to them in salem they will send you the packet...also the test is a tow part test one written one hand on.....your best bet is to just start over as a first year apperentice but good luck finding a job.....you could always get certified in washington but the work stillhard to find in your area...thats why I moved north

After reading your blog I see why you could not make it in OREGON.

jaw in Bend, Oregon said: After reading your blog I see why you could not make it in OREGON.

screw your oregon! and go ahead and keep your licensing doors closed. I can only hope that washington closes the doors to your journeymans and apprentices soon but not soon enough. I make bank here in seattle 120K+year full benefits and a wagon.... all commercial/industrial never had it better only the best work.....true mechanical systems..... I'll never go back to oregon not even to visit.

Y

jd 24hrs in Taupo, New Zealand said: I moved from the uk to new zealand, and boy is the plumbing trade different in NZ they are poorly paid and under valued .being paid $15 to 20 dollers on average when i moved over I was paid $15.50 then they realised that there own were poorly trained so i was paid $28.50 so it just goes to show sell yourselves cos no body esle will esp the suits who are only good for pushing papers oh by the when I lived in the uk I was earning£65 for plumbing and £75 for gas work so remember when we come out of this recesion push for better wages WE ARE ALLWAYS WORTH MORE

I don't no who you have been working with but. Nz plumbers are some of the most highly skilled and wall traned in the world I've worked with heeps of poms and most of them are rough as guts with no idear what they are doing.

I have always believed in union, I have always believed in human rights, workers rights and dignity in all workers.
But it was not too long ago when Maddaloni ripped off money from the UA pension to help himself and his buddies at ULLICO.
He helped himself to over 1.2 Billion dollars.
Now members are like drones who follow and say "Ferget about it , move on" And I hear all the political crap that they need more money to fight the Republicans, well you know what? The Republicans did not take our 1.2 Billion from our retirement, OUR OWN GUYS DID! Our Brothers did it!
It really sucks, in theory Unionism sounds wonderful, in my heart I know it would be fantastic but it is a theory which has been abused to fit into the plans of thieves.
For example: five years ago at the UA convention it was stated at the meeting that they spent $30 million dollars for the convention prior and the members were still paying for it.
Now we have a sucked economy and we are told to fork out more money for higher dues and yet the officials who are basically appointed by relatives or incumbents who do not want a new face and not truly elected by members continue with a double pension on our backs and have yet to control their own spending.
Yes we get $35 per hour but their is a price to pay, after dues, District councils cut, medical insurance ( which is a Union middle man and relatives who sucks more money), forced political action, forced pensions to these affluent officers, and taxes to the California State employees pensions which we support and rarely do we help support our own retirees.
In theory we make $35 per hour, but actually $20 after all of the Plumbers union entities have taken their share.
Then on the non-union side you get the snakes (companies) who will burn you from a decent wage and others like then who cry about the inequities, but are the first to throw you under the bus.

I must be in the wrong state. The pay is good but only if you have work. So many guys on the out of work list its pathetic. You want to build your hall with so many members but then in the winter it slows down and contractors layoff everyone. Then you have so many members not working. You have to call the guys in order of when they got laid off in order. You could travel but there aren't as many travel jobs out there as they used to. And if a job does come along your lucky if they only take 1 or two guys. Hopefully things turn around soon.

We are down to 2-3 week jobs. I take all that I can, I am not picky and know realistically that there will no longer be the 1-2 year jobs ever again. Most of the jobs are pre-fab,and even the big jobs have been cut back to 4 months tops.
There are guys who will not take a 2 week job because they are afraid of going down on the list. It really sucks and difficult to stay positive I really try. What I get so disgusted is that we have organizers. When they first started work was really good it justified having them on and in the beginning they were getting new members, but the economy sucks big time and the organizers who are "appointed " by their best friends are still working . Oh the organizers do no more organizing, they just collect a check, and do other things which they are not appointed to do, they are doing things only elected officers are supposed to do, still have the car allowance and credit cards for lunch etc.
The membership is falling again because no body can afford the dues anymore with no jobs so why have these anchors on the members pocket, they are useless. Yeah, it's okay if the members are broke, it's okay if the we have to cutback and basically starve, we "must be good little doggies" and not say anything about how our union does not do their own cutbacks on the budget & reduce our cost.We all know it is not going to happen, why would they get rid of the leeches

Great Post! Is this blog updated regularly? I’ll bookmark this site so I can get the best plumber in my place. Thank you.

In local 364 there are jobs at the Molycorp,the Mechanical contractor is Quality, word is they do not have there crap together!
No material, and it is a 7/10 job, they are screwing a lot of guys by dispatching them, then they get laid off because all the journeymen do not have anything to do. It is in Local 364's jurisdiction and 50 to 60 miles from Las Vegas.
It is colder than sh*t with wind blowing most of the time, and you have to have a MSHA mining certificate /training.

Some guys have been dispatched to this job after getting the bloomin' MSHA only to get laid off after waiting for a year on
book 2.
Seems to me Quality needs to lay off their own steady Eddie employees for dropping the ball and hiring more than they need due to poor management and coordination.
In fact they need to have a big pow-wow and stop the job to find out what the heck is going on instead of "full steam ahead" mentality and crippling Quality's chances for more jobs with Molycorp.
If they continue this bullcrap then they deserve to lose all credibility and future jobs!!

soapboxer in National City, California said: I have been trying to find a decent company for the past 8 months and cannot find one that is hiring.I left my last company because as i got raises my hours got cut and many other events.I am a licensed journeymanwent to school for 4 years at nite after work with 9 years experience and cant seem to make better than 9$ an hour or commission.the union hasnt been very helpful and trying to talk to someone is almost impossible. does anyone have advise for a frusterated professional.

the moneys where the poo is man. n commission is okay if you get a decent % of job. if your young enough the unions great u just need to see it through to get to the $ but then your set. good luk

Union or non-union contractors are all di*ks!
Get into the laborers union, I know they are son of a b*tches but go on their web site they have pipe welding classes, that is what is hot right now!
At my local we have a sh*tload of plumbers and fitters but a welder is always going out.
We have plumbers who weld pipe, they get their UA welding certs, then the structural certs, same with a fitter very rarely are they ever out of work.
If you must find a community college who has welding and instructs in pipe welding. DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL LIKE UEI or the bullcrap trade schools where you buy you cert.
You might find a ROP class in your area that has welding.
Take some blue print reading classes and drafting to brush up on drawing isometrics,learn about HVAC, practice on your own time, there are tutorials on You Tube. Brush up on Plumbing code, Mechanical code and ADA requirements do not wait till employer hires you show initiative and this will help you mind and spirit.
Get a Franklin book to brush up on offsets and rolling offsets, formulas.
The most important thing is make a plan of your goals to improve yourself, I know you have had 4 years of training but learning should not stop.

What is good training school or program in the New England area for someone looking to get into the field?? I am 36 and in good shape. Whenever I do a google search, I just find these rip off 'For Profit' colleges..

I’ve been following your blog for a while and have never commented before – just thought it was time to say thank you for sharing your adventures and inspiring us to dream of these beautiful places too….love your photos.

If u take your trade serious u will get results. If u complain u won't get paided
When I got into plumbing I started from scratch making $8 hr. I take every job
As a training exp. I been plumbing for about 20 yrs. now I pushed my self to succeed
In this Trade and til day I still push my self not just my self also
Educate anyone who wants to learn. I ran my own company, worked for new construction
Plumbing company's, installed for Home Depot, did service and repair and now I work for
L.A. County as a Plumber/ Back Flow Tester. Throughout all my years as a Plumber
I never had a problem finding a job. I got my C36, L.A. City Journeyman, L.A. County
Journeyman, Backflow Lic, H.V.A. Universal Lic. EPA Lic. my point is if u want a high stable
Job u have build before u complain about. It will truly
Pay off in the long run guarantee because I'm proof, there's lots of plumbing jobs out there
U just have to apply yourself. In California there's plenty of work out here. Educate your mind
and you will succeed so don't give up and take advantage of your trade.

Bobby in Los Angeles, California said: Union or non-union contractors are all di*ks!
Get into the laborers union, I know they are son of a b*tches but go on their web site they have pipe welding classes, that is what is hot right now!
At my local we have a sh*tload of plumbers and fitters but a welder is always going out.
We have plumbers who weld pipe, they get their UA welding certs, then the structural certs, same with a fitter very rarely are they ever out of work.
If you must find a community college who has welding and instructs in pipe welding. DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL LIKE UEI or the bullcrap trade schools where you buy you cert.
You might find a ROP class in your area that has welding.
Take some blue print reading classes and drafting to brush up on drawing isometrics,learn about HVAC, practice on your own time, there are tutorials on You Tube. Brush up on Plumbing code, Mechanical code and ADA requirements do not wait till employer hires you show initiative and this will help you mind and spirit.
Get a Franklin book to brush up on offsets and rolling offsets, formulas.
The most important thing is make a plan of your goals to improve yourself, I know you have had 4 years of training but learning should not stop.

I'm only 13 but if this is true i might think about taking your advice and getting me some stuff because to work as a plumber because i was thinking about opening laundromats and having a cerfitcate could help me fix them but i dont really know which would earn me more working for Union or just having my own business....

Very nice article.. I needed to comment however. Seattle water heater when you say "until thankless has been around longer" Thankless has been the main stay source for water heaters in Europe and Asia for decades.

hey i have a question its off topic of the blog but, I'm a young plumber apprentice and have 2 years in the business, i want to get a two year degree to be eligible for my journeymen testing. I wanted to know if Penn Foster's online course is an acceptable degree can anyone help?

Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was looking for!