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Related: About this forumonlyadream
(2,168 posts)Hubby is a wireless engineer, 15 years experience, high level. Laid off because his pay got too high and the only jobs in his field are in CA, where the houses are over a million. Of course he can reapply to his old company (they made sure to tell him this on his way out the door), but he would definitely be on a lower pay scale.
I would not steer my kids toward engineering. It's a horrible field.
dotymed
(5,610 posts)Yes we do. Currently, the less physically demanding your job is, the higher it pays (in most of the private sector).
I was earning $12 an hour in H.S. as a house framer. That same job now pays minimum wage and is mostly held by immigrants.
I completed my Liberal Arts (actually a B.S. in English Lit.) degree in the early 1980's. I put my way through school by remodeling homes, I enjoyed carpentry.
Shortly after graduation (I did some substitute teaching in the winters) I moved North and joined the carpenters Union. I worked commercial, industrial and heavy highway. That was where the money and hours were. My degree was useless but I enjoy learning so I am glad that I earned the Degree.
The point is that by joining a Labor Union, I was able to earn good money and benefits for my young family. I earned about the same (sometimes more) than my peers who became teachers and I loved what I did. I suggest Labor Unions (they are hard work and if you don't produce the employer will call the hiring hall where 100's are ready to replace you) to many young people who can not find a job, yet alone, a career. Most never follow-up. Unions have gotten such a bad image (totally wrong) from contractors who do not want to pay a living wage, that they are barely surviving. What a shame. They train and educate you to be the best worker possible. As a journeyman, you are responsible and can be sued if you do sub-par work. I refused to "sign-off" on a few jobs where contractor greed (usually a non-union contractor who had subbed the work out to a Union company) had sacrificed the integrity of a project.
"We need a stronger labor movement."
SJohnson
(120 posts)That line at the end got my ear also. I could not agree more just came across this link
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/nyregion/drive-to-unionize-fast-food-workers-opens-in-ny.html
olegramps
(8,200 posts)We had to join the union, but the union allowed us to retain our membership while attending school. We were paid very well and I enjoyed it. I can only hope that the American workers wakeup to the fact they are being screwed and the their only hope is to unionize.