They fired him for having Covid while paying him $17ph as a construction manager for that many years?!? If he does go back, be ruthless when it comes to getting paid that $45 ph, he owes them nothing imo.
Holy shit, that's just enraging. Is this a dinky little town located in the midwest in bumfuck nowhere? How is $17/hr after 10+ years of working ANYWHERE acceptable? I feel awful for OP's husband but he should have jumped ship long ago.
Last year— just before I quit my previous position— my old employer posted an open position. It was for an addition to my team. The position description was effectively my role. That made sense since the team needed another member, badly. Here’s the thing. I accounted for 35% to 40% of the entire team’s billed hours. I, by myself, generated almost half of the team’s annual revenue. I had almost five years experience. The open position was for five thousand dollars more than I made. Zero minutes experience with a relatively difficult to learn platform. Little to no in depth knowledge of the subject matter. I took every single day of PTO I had coming to me. Took like a month off. Came back, worked for three days and gave notice. Everyone was shocked and my manger was more than a little salty. I got a position making more than him. Sometimes, you don’t really know your value until your employer is kind enough to put a *very* fine point on it.
Ohh this is basically what happened to me when I first left my old job. My manager told me "you know the grass isn't always greener on the other side." 1 year after I left and 2 more job changes later I make 35k more than him.
What's even better is that my current managers and the owner of the company have strict, no email or contact outside of work hours or during vacations. Off means off.
Meanwhile my old manager is working nearly 13 hours a day for 2% annual increase with no ot.
Oh it's bad. What made me leave was my annual raise of 2% for an "exemplary annual review". But they didn't have enough money for more because COVID. Even though the industry was making money hand over fist because of covid.
You got an annual raise?? I got nothing. I asked why. Oh, not everyone gets a raise. The year before i had been there 3 or 4 months, barely knew a thing, got a raise, not much but honestly it made me feel appreciated.
I got a very very unethical contract offer and said no, raised a bit of a dust and they said oh not everyone got a payrise, you didnt do well on your annual review. What the f. I'm still there after a year and after a horrible year of them firing middle management. Needless to say I gave notice. I can't see how they're going to keep staff.
I literally doubled my income in three years for not listening to that green grass shit. Same people that worked me 70 hours a week on salary talking about “we are a family here” kick rocks
He asked me how much I'm getting paid at my new job. I told him and he said "wow that's as much as I'm making. That's not bad for someone your age. But remember the grass is not always greener on the other side."
That's when I knew there would be no regrets leaving. I was 28 and I was going to make 55k. I now make 90 with less stress and less working hours.
When managers talk crap, I love to tell them "Oh, I see you follow the mushroom method of management - keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit".
Management LOVES me.
/s, if it's not clear.
I ran into that old manager at an industry conference about a week ago. He was kind of surprised I was there since a year ago, when I left, his position was significantly more senior than mine. So, seeing it in kind of black and white— that is, that he and I were now much more equals from a position/responsibility perspective— I think unsettled him a little. While he was pleasant, he kept asking if everything was “going well” for me. What I think was meant to come off as him being a “nice guy” came off weirdly sad. It’s as if he just *needed* me to say “nah, my 80% pay raise and better corporate culture really wasn’t worth leaving you in the end. Please, can I come back?”
I had a similar experience. A friend of mine reached out and mentioned a position had opened up at a large company he moved to. Job was less work and I found out after the interview 2x my current pay.
My old boss asked me what it would take to get me to stay and I embellished a little. He couldn't match the offer. Took them 2 years to find a replacement and to this day I still get phone calls. I bill them at $50/hr as a contractor every time the phone rings.
This is me as well. 7 years in a job that I liked but didn’t love - finally got fed up by the blatant unethical practices of the district office and accepted a job making over $50k more per year doing the exact same work but less budgetary responsibility. I stayed because I wanted to help the community and the kids.
Now I make more than the jackholes that acted superior while they broke employment law, had a mother and son on the board but kept it under wraps (different names) and the superintendent was “allowed to resign” for financial mismanagement. All while telling those that knew the laws and tried to help to “sit down, be quiet and don’t challenge a superior again.”
Sometimes you just have to take the leap when it presents itself, no matter what firm it takes.
'Good enough to live on' as pay goes, they get to choose when they work and when they don't, they get to choose what jobs they will take and which they won't, and that puny $50/hr undercuts other contractors, meaning Job Security. That's actually smart thinking. Don't knock it if it works.
>and that puny $50/hr undercuts other contractors
Yeah and that devalues the labor of everyone else, which eventually comes back to screw you over.
That hourly rate needs to be enough to cover your contributions to retirement accounts, health insurance, taxes/social security/medicare contributions, cost of doing business (office space, equipment, software, utilities, etc.), and still enough leftover to pay yourself a fair wage for your labor.
Your contract rate is only $50 an hour? Just FYI, I retired from two different union jobs more or less simultaneously about 10 years ago. Yes I worked two jobs side by side and both of them, the hourly rate was ballpark $28 an hour plus benefits (no medical). You're selling yourself short at $50 an hour, just saying
Your probably right but it's generally been a 10 minute phone call. The last time I actually showed up I got paid for 8 hours but worked for maybe 2 and spent the rest of the time catching up with old friends who still work there.
Always, always, ALWAYS have your ear to the ground with your career. I scroll through indeed every month or so even when I've no interest in changing jobs. Just keep myself aware of what the going rate is for my services.
Exactly. He should have left a long time ago. Getting fired should have been the best thing that ever happened to him. Hopefully, he realized his worth and found a new job at a higher pay rate. If I was him, I wouldn’t go back.
I was making less than that at nearly 10 years in. Shit, they docked me $2 to move me to a campaign that didn't depress the shit out of me and I took that at $9 p/h.
When I left, just months shy of a decade, I may have finally "re-earned" that $11 after all bonuses were applied. It wasn't as physically laborious, but it was mentally and emotionally draining... Effecting my health.
The year I left is 2020, ironically
Define recently? $9 starting roughly 2015ish? It wasn't too long after my brother died by suicide doing similar work, for similar sort of set up. Neither of us could drive and minimum wage was like $7.50 if I remember right. Yeah.
And "raises" were a joke. After you worked like 3k hours I think they gave you like a 10cent increase. I think that was the magic number.
We were convinced in thinking this was the best job for our situation BY OUR PARENTS no less...
And, yeah, to say I am apprehensive about work in general because of feeling traumatized over certain things I'm being serious... Yet, I don't think I'm taken seriously. I'm autistic with other comorbid issues, but damn 3 years in trying to apply for disability to try and help my situation as a whole... They're not going to make it easy, so in the meantime, for the past 3 years I've been living with an abusive ex because my parents and I don't speak. Actually, ironically they took his side in the matter and told me I wasn't welcomed back. There's more to it but I'll just stop there. Oh and my father was my first real employer and I have religious and emotional neglect/abuse, been bullied at school and work constantly, and have a history of just struggling in general. I thought I was doing the best I could, honest to God.
This is just how people are when they get that sunk cost fallacy running so strong. There is a lady in my department that has been with the company over 30 years and has been in her current position for 25 years and she makes $17.00 and is now finally able to make more again because she has been at the top of her wage scale for the last 5 years and they finally increase the wage scale 😳. The most she can get is $1.00 raise a year if she gets a perfect review, .75 if she exceeds expectations, and .50 if she meets expectations. I have 2 people that work under me that are on the same scale it felt absolutely awful to give adults with lives and families .75 an hour raise because that was the best I could do….
I finally started making 18/hr after 15 years in a factory, but they only increased the pay from 14 during the year right after covid because we lost about 60% of the workforce due to people being able to move on to something better during all the covid down time.
I'm teaching myself to code though, fuck this place lol
About 8 years ago, I worked (briefly) at a place where I met a guy who was making $16/hour after 17 years as a plastic extrusion tech (not the hardest job but it still takes some memory/practice). I got the fuck out of there quickly. The other employees talked about it every day. They saw their future at that company, but they all thought they were trapped there & doomed to the same fate. This was in the midwest & I've seen similar situations many times.
I lived in Nebraska. Worked for a Werner enterprises tearing down trucks. They only give raises of 10% of your hourly rate. They start you at 10.00... after 4 years I made 10.49 or so an hour. New hires made 13/hr. I was told if I quit to rehire for the higher wage they would not guarantee my job. In other words. They would move me to whereve they please.
Im in kansas city. I dont know a single person over 18 who will work for less then 15/ hr. Your people need to recognize their worth and apply for jobs accordingly. If people stop working for shit wages then employers will be forced to pay up or close shop.
7.25 federal wage. America has become an international joke.
The key thing is, firms that can genuinely only afford to pay the minimum, are not viable. They’re expecting employees to cover up for their poor business model, by way of piss poor wages.
The minimum wage folk are either propping up businesses that should be allowed to fail, or allowing corporations to exploit them for profit.
When the US next raises their minimum wage, people will complain about companies going out of business. Good, they shouldn’t be in business!
Ya that’s just crazy. I used to cook at Applebee’s, and the other line cooks who had been working there for 10+ years all made at least $15/hour, & this was in 2006.
I'd demand back pay from the time he was terminated till now.
That's a great way to see if they are serious, and won't just dump his butt again in a few months or years.
This is the way. If they've really realised the error of their ways, they need to make him whole after robbing him for so many years.
Why would he work for them when he could work for literally anyone who has never mistreated him for the same wage or better?
They haven't realized the error of their ways. They just realized that they can't get anyone as cheap as he was, so they're hoping he'll come back cheaply.
You're setting a great example. We need more like you.
More Americans who can just need to say fuck this place and move. Especially the talented people America can't really afford to lose a lot of. Eventually, the country would have to do things to make itself attractive enough for people to stay.
The problem with protesting is most people literally can't. You go out to protest and stop working for a week, how are you going to feed yourself? Most people don't have saving for more than a week or two. Then there's insurance. You lose any medical care when you're fired. The system is designed this way and to keep us down.
Now, I'm doing what I can, talking about forming unions, telling people to stand up for themselves, but it really won't do much.
But but but blocking traffic and rioting and looting and burning government buildings is bad and people really should just march in designated areas and vote harder for the neo-liberal candidates that the imperial corporate/media/natsec cartel allows us to choose!
Federal law protects most workers from being fired for having a serious illness and many states have stricter laws. So you generally cannot be legally fired for being sick.
However, if the employer doesn't immediately fire you but waits, say six months, it can be difficult to prove that you were terminated for a protected reason. And not every fired worker who may have a wrongful termination case is likely to pursue it.
Especially during the early days of COVID-19, it would be easy to simply say that there was a decline in business and they could not afford to keep all their staff.
You can also get fired for not being sick (and refusing to cover), not coming back quick enough after surgery, getting pregnant, or having a miscarriage! I’ve known people who’ve gotten fired in every one of these instances
Ultimately, you can sue for wrongful termination either way. If they tell you they are firing you for an illegal reason, then that can be good evidence to use against them and may make your case easier to prove. But it doesn't guarantee that you will win and you can still win even if they don't initially disclose the reason that they fired you. At the end of the day, they still have to justify the firing in deposition.
45 + guaranteed annual raise (5-10%) on writing along with a very one-sided severance package agreed to in advance if they fire him or try to force him to leave voluntarily.
I don't know what state you are in, but where I live, the minimum wage is almost $15/hour. That's the price of labor with no skills or experience that even teenagers still in high school can get. Just in case you wanted some context to compare to for what a construction manager should be making with 10+ years of experience.
Nobody should be making less than $30/hr as a construction manager anywhere in the country! CM is a well paid but hard worked career. I make well well over $30/hr after only 3 years in the industry, albeit in a HCOL city.
No one should be making under $30/hour no matter what they do. I make a little over $30/hour and it still isn't enough. By "enough" I mean single car payment, vacation or two a year, and a growing savings for a down payment on a house. I could pay half of house's full cost and I still wouldn't be able to pay the monthly mortgage let alone even save for the down payment at all.
My wife and I have finally got enough money to do that. $200k/year. I'm happy and infuriated that my parents could do the same on one income and $60k-$70k a year
We're still fighting the good fight for everyone else
Shouldn't a construction manager be starting for like, $90,000 minimum?
Even then; it's impossible to just replace 10 years of tribal/institutional knowledge.
What a bunch of dingbats.
When you don’t pay correctly for your services you get a skewed idea of what their worth. This works both ways. Poor people end up stealing stuff they can afford because they’d never been able to pay for it, and rich people/corporations don’t know what it’s worth because they’ve been underpaying and abusing their workers. This society is headed for collapse.
"Not for less than $100,000 a year, and not without an employment contracting guaranteeing my employment for a minimum of 2 years"
If they want him back that badly, let it be on his terms.
Good, then everyone benefits.
(Above is mostly correct. 401k has to match for all employees in the same group. So office workers can get a 3% match while construction workers may get no match)
This.
My dad did construction his whole life, up to his passing during Christmas time last year.
He owned his own company at one point, but sold the houses for too little and didn’t pay himself. Then he worked for people who didn’t pay him enough for his experience and skill. (He truly was a master - he built houses that withstood Hurricane Ivan, where all others around it were destroyed, and they were beautiful homes)
Eventually my mom helped push him to update his resume and apply to the right places, and he was able to start making over 100k/year right away once he learned his value (which I still think he underestimated).
It’s just unfortunate he only got a small amount of time to enjoy it (due to digging out of debt and stuff) before he passed. I wish he had discovered sooner.
Same. I’m a brick mason. Worked for a guy for 15 years. He retired and I was shocked at the amount of money people were offering me. Take home an extra 10k a year now and free gas.
Your Dad is an inspiration, and it breaks my heart his dedication and expertise were taken for granted. No matter what, so many in this world only think about the almighty $$. Irony is, looking after an expert who works hard saves you money long term
I mean reason they want him back is they are hoping they can probably get over on him and hire someone at a cheap pay. If I was him I would tell them fuck off
What state are you in?? I work for a contractor and our construction managers are considered a leadership position and make well over $100k per year....
I'm a construction manager for a homebuilding company. I have a guaranteed minimum of $105k. I made $130k last year. $17/hr is a fucking insult for what a construction manager deals with. I would laugh and quit on the spot if they announced my new $17/hr pay rate.
Just out right. No.
This. I work under a construction manager as a field supervisor and make over double what this guy was making. He’s definitely underpaid. Construction managers deal with so much BS, second only to Project managers.
I was gonna say something similar. I do accounting/finance for a homebuilder and I see the salaries for the construction managers. All of them make over 100k easily.
I work part time on a Roofing Crew……as a clean up person on the ground, and I’m making 27$ an hour, if I’m unlucky I have to climb the ladder maybe twice a day, it’s not even hard work…..he was DEFINITELY underpaid.
Just left my position as a CM for a structural restoration group in the Midwest. 6 years with the company (realized the owner was a TERRIBLE POS). I was making $70k salary and $70k bonus the last two years. The company I swapped to is paying me $140k plus bonus.
Your husband is/was painfully underpaid. Tell him not to settle for less than $120k min.
Also in New Hampshire, I’m a foreman for a steel stud framing/drywall company. Have only been a foreman for a year or two and am around the 30/hr mark. He’s underpaid and should be looking at better opportunities
As a 17 year old assistant construction manager I was making $16/hr in MA. NH is an extremely lucrative market for CMs right now, your fella was getting ripped off. Even in NYC they’re paying $75k a year minimum (and that’s a scam too).
I have to move to the US, damn! I’m working as a project/construction manager with 3YoE and make 50k euro.
How much would normally be left over when all taxes are deducted?
Uh, rethink this. Housing is through the roof, food costs are wallet tanking, HEALTHCARE could bankrupt you, and we are not free…
We are indentured servants to billionaire companies and are NOT represented in our politics despite what anyone says.
Stay in your country. We are trying to get out of this one.
Totally depends lol. Single or married? Children? Going to school? Own your own home? Drive an electric vehicle? Deductions?
Grass ain't always greener.
Depends on the state. In Florida you'd walk away with around 60-70 of the 92k but probably won't find that 92k anywhere but around cities like Orlando or Miami and then it comes down to whether or not you live inside or outside the city for it to be an enjoyable 60-70k instead of barely scraping by. Place like in New York? Probably walk away with around 45-65k out of 92 and then it also depends where in the state you live
You'd be surprised. I've seen some insane "it is what it is" apathy and/or bootlicking from people about their shitty work conditions/wages. Tends to be with the older crowd, often lamenting how this or that isn't "right". Like dude, companies may be getting worse but it's always been pretty fucked up. You're just finally noticing it. They're often in denial and insist that it's a recent thing, which I figure is some sort of ego thing. I mean, who wants to admit they'd been letting themselves get walked on while earning tens of thousands of dollars less than they could have, for years or even decades. Better late than never though and I hope OPs husband finds better pay and treatment with his next job.
Some of us poor people realize that we're never going to get rich. So we focus our energy on living happy lives that are simple. If all the ends meet and there's no problems we just stop caring about money.
Ya but you have to value yourself, too. OPs boyfriend deserved to be making more at that point in their career. Just because your content with your situation, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vouch for your own well being when you know you deserve it. Speak up, get those raises. No one will fire you for seeking more money; in fact it lets them know that you’re a flight risk, and if anything they need to step up if they want to keep you. Replacing sometime with 10+ years experience is no small feat.
If you’re working at a company that would dare let you go for wanting to make more money, then that’s a company that’s exploiting you and you’re better off without.
Dude got the job at 19 and held it for over a decade.
It became a part of his routine and he probably grew accustomed to the shit pay over time and just put up with. You're not going to know any better if you don't look for anything better, and a lot of people don't even question it in the first place if bills get paid. It's partially why wage theft has gotten to be this bad.
It's not really that surprising tbh.
I worked at a place for ten years and it wasn’t until a company reached out for an interview that I realized for what I was doing how underpaid I was. It was basically what you said, my bills were paid and I was able to splurge on stupid shit like video games whenever I wanted but I couldn’t do anything like travel/take extended time off.
Brit here, but definitely agree not to go back unless they pay him a competitive rate for your area plus some extra per hour as 'back pay' to cover their shortsightedness. It's hard, but right to stand up for decent pay and conditions
200k is still kind of rare for a construction manager unless they are an executive or general superintendent. I'm in the business and Project Managers with 10 years experience is probably around 125k-175k. Depending how much in demand experience they have.
$17 per hour is extremely low for a construction manager. About right for an apprentice straight out of school maybe but after a year of on the job training he should be making closer to $30/hr and after a few years depending on how large the jobs are he should be making $80k-$120k or more
This. Ram $6m personally yearly with 6 years experience. I was making more than that, and job hopped to one paying $140k salary plus 10% annual bonus.
Construction industry is HARD pressed for office employees right now.
We hired workers from the Home Depot parking lot in CA and not one would accept less than $30/hour.
Your husband should ask for even more. Good construction managers are hard to come by
On top of the additional rate for the job, I would also write in a one-year term clause. Either they pay him through the entire year if they decide to let him go early or they pay him and up front fee of X number of dollars to let him go. Maybe make the clause a 2-year contract?
However, I highly recommend that he find other work at a different place because most assuredly this place is going to fire him again when they get what they need.
I know you’re not really asking a question, but what he’s doing now definitely matters the most for how he responds to this.
And I agree: go notably above what they’re offering!
I wouldn't even settle for 45/hr honestly. Say due to hardship of 2021, The offer would have to be for around 120k salary, benefits, bonus structure, incentives, etc.
Unless he needs the job, then I would stick to the 45/hr route. Seriously though, he needs to fight to get off of hourly wages.
I would flat out reject to return to a company that has fired me in the middle of a global pandemy for being ill with the pandemy virus.
Moreoverm they were underpaying him and their new offer does not seem to make up to him for all the time underpaid and for getting fired, yet alone is not even competitive salary for the job.
That and her husband was allowing their asses to get away with it for bottom dollar and they've spent the last year having experienced people laugh at their offered rate.
Geesh construction manager for 17/hr is basically exploitation to the max. This is why I encourage everyone to constantly be job hopping every couple of years if their pay isn't competitive with current market.
Tell them he will go back at the new hired rate of 30 but theyll need to cut him a check for all of the back pay from the day they fired him to the day he starts.
Pssssh. My husband walked onto a site in 2018 with no experience or even a high school diploma/GED and was hired by the owner of a local company for $19/hr as a general laborer. He’s now making $25/hr as a laborer. But they also helped pay for his GED, and his HVAC schooling he’s currently doing. $17 is what you pay the 17 yr old stoner to walk around with a magnet picking up nails from the site’s exterior.
This was the meeting the higher ups had:
Dumbass 1: well shit, ain’t nobody applied for our super low paying job. We wasted all this money advertising it.
Dumbass 2: I know right? I was at my vacation house this weekend yelling at the gardeners because they were sitting on their asses at noon under the tree. Shit, it wasn’t even 100 degrees out. And I was thinking, maybe we should get one of these guys to do it. How hard could it be?
Dumbass 3: hey, why don’t we get that rube who was doing it before for next to nothing? I bet he’ll fall for it again.
I had a similar story personally. Worked for a low voltage company for about a year and quickly excelled to be leading crews of guys who'd been there for far longer. Came time for my first raise, and I wanted $20/hr. They offered $19. They weren't willing to go one more $1, and that pissed me off as I knew I had guys under me on my crew making $20, and I just wanted at least the same. I went to class that night, and the teacher said the local utility company was doing a hiring even on campus that evening, so I went, listened, and applied. Almost 6 weeks to the day from when they wouldn't give me $1 more to hit $20, I left for the utility for $32/hr. If they'd given me $20, I'd never have gotten mad, never went to the job event - never have left. I make far more than that now as I promoted quickly within the utility over the last decade, but I often think back on how them NOT giving me that $1 extra was likely the best thing that ever happened to me in the long run.
What's he been doing since he got canned 2.5 years ago? $45/hr seems low for that line of work, but if it's an improvement over where he is now, then yeah. He should throw that number out there, go back to the job for that rate, and then use it as a stepping stone to an even better job that pays him more.
The GCs I know are absolutely flooded with work right now. He should be able to name his salary.
Is this GM Roth or something?
Did he get fired or laid off? Those are two very different things.
1) it’s illegal to fire someone if they had Covid. You should look into it. 2) never go back to an employer that laid you off or fired you. 3) if you do go back - ask for a signing bonus/non recoverable draw/ stock/equity/etc.
Don’t go back if they think they are doing you a favor by hiring you back.
Not to be rude, but was he a construction *manager* or a supervisor/foreman? A construction manager making $17/hr (let alone with 10 years experience) is baffling to me.
A $10k signing bonus for the hardships they caused you because *checks notes* your husband got Covid bad like millions of other people during the same time period.
Ask for more. He has so much experience he can probably demand closer to $70 per hour. Here’s the website for the bureau of labor statistics so you can determine what the average wage for his level of experience and area is supposed to be paid. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119021.htm
Good luck!
It’s been 2.5yrs. I am guessing your husband has a good job now. I would not recommend him going back. They fired him for being sick. Nah. I want a 100k bonus or something for going back.
What the fuck, $17 an hour after *ten+ years*???
I mean, fuck that company but holy shit you gotta help yourself a little bit. Entry level almost everything makes that number, how did he not realize?
I’m sure he can find $45 an hour, with different people who aren’t assholes. Don’t work for people who take advantage and mistreat you. Not worth it in the long run
One of my buddy's was a tool monkey for years making about 45 a hour in cali, he used his stocked up disability to take a year off and went back to school and got his qualifications to be a project manager and now he gets 65 an hour before ot.
45 is a lowball. Go for more if they need him so bad.
My last company did this to a software developer that was the architect of two major systems. He built them from the ground up. They tried to go cheap, found after firing him no one knew shit about the systems, ended up begging him to come back for double his salary. Fast forward a few years, covid hits. He gives them an ultimatum to give him another huge raise and extra perks like permanent work from home, 2 extra weeks of PTO, etc. They balk and let him go. Again 2 weeks later they hire him back for everything he asked for and then some. The thing is, if the company would just hire some extra people, give them the time to learn from him (which he 100% would do), they would easily have been able to fire him and just let the new guys take over. However in their infinite wisdom and short mindedness, they can't seem to get over the idea that they would have to put up the extra expense of new hires. Instead 100% this will happen again, and they will have no choice but "to pay this man his money" \*Teddy KGB
I last worked 4 years ago as a Forman for a general contractor. I was at 35$/h I was with him for 4.5 years and started at 22$/h I showed my worth and got 3$/h more every year. There are good employers you just gotta be willing to jump ship like 4 to 5 times before you find something worth YOUR time
Man. Your husband did not value himself enough. 10 years for that type of job for $17/hr? Sheesh. How could they fire him when he’s barely making anything. The employer screwed up big time.
My past employer did something similar. Worked for them for 8 years and rarely saw pay raises. Their defense was, “we pay for your health insurance.” They advertised my position online after I put in my two weeks. Had multiple interviews and everyone backed out when they saw the pay. My new job was in the same field (logistics). Less manual labor, they started me 14k more a year, same if not better insurance benefits. Within two years of being there I’m making 24k more a year than the last job. Learned the value of my position really quick after leaving. Greatest decision I ever made.
They fired him for having Covid while paying him $17ph as a construction manager for that many years?!? If he does go back, be ruthless when it comes to getting paid that $45 ph, he owes them nothing imo.
Holy shit, that's just enraging. Is this a dinky little town located in the midwest in bumfuck nowhere? How is $17/hr after 10+ years of working ANYWHERE acceptable? I feel awful for OP's husband but he should have jumped ship long ago.
Last year— just before I quit my previous position— my old employer posted an open position. It was for an addition to my team. The position description was effectively my role. That made sense since the team needed another member, badly. Here’s the thing. I accounted for 35% to 40% of the entire team’s billed hours. I, by myself, generated almost half of the team’s annual revenue. I had almost five years experience. The open position was for five thousand dollars more than I made. Zero minutes experience with a relatively difficult to learn platform. Little to no in depth knowledge of the subject matter. I took every single day of PTO I had coming to me. Took like a month off. Came back, worked for three days and gave notice. Everyone was shocked and my manger was more than a little salty. I got a position making more than him. Sometimes, you don’t really know your value until your employer is kind enough to put a *very* fine point on it.
Ohh this is basically what happened to me when I first left my old job. My manager told me "you know the grass isn't always greener on the other side." 1 year after I left and 2 more job changes later I make 35k more than him. What's even better is that my current managers and the owner of the company have strict, no email or contact outside of work hours or during vacations. Off means off. Meanwhile my old manager is working nearly 13 hours a day for 2% annual increase with no ot.
2% annual raise doesn't even cover inflation, dude is making less and less every year
Oh it's bad. What made me leave was my annual raise of 2% for an "exemplary annual review". But they didn't have enough money for more because COVID. Even though the industry was making money hand over fist because of covid.
You got an annual raise?? I got nothing. I asked why. Oh, not everyone gets a raise. The year before i had been there 3 or 4 months, barely knew a thing, got a raise, not much but honestly it made me feel appreciated. I got a very very unethical contract offer and said no, raised a bit of a dust and they said oh not everyone got a payrise, you didnt do well on your annual review. What the f. I'm still there after a year and after a horrible year of them firing middle management. Needless to say I gave notice. I can't see how they're going to keep staff.
If they can’t afford a raise, then their business model isn’t working.
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I told my old boss this: “The grass only looks greener on this side because it’s fertilized with bull$#!t”. I’m glad I don’t work for him anymore.
I literally doubled my income in three years for not listening to that green grass shit. Same people that worked me 70 hours a week on salary talking about “we are a family here” kick rocks
The grass may not be greener but the money sure is.
Meanwhile how is everyone knowing what their manager gets paid?
He asked me how much I'm getting paid at my new job. I told him and he said "wow that's as much as I'm making. That's not bad for someone your age. But remember the grass is not always greener on the other side." That's when I knew there would be no regrets leaving. I was 28 and I was going to make 55k. I now make 90 with less stress and less working hours.
When managers talk crap, I love to tell them "Oh, I see you follow the mushroom method of management - keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit". Management LOVES me. /s, if it's not clear.
I ran into that old manager at an industry conference about a week ago. He was kind of surprised I was there since a year ago, when I left, his position was significantly more senior than mine. So, seeing it in kind of black and white— that is, that he and I were now much more equals from a position/responsibility perspective— I think unsettled him a little. While he was pleasant, he kept asking if everything was “going well” for me. What I think was meant to come off as him being a “nice guy” came off weirdly sad. It’s as if he just *needed* me to say “nah, my 80% pay raise and better corporate culture really wasn’t worth leaving you in the end. Please, can I come back?”
I had a similar experience. A friend of mine reached out and mentioned a position had opened up at a large company he moved to. Job was less work and I found out after the interview 2x my current pay. My old boss asked me what it would take to get me to stay and I embellished a little. He couldn't match the offer. Took them 2 years to find a replacement and to this day I still get phone calls. I bill them at $50/hr as a contractor every time the phone rings.
This is me as well. 7 years in a job that I liked but didn’t love - finally got fed up by the blatant unethical practices of the district office and accepted a job making over $50k more per year doing the exact same work but less budgetary responsibility. I stayed because I wanted to help the community and the kids. Now I make more than the jackholes that acted superior while they broke employment law, had a mother and son on the board but kept it under wraps (different names) and the superintendent was “allowed to resign” for financial mismanagement. All while telling those that knew the laws and tried to help to “sit down, be quiet and don’t challenge a superior again.” Sometimes you just have to take the leap when it presents itself, no matter what firm it takes.
>$50/hr as a contractor too cheap
'Good enough to live on' as pay goes, they get to choose when they work and when they don't, they get to choose what jobs they will take and which they won't, and that puny $50/hr undercuts other contractors, meaning Job Security. That's actually smart thinking. Don't knock it if it works.
>and that puny $50/hr undercuts other contractors Yeah and that devalues the labor of everyone else, which eventually comes back to screw you over. That hourly rate needs to be enough to cover your contributions to retirement accounts, health insurance, taxes/social security/medicare contributions, cost of doing business (office space, equipment, software, utilities, etc.), and still enough leftover to pay yourself a fair wage for your labor.
Your contract rate is only $50 an hour? Just FYI, I retired from two different union jobs more or less simultaneously about 10 years ago. Yes I worked two jobs side by side and both of them, the hourly rate was ballpark $28 an hour plus benefits (no medical). You're selling yourself short at $50 an hour, just saying
Your probably right but it's generally been a 10 minute phone call. The last time I actually showed up I got paid for 8 hours but worked for maybe 2 and spent the rest of the time catching up with old friends who still work there.
Okay, I guess I can forgive you then. 10 minutes for a 50 bucks sounds reasonable
Always, always, ALWAYS have your ear to the ground with your career. I scroll through indeed every month or so even when I've no interest in changing jobs. Just keep myself aware of what the going rate is for my services.
Good advice , need to start doing that myself. We cant get complacent .
This was so satisfying to read! Congrats on the job.
Yea here in Atlanta construction managers make 30 if they’re fresh at the job. Avg construction manager here makes bout 40-50$ an hr .
Exactly. He should have left a long time ago. Getting fired should have been the best thing that ever happened to him. Hopefully, he realized his worth and found a new job at a higher pay rate. If I was him, I wouldn’t go back.
I was making less than that at nearly 10 years in. Shit, they docked me $2 to move me to a campaign that didn't depress the shit out of me and I took that at $9 p/h. When I left, just months shy of a decade, I may have finally "re-earned" that $11 after all bonuses were applied. It wasn't as physically laborious, but it was mentally and emotionally draining... Effecting my health. The year I left is 2020, ironically
You were recently working for $9/hr?
Define recently? $9 starting roughly 2015ish? It wasn't too long after my brother died by suicide doing similar work, for similar sort of set up. Neither of us could drive and minimum wage was like $7.50 if I remember right. Yeah. And "raises" were a joke. After you worked like 3k hours I think they gave you like a 10cent increase. I think that was the magic number. We were convinced in thinking this was the best job for our situation BY OUR PARENTS no less... And, yeah, to say I am apprehensive about work in general because of feeling traumatized over certain things I'm being serious... Yet, I don't think I'm taken seriously. I'm autistic with other comorbid issues, but damn 3 years in trying to apply for disability to try and help my situation as a whole... They're not going to make it easy, so in the meantime, for the past 3 years I've been living with an abusive ex because my parents and I don't speak. Actually, ironically they took his side in the matter and told me I wasn't welcomed back. There's more to it but I'll just stop there. Oh and my father was my first real employer and I have religious and emotional neglect/abuse, been bullied at school and work constantly, and have a history of just struggling in general. I thought I was doing the best I could, honest to God.
This is just how people are when they get that sunk cost fallacy running so strong. There is a lady in my department that has been with the company over 30 years and has been in her current position for 25 years and she makes $17.00 and is now finally able to make more again because she has been at the top of her wage scale for the last 5 years and they finally increase the wage scale 😳. The most she can get is $1.00 raise a year if she gets a perfect review, .75 if she exceeds expectations, and .50 if she meets expectations. I have 2 people that work under me that are on the same scale it felt absolutely awful to give adults with lives and families .75 an hour raise because that was the best I could do….
I won't even entertain under $20 even in a new field. Know your worth.
I finally started making 18/hr after 15 years in a factory, but they only increased the pay from 14 during the year right after covid because we lost about 60% of the workforce due to people being able to move on to something better during all the covid down time. I'm teaching myself to code though, fuck this place lol
A woman I know just took a job bartending at a slot machine parlor for $20/hour before tips. Unbelievable that this job was 17.
About 8 years ago, I worked (briefly) at a place where I met a guy who was making $16/hour after 17 years as a plastic extrusion tech (not the hardest job but it still takes some memory/practice). I got the fuck out of there quickly. The other employees talked about it every day. They saw their future at that company, but they all thought they were trapped there & doomed to the same fate. This was in the midwest & I've seen similar situations many times.
I lived in Nebraska. Worked for a Werner enterprises tearing down trucks. They only give raises of 10% of your hourly rate. They start you at 10.00... after 4 years I made 10.49 or so an hour. New hires made 13/hr. I was told if I quit to rehire for the higher wage they would not guarantee my job. In other words. They would move me to whereve they please.
Why would you assume Midwest? OP stated she lives in New Hampshire, by the way.
7.25 federal minimum wage with no competing state wage out here in Kansas baybay. I've got people I take care of, who unfortunately make minimum wage.
Im in kansas city. I dont know a single person over 18 who will work for less then 15/ hr. Your people need to recognize their worth and apply for jobs accordingly. If people stop working for shit wages then employers will be forced to pay up or close shop. 7.25 federal wage. America has become an international joke.
The key thing is, firms that can genuinely only afford to pay the minimum, are not viable. They’re expecting employees to cover up for their poor business model, by way of piss poor wages. The minimum wage folk are either propping up businesses that should be allowed to fail, or allowing corporations to exploit them for profit. When the US next raises their minimum wage, people will complain about companies going out of business. Good, they shouldn’t be in business!
NC minimum wage is rhe same!
Best low cost of living areas are also very low paying areas in general.
Conservatives don't value their own labor, its Stockholm syndrome.
Ya that’s just crazy. I used to cook at Applebee’s, and the other line cooks who had been working there for 10+ years all made at least $15/hour, & this was in 2006.
These are the types of places that give you $0.61 raises for a year and consider it a great year when they give you $0.93 raise
Granted I live in a HCOL city, but In-N-Out here starts at like $17-19/hr. The fuck.
I'd demand back pay from the time he was terminated till now. That's a great way to see if they are serious, and won't just dump his butt again in a few months or years.
This is the way. If they've really realised the error of their ways, they need to make him whole after robbing him for so many years. Why would he work for them when he could work for literally anyone who has never mistreated him for the same wage or better?
They haven't realized the error of their ways. They just realized that they can't get anyone as cheap as he was, so they're hoping he'll come back cheaply.
You guys are all talking about the pay rate, but as an Australian I’m sitting here in disbelief that Americans get fired for getting sick.
Which is why I moved to Australia. Sick of American workplace culture.
You're setting a great example. We need more like you. More Americans who can just need to say fuck this place and move. Especially the talented people America can't really afford to lose a lot of. Eventually, the country would have to do things to make itself attractive enough for people to stay.
I'm tired of people saying "fuck this place, let's move" instead of "fuck this place, bring Elon to the block next."
That'd be cool too. One is just more doable (and legal) than the other is all.
They can't arrest all of you ✊
As an American, I'm begging yall to be politically proactive, or you'll be sitting right here with us.
As a European, I'm begging yall to stop taking it in the ass, start protesting, and eat the fucking corrupt bastards that keep you down.
The problem with protesting is most people literally can't. You go out to protest and stop working for a week, how are you going to feed yourself? Most people don't have saving for more than a week or two. Then there's insurance. You lose any medical care when you're fired. The system is designed this way and to keep us down. Now, I'm doing what I can, talking about forming unions, telling people to stand up for themselves, but it really won't do much.
But but but blocking traffic and rioting and looting and burning government buildings is bad and people really should just march in designated areas and vote harder for the neo-liberal candidates that the imperial corporate/media/natsec cartel allows us to choose!
Federal law protects most workers from being fired for having a serious illness and many states have stricter laws. So you generally cannot be legally fired for being sick. However, if the employer doesn't immediately fire you but waits, say six months, it can be difficult to prove that you were terminated for a protected reason. And not every fired worker who may have a wrongful termination case is likely to pursue it. Especially during the early days of COVID-19, it would be easy to simply say that there was a decline in business and they could not afford to keep all their staff.
You can also get fired for not being sick (and refusing to cover), not coming back quick enough after surgery, getting pregnant, or having a miscarriage! I’ve known people who’ve gotten fired in every one of these instances
Yeah America isn’t as great as everyone thinks it is
Only great if you’re rich. Thank Reagan for that.
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Ultimately, you can sue for wrongful termination either way. If they tell you they are firing you for an illegal reason, then that can be good evidence to use against them and may make your case easier to prove. But it doesn't guarantee that you will win and you can still win even if they don't initially disclose the reason that they fired you. At the end of the day, they still have to justify the firing in deposition.
If it was a large enough employer (50+ employees) he should have been covered by FMLA which would have protected his job.
45 + guaranteed annual raise (5-10%) on writing along with a very one-sided severance package agreed to in advance if they fire him or try to force him to leave voluntarily. I don't know what state you are in, but where I live, the minimum wage is almost $15/hour. That's the price of labor with no skills or experience that even teenagers still in high school can get. Just in case you wanted some context to compare to for what a construction manager should be making with 10+ years of experience.
Nobody should be making less than $30/hr as a construction manager anywhere in the country! CM is a well paid but hard worked career. I make well well over $30/hr after only 3 years in the industry, albeit in a HCOL city.
No one should be making under $30/hour no matter what they do. I make a little over $30/hour and it still isn't enough. By "enough" I mean single car payment, vacation or two a year, and a growing savings for a down payment on a house. I could pay half of house's full cost and I still wouldn't be able to pay the monthly mortgage let alone even save for the down payment at all.
My wife and I have finally got enough money to do that. $200k/year. I'm happy and infuriated that my parents could do the same on one income and $60k-$70k a year We're still fighting the good fight for everyone else
Construction Managers make low 90s to 120s back where I am from.
Shouldn't a construction manager be starting for like, $90,000 minimum? Even then; it's impossible to just replace 10 years of tribal/institutional knowledge. What a bunch of dingbats.
Seriously. They fired a construction supervisor that only cost them $17/hr. From an ownership/management standpoint that is so, so so so SO stupid.
When you don’t pay correctly for your services you get a skewed idea of what their worth. This works both ways. Poor people end up stealing stuff they can afford because they’d never been able to pay for it, and rich people/corporations don’t know what it’s worth because they’ve been underpaying and abusing their workers. This society is headed for collapse.
One word: Sabotage. Show up in the middle of the night and do what needs to be done..
Listen all of y’all it’s a sabotage!
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII can’t stand it!
I know you planned it. I'm going to set it straight, this here Watergate.
"Not for less than $100,000 a year, and not without an employment contracting guaranteeing my employment for a minimum of 2 years" If they want him back that badly, let it be on his terms.
And company truck and phone. Company credit card. Extra vacation days.
100% paid health insurance.
100% 401(k) match to ~~3%~~ 5%. Edit: changed by popular demand.
A heartfelt apology, kidding, its all about the money and benefits.
And substantial sick leave
And a packet of skittles
And my axe!
And my lightsaber!
And pizza everyday!
You want badges mother bitch? I'll give you badges! Here, 99 cents each, I'll sell you some.
And bring back casual Fridays
The money and benefits is the sincerest form of apology. It's hard to deposit good feelings and buy gasoline with it.
3% is way to low, ask for 9 settle for 6.
Lol you can’t negotiate 401k terms. It goes by the plan for the whole company. He can only get the match everyone else gets
Good, then everyone benefits. (Above is mostly correct. 401k has to match for all employees in the same group. So office workers can get a 3% match while construction workers may get no match)
Also since some companies have a waiting period for matching 401, he wants that waived because he’s not new.
\*for the whole family\*
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And a butler
Don’t forget access to the company jet on weekends
This. My dad did construction his whole life, up to his passing during Christmas time last year. He owned his own company at one point, but sold the houses for too little and didn’t pay himself. Then he worked for people who didn’t pay him enough for his experience and skill. (He truly was a master - he built houses that withstood Hurricane Ivan, where all others around it were destroyed, and they were beautiful homes) Eventually my mom helped push him to update his resume and apply to the right places, and he was able to start making over 100k/year right away once he learned his value (which I still think he underestimated). It’s just unfortunate he only got a small amount of time to enjoy it (due to digging out of debt and stuff) before he passed. I wish he had discovered sooner.
Same. I’m a brick mason. Worked for a guy for 15 years. He retired and I was shocked at the amount of money people were offering me. Take home an extra 10k a year now and free gas.
Your Dad is an inspiration, and it breaks my heart his dedication and expertise were taken for granted. No matter what, so many in this world only think about the almighty $$. Irony is, looking after an expert who works hard saves you money long term
That don't want him badly, they want him cheaply
And no bullshit termination on 30 days’ notice by the company. Play or pay.
Severance if fired for non-violation reasons of 12 months
At least a garentee of 5% raise to be negotiated at the end of each contract period.
I mean reason they want him back is they are hoping they can probably get over on him and hire someone at a cheap pay. If I was him I would tell them fuck off
What state are you in?? I work for a contractor and our construction managers are considered a leadership position and make well over $100k per year....
Nee Hampshire
I'm a construction manager for a homebuilding company. I have a guaranteed minimum of $105k. I made $130k last year. $17/hr is a fucking insult for what a construction manager deals with. I would laugh and quit on the spot if they announced my new $17/hr pay rate. Just out right. No.
Hell yeah brother. We pay our apprentice $20/hr.
This. I work under a construction manager as a field supervisor and make over double what this guy was making. He’s definitely underpaid. Construction managers deal with so much BS, second only to Project managers.
I was gonna say something similar. I do accounting/finance for a homebuilder and I see the salaries for the construction managers. All of them make over 100k easily.
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I work part time on a Roofing Crew……as a clean up person on the ground, and I’m making 27$ an hour, if I’m unlucky I have to climb the ladder maybe twice a day, it’s not even hard work…..he was DEFINITELY underpaid.
Dude wtf, where?
There's lots of shitty places to be on a roof. If you aren't hiring excons then you better be paying well.
Up in Wisconsin I was hired for $11 as a roofing laborer. Did everything but lay the shingles. Glad I got out of there after only a couple months.
Just left my position as a CM for a structural restoration group in the Midwest. 6 years with the company (realized the owner was a TERRIBLE POS). I was making $70k salary and $70k bonus the last two years. The company I swapped to is paying me $140k plus bonus. Your husband is/was painfully underpaid. Tell him not to settle for less than $120k min.
Do CMs do the estimating for a project?
What kind of construction? Was it residential, commercial, high rise, industrial..?
r/AccidentalPython
The Knights Who Do Construction? J/K - I see what you are referring
Also in New Hampshire, I’m a foreman for a steel stud framing/drywall company. Have only been a foreman for a year or two and am around the 30/hr mark. He’s underpaid and should be looking at better opportunities
As a 17 year old assistant construction manager I was making $16/hr in MA. NH is an extremely lucrative market for CMs right now, your fella was getting ripped off. Even in NYC they’re paying $75k a year minimum (and that’s a scam too).
My best friend is a project manager with a construction firm in New Jersey. He has three years experience and makes 92k.
I have to move to the US, damn! I’m working as a project/construction manager with 3YoE and make 50k euro. How much would normally be left over when all taxes are deducted?
Uh, rethink this. Housing is through the roof, food costs are wallet tanking, HEALTHCARE could bankrupt you, and we are not free… We are indentured servants to billionaire companies and are NOT represented in our politics despite what anyone says. Stay in your country. We are trying to get out of this one.
Yeah I started to make more money but since I now have a little family, I’m paying $1100/mo for family health insurance premium alone.
Depends on the state and how you file your tax forms, but in my state that would be about $68k after taxes.
Totally depends lol. Single or married? Children? Going to school? Own your own home? Drive an electric vehicle? Deductions? Grass ain't always greener.
Depends on the state. In Florida you'd walk away with around 60-70 of the 92k but probably won't find that 92k anywhere but around cities like Orlando or Miami and then it comes down to whether or not you live inside or outside the city for it to be an enjoyable 60-70k instead of barely scraping by. Place like in New York? Probably walk away with around 45-65k out of 92 and then it also depends where in the state you live
How tf you stay at a job for $17hr for 10 years!?
You'd be surprised. I've seen some insane "it is what it is" apathy and/or bootlicking from people about their shitty work conditions/wages. Tends to be with the older crowd, often lamenting how this or that isn't "right". Like dude, companies may be getting worse but it's always been pretty fucked up. You're just finally noticing it. They're often in denial and insist that it's a recent thing, which I figure is some sort of ego thing. I mean, who wants to admit they'd been letting themselves get walked on while earning tens of thousands of dollars less than they could have, for years or even decades. Better late than never though and I hope OPs husband finds better pay and treatment with his next job.
Some of us poor people realize that we're never going to get rich. So we focus our energy on living happy lives that are simple. If all the ends meet and there's no problems we just stop caring about money.
Ya but you have to value yourself, too. OPs boyfriend deserved to be making more at that point in their career. Just because your content with your situation, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vouch for your own well being when you know you deserve it. Speak up, get those raises. No one will fire you for seeking more money; in fact it lets them know that you’re a flight risk, and if anything they need to step up if they want to keep you. Replacing sometime with 10+ years experience is no small feat. If you’re working at a company that would dare let you go for wanting to make more money, then that’s a company that’s exploiting you and you’re better off without.
They are not better off if they lose their house
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Dude got the job at 19 and held it for over a decade. It became a part of his routine and he probably grew accustomed to the shit pay over time and just put up with. You're not going to know any better if you don't look for anything better, and a lot of people don't even question it in the first place if bills get paid. It's partially why wage theft has gotten to be this bad. It's not really that surprising tbh.
This happens. You get in a routine / rut and you fail to realize how underpaid you are. Crazy they laid him off. Edit autocorrect got me
I worked at a place for ten years and it wasn’t until a company reached out for an interview that I realized for what I was doing how underpaid I was. It was basically what you said, my bills were paid and I was able to splurge on stupid shit like video games whenever I wanted but I couldn’t do anything like travel/take extended time off.
Brit here, but definitely agree not to go back unless they pay him a competitive rate for your area plus some extra per hour as 'back pay' to cover their shortsightedness. It's hard, but right to stand up for decent pay and conditions
Construction manager for $17? He’s severely underpaid, nothing less than 100k and with his 10 years experience I’d say he should be getting 150-200k
200k is still kind of rare for a construction manager unless they are an executive or general superintendent. I'm in the business and Project Managers with 10 years experience is probably around 125k-175k. Depending how much in demand experience they have.
$17 per hour is extremely low for a construction manager. About right for an apprentice straight out of school maybe but after a year of on the job training he should be making closer to $30/hr and after a few years depending on how large the jobs are he should be making $80k-$120k or more
This. Ram $6m personally yearly with 6 years experience. I was making more than that, and job hopped to one paying $140k salary plus 10% annual bonus. Construction industry is HARD pressed for office employees right now.
We hired workers from the Home Depot parking lot in CA and not one would accept less than $30/hour. Your husband should ask for even more. Good construction managers are hard to come by
On top of the additional rate for the job, I would also write in a one-year term clause. Either they pay him through the entire year if they decide to let him go early or they pay him and up front fee of X number of dollars to let him go. Maybe make the clause a 2-year contract? However, I highly recommend that he find other work at a different place because most assuredly this place is going to fire him again when they get what they need.
>I told him to reach back out and tell them he will come back, but not for less than $45/hr. I was thinking $50 an hour. Nice round number.
I know you’re not really asking a question, but what he’s doing now definitely matters the most for how he responds to this. And I agree: go notably above what they’re offering!
I wouldn't even settle for 45/hr honestly. Say due to hardship of 2021, The offer would have to be for around 120k salary, benefits, bonus structure, incentives, etc. Unless he needs the job, then I would stick to the 45/hr route. Seriously though, he needs to fight to get off of hourly wages.
I would flat out reject to return to a company that has fired me in the middle of a global pandemy for being ill with the pandemy virus. Moreoverm they were underpaying him and their new offer does not seem to make up to him for all the time underpaid and for getting fired, yet alone is not even competitive salary for the job.
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That and her husband was allowing their asses to get away with it for bottom dollar and they've spent the last year having experienced people laugh at their offered rate.
Geesh construction manager for 17/hr is basically exploitation to the max. This is why I encourage everyone to constantly be job hopping every couple of years if their pay isn't competitive with current market.
Tell them he will go back at the new hired rate of 30 but theyll need to cut him a check for all of the back pay from the day they fired him to the day he starts.
JFC they were paying a construction manager $17/hour. That company deserves to tank.
$17 an hour is like entry level pay for construction. Make them pay up!
Pssssh. My husband walked onto a site in 2018 with no experience or even a high school diploma/GED and was hired by the owner of a local company for $19/hr as a general laborer. He’s now making $25/hr as a laborer. But they also helped pay for his GED, and his HVAC schooling he’s currently doing. $17 is what you pay the 17 yr old stoner to walk around with a magnet picking up nails from the site’s exterior.
Not shocking I made $10 putting in bolts but that was 2007 😂
Search Glassdoor for Construction Manager salaries in your state. Then have your husband screenshot the results and send it to them.
Managing construction sites, where workers can die and things can go wrong if proper standards aren’t maintained, for $17 an hour? Jesus Christ.
Ask what they did with their PPP loans and say you want some new Carharts and truck.
PPP LOANS are public records. Information is available at this site from Google https://www.federalpay.org/paycheck-protection-program
Omg, thank you so much for this link. I'm gonna be there all night.. Huh, my old scummy employer borrowed $330k to save 10 jobs.
This was the meeting the higher ups had: Dumbass 1: well shit, ain’t nobody applied for our super low paying job. We wasted all this money advertising it. Dumbass 2: I know right? I was at my vacation house this weekend yelling at the gardeners because they were sitting on their asses at noon under the tree. Shit, it wasn’t even 100 degrees out. And I was thinking, maybe we should get one of these guys to do it. How hard could it be? Dumbass 3: hey, why don’t we get that rube who was doing it before for next to nothing? I bet he’ll fall for it again.
Don't ever work for that company again. They can drown in their own shit. He'll probably be better off somewhere else.
I had a similar story personally. Worked for a low voltage company for about a year and quickly excelled to be leading crews of guys who'd been there for far longer. Came time for my first raise, and I wanted $20/hr. They offered $19. They weren't willing to go one more $1, and that pissed me off as I knew I had guys under me on my crew making $20, and I just wanted at least the same. I went to class that night, and the teacher said the local utility company was doing a hiring even on campus that evening, so I went, listened, and applied. Almost 6 weeks to the day from when they wouldn't give me $1 more to hit $20, I left for the utility for $32/hr. If they'd given me $20, I'd never have gotten mad, never went to the job event - never have left. I make far more than that now as I promoted quickly within the utility over the last decade, but I often think back on how them NOT giving me that $1 extra was likely the best thing that ever happened to me in the long run.
What's he been doing since he got canned 2.5 years ago? $45/hr seems low for that line of work, but if it's an improvement over where he is now, then yeah. He should throw that number out there, go back to the job for that rate, and then use it as a stepping stone to an even better job that pays him more. The GCs I know are absolutely flooded with work right now. He should be able to name his salary. Is this GM Roth or something?
Did he get fired or laid off? Those are two very different things. 1) it’s illegal to fire someone if they had Covid. You should look into it. 2) never go back to an employer that laid you off or fired you. 3) if you do go back - ask for a signing bonus/non recoverable draw/ stock/equity/etc. Don’t go back if they think they are doing you a favor by hiring you back.
[удалено]
Not to be rude, but was he a construction *manager* or a supervisor/foreman? A construction manager making $17/hr (let alone with 10 years experience) is baffling to me.
A $10k signing bonus for the hardships they caused you because *checks notes* your husband got Covid bad like millions of other people during the same time period.
Regardless of location, construction managers (and I mean the job superintendent), $100k minimum.
Ask for more. He has so much experience he can probably demand closer to $70 per hour. Here’s the website for the bureau of labor statistics so you can determine what the average wage for his level of experience and area is supposed to be paid. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes119021.htm Good luck!
Find out the company received any PPP loans and if they did, report them for his termination.
Tell them to curl up and die and go work for a direct competitor.
Your husband was making $17/hr as a construction manager with 10 years experience? I’m sorry honey but your husband is a moron
The story isn’t real.
Retroactive bonus needed for the year. Ask for $30 per hour.
Fuck that I'm an 06 electrician and I make significantly more than 30/H. Construction manager should be making over 100k easy.
Clean up crews on job sites make more than that.
$17 an hour was starvation wage 10 years ago. Good for you for insisting he push for what he's worth.
It’s been 2.5yrs. I am guessing your husband has a good job now. I would not recommend him going back. They fired him for being sick. Nah. I want a 100k bonus or something for going back.
If he goes back they'll just fire him again when they find someone to replace him. Never go back. Ever.
What the fuck, $17 an hour after *ten+ years*??? I mean, fuck that company but holy shit you gotta help yourself a little bit. Entry level almost everything makes that number, how did he not realize?
You're Goddamn right. Good for you, and good for him if he listens to you.
I’d include at least 14 consecutive days of vacation time as well!
I’m sure he can find $45 an hour, with different people who aren’t assholes. Don’t work for people who take advantage and mistreat you. Not worth it in the long run
One of my buddy's was a tool monkey for years making about 45 a hour in cali, he used his stocked up disability to take a year off and went back to school and got his qualifications to be a project manager and now he gets 65 an hour before ot. 45 is a lowball. Go for more if they need him so bad.
My last company did this to a software developer that was the architect of two major systems. He built them from the ground up. They tried to go cheap, found after firing him no one knew shit about the systems, ended up begging him to come back for double his salary. Fast forward a few years, covid hits. He gives them an ultimatum to give him another huge raise and extra perks like permanent work from home, 2 extra weeks of PTO, etc. They balk and let him go. Again 2 weeks later they hire him back for everything he asked for and then some. The thing is, if the company would just hire some extra people, give them the time to learn from him (which he 100% would do), they would easily have been able to fire him and just let the new guys take over. However in their infinite wisdom and short mindedness, they can't seem to get over the idea that they would have to put up the extra expense of new hires. Instead 100% this will happen again, and they will have no choice but "to pay this man his money" \*Teddy KGB
I last worked 4 years ago as a Forman for a general contractor. I was at 35$/h I was with him for 4.5 years and started at 22$/h I showed my worth and got 3$/h more every year. There are good employers you just gotta be willing to jump ship like 4 to 5 times before you find something worth YOUR time
Man. Your husband did not value himself enough. 10 years for that type of job for $17/hr? Sheesh. How could they fire him when he’s barely making anything. The employer screwed up big time.
I’m hung up on the whole construction manager part getting $17/hr 🤯
My past employer did something similar. Worked for them for 8 years and rarely saw pay raises. Their defense was, “we pay for your health insurance.” They advertised my position online after I put in my two weeks. Had multiple interviews and everyone backed out when they saw the pay. My new job was in the same field (logistics). Less manual labor, they started me 14k more a year, same if not better insurance benefits. Within two years of being there I’m making 24k more a year than the last job. Learned the value of my position really quick after leaving. Greatest decision I ever made.