work, wages, & the cost of living.

[mexfishguide]

I found a new soap box and am now on it.

Been home a few days now, and have tried to get started on some home projects that need to be done, and some the wife feels she just has to have????

Went to the lumber store, needed some screws and sheet metal brackets, just light weight thingie,s for several years they were 33 and 36 cents. I thought I will get plenty and have some on hand.
As I gathered up an arm load the price jumped out at me,54 & 96 cents, so I put them back and very carefully figured out how many I had to have!!! I looked around in the store and the increase in prices astounded me, I have been reading and listening to the news about increased cost to build a new house. Brother do I believe it.
Have any of you been to one of the big retailers lately? like Lowes and home depot? Dam, Dam, every where you look the supply's, being sent to Iraq, and Afghanistan, have driven the prices sky highy, not only are our tax dollars being wasted. But we are being punished by resultant high prices!
Why am I all ways going on about the minimum wages being offered by contractors, just check the cost of living increase's, bastards offer 23 an hour and expect me to jump on it, crazy. We are going backwards in pay while expense's shoot up 3 & 400 %. Last week I paid us$3.80 a gal. for gas in Needles, Ca. outragous, our elected officials are letting us down.
By the people looking for work on our site, wages will go lower, and prices will continue to rise!!! I try to understand why people will go overseas for 23 at 60 hrs for us$1380.00 when the same deal in the states will pay
us$1610.00. And you can get home easy and at a lower cost.
If you tell me, guy, - I like being overseas where I can get drunk every night have plenty of cheap whores and party hardy - When at home, I have to worry about the wife and kids, OK, but in your case we are not talking about making a living. You just want to party. So be it but by going cheap you are causing all of us trouble.
I am very good at what I do and recieve very good compensation for it, and I will not lower my pay request, are, the quality of my work. If the chance to make good money is not available overseas, then I work state side
as my last project.
If you are a stand up journeyperson in your trade? you can get work!!!!!! But get out of the house and go where it is at. Do not set at the house and wait for some one to come by and offer you a job, use the phone every day, use your e-mail every day, I have no sorrow for anyone that will set around and loose their home, there is work out there. Go get it, when I am looking for a job, I get after it......
It seems I am now the major pisser offer on site, not intendend, but if the truth does it then I am guilty.
I have a son that has been working 6 - 12s and 1 - 10, for the last 6months, @ $52 - 1/1/2 times over 40 hrs and 100 a day per deim. Rig welder.
yes he has worked overseas but at his rate I told him to hang on in the states until some thing better comes along.
OK, I will set back and wait on the comments about my spelling and the fact I don,t know of what I speak.

Take Care
Mexfishguide:cheers

[thickcajun]

mighty fine dictation if i say so myself.:cheers

[LAID BACK SPARKY]

Hey Bro,

Know what you mean about material shooting sky high and you can't find any decent workers wanting to work , lots of lip service but very little action sent a sheet rock lip hangerdown the road hung 11 sheets of rock in 6 hours, found a young man needing work who beat the first sub by $2 grand, and still wanted more work. This retired Sparky should attempt to find a job or gig so he can get some rest, so much for my 2 cents a bout high cost , take care
Laid Back Sparky

[Megga Watt]

:cheers Here's to ya Mexfish I know where you are coming from. I am like you we have been around a long time. I still remember working with George Fisher In Saudi when he was running the Fisher Report (what a great Tool it was, I still have all of mine) and how hard it was just to find work back in those days. We used our good old boy network and found work through them. Then if there wasn't anything available you took the fisher report and kept plugging away until a decent contract came up. Then the negotiation's started back and forth for days until and agreement was made. AHHHHH the good old days when we had to print up resumes on a typewriter and send them snail mail everyday until someone answered you. :kib: Holy shit what happened???? Now it's way too easy to find work, alot of it is from this KBR crap low-ball no paying company. Now the onslaught of these guys are coming into our world saying yes we have overseas experience and I will work for $23 per hr. So the great volumes of KBR highly experienced hands from Leeasville LA started the downfall of overseas work. There is still plenty of work out there and at a decent price you just have to dig for it not take the path of least resistance and give in to the Zachery's and KBR no paying contracts. They will get by with whatever you let them. If they can't get the hands @ $23 per hr then they will try @ $23.50 until they find the magic number that people will work for. The world isn't getting any better or cheaper either so we now need to stick together now more than ever. Yes I see the painter mike's out there grasping at any straw they can just for one more overseas job. There is plenty of work overseas and in the USA too, there is no reason to act so desperate. Get in the old pick-up and drive to a job site and find work, Hell We used to!! :2cents
There ya go I think I pissed off enough people on that one.:sport002:

[paintermike]

:cheers Here's to ya Mexfish I know where you are coming from. I am like you we have been around a long time. I still remember working with George Fisher In Saudi when he was running the Fisher Report (what a great Tool it was, I still have all of mine) and how hard it was just to find work back in those days. We used our good old boy network and found work through them. Then if there wasn't anything available you took the fisher report and kept plugging away until a decent contract came up. Then the negotiation's started back and forth for days until and agreement was made. AHHHHH the good old days when we had to print up resumes on a typewriter and send them snail mail everyday until someone answered you. :kib: Holy shit what happened???? Now it's way too easy to find work, alot of it is from this KBR crap low-ball no paying company. Now the onslaught of these guys are coming into our world saying yes we have overseas experience and I will work for $23 per hr. So the great volumes of KBR highly experienced hands from Leeasville LA started the downfall of overseas work. There is still plenty of work out there and at a decent price you just have to dig for it not take the path of least resistance and give in to the Zachery's and KBR no paying contracts. They will get by with whatever you let them. If they can't get the hands @ $23 per hr then they will try @ $23.50 until they find the magic number that people will work for. The world isn't getting any better or cheaper either so we now need to stick together now more than ever. Yes I see the painter mike's out there grasping at any straw they can just for one more overseas job. There is plenty of work overseas and in the USA too, there is no reason to act so desperate. Get in the old pick-up and drive to a job site and find work, Hell We used to!! :2cents
There ya go I think I pissed off enough people on that one.:sport002: Hey there bubba; Just sort of intrested in how you know what paintermike is doing as far as work is considered???I haven't been on this site grasping for work. Yes, I do admit that I have been on this site looking for work desperately!!! I do have a family.I have been on this computer probably at least 10 minutes out of every hour looking. I have e-mailed ,sent resumes, and checked back by e-mail, phone, and every available chance to find a job.China was my first overseas job, not like you and kind of know the ropes and been around. I have been in the OLE TRUCK LOOKING AND EVEN TOOK A JOB FOR A PAINTING COMPANY just down the road making 13.50 hr, UNTIL THAT JOB FINISHED. Kind of like you though , by the time I put it on paper it is just as reasonable to draw unemployment. Like you we're talking GAS HERE IS 3.14 A GALLON.I HAVE ONLY DRAWN UNPLOYMENT 3 TIMES IN MY WORKING CARRER . Again just how do you know what I am doing ???You must be a Zachry hand??? Yes, I am desperate to get back into work and provide for my family, and see dreams come true.I did have a chance to go to IRAQ, but due to some requirements I couldn't meet at this time it was given to someone else. I also hav a gig with Coastal set up, but couldn't meet requirements to the fact of no R&R AND WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE MY FAMILY FOR 1 YEAR. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I DO HAVE A FAMILY AND DO , THINK THAT THE JOBS WOULD BENEFIT FROM LETTING THEIR EMPLOYEES WIVES TO VISIT AND ALSO TO HAVE R&R. So since you have been in this for several years maybe you have some good suggestions. Also, I would go back to China ,given the oppurnity, just to see one finished. I have put out a good effort to find work.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

[mexfishguide]

It does my heart good to find I am not the only concerned bastard on site.

Painter Mike, you sound like a good person, what is going on with the call for your trade at this time, in China????

Boy how I remember the type writter days and hand written resumes, it took days to get to the companys and days to hear back and days for them to check references. If you were not in a working network of good ol boys you were screwed.:wtf

Several years ago I was interested in working overseas, a good friend of mine ask, you sure you want to go? I said yes, he went into the office made a call and said, you have an appointment next wednesday in San Francisco. Bam I was gone.:blahslap

Take Care
Mexfishguide:cheers

[paintermike]

It does my heart good to find I am not the only concerned bastard on site.

Painter Mike, you sound like a good person, what is going on with the call for your trade at this time, in China????

Boy how I remember the type writter days and hand written resumes, it took days to get to the companys and days to hear back and days for them to check references. If you were not in a working network of good ol boys you were screwed.:wtf

Several years ago I was interested in working overseas, a good friend of mine ask, you sure you want to go? I said yes, he went into the office made a call and said, you have an appointment next wednesday in San Francisco. Bam
Take Care
Mexfishguide:cheersWell, first of all I don't know about the Good Person.I'm just me.Thank You though for your comment. I was probably the first on to get my name in the hat, since it was during the 4th that this job was posted. I have e-mailed and called the office trying to talk to Corrine, and was able to finally reach her. I was told that it will be 7-10 days because Bo is on R/R.I GUARNTEE YOU THOUGH, I AM HITTING THE KEYS HARD TO FIND A JOB.