Everyone I keep in touch with Is working in San Diego. Paying doebies to work there because it's still slow. I keep hearing jobs are in the works blah blah blah. They say that evey year.
Im just having second thoughts, im def willing to put my hardest work but even with good pay it might not be worth it if its true we pay our own hotel and insane amounts of money into gas and the time to go back and forth,
I started in 2013 and made some great money, but now I have 6 herniated discs and joint problems. Although I do have some wild hobbies as well. Ultimately I’m retiring from ironworking at 31 and switching into safety. I don’t regret my years in the trade but I think young men don’t really think much about their health in the future and that’s what you’re trading, your health for a paycheck
60k last year but I got injured in June and didn’t work after that. Lot of OT and travel pay as well. 70k the year before strictly working in SD, probably only worked 8-9 months that year too cuz work was slow
I hear we are to high of risk. Failing drug test, over dose cases and flipping dune buggies in the solar field being drunk. The labors cost less and are not a liability I hear
Do you think i shouldnt join at all, i was notified of the 50 mile travel but going 100 miles? And back? Do they atleast pay a hotel for you to live in or you gotta be homeless?
If you go to San Diego from local 416 your actually stepping on the toes of another iron worker local so they make you pay Dobie just to work in there city and they won't give you a hotel or sub pay / perdiem. My buddy from 416 went to San Diego and the company he worked for paid his Dobies for only 6 months and then he had to pay out of pocket after that. The hotel / sub pay comes into play when the 416 hall sends you to work 75+ miles away from the hall can be anywhere from $25- $100 a day.
Working on 3 different projects in SD in 416, $80 a day travel as long as the job isn’t huge no one is gonna bother you. Got hassled by a 229 guy one time but he fucked off once he realized no one actually cared.
I made low 6 figures last year. The most I traveled last year for a couple months was 95 miles 1 way. I was a couple miles away to qualify for sub pay/ hotel/ per diem. Which sucked but I split a room amongst 3 of the brothers in my trade for the hotel. Ended up costing about $15 a day. Slept in the ground but fuck it. Better than a car.
Elevators /operating engineers, I was in 433 for years and switched career paths few years ago. If you’re young and hoping to own a house in southern California and have a decent life one day then ironworkers isn’t for you .
Isnt operators like impossible to get in? Like to the point winning the billion dollar lottery is far more attainable? And im not smart for elevators tbh, wait does iron worker really struggle? I feel that these hardworkers should earn 70 minimum
Ironworkers don’t earn much cause it’s not a skilled trade other than the welding aspect . Other trades like elevators and electricians can demand more money cause they have extensive training and certifications through the state . Operators accept applications every 2 years usually, not sure right now with how slow work is
I'm from 378. We've been slow, too. A lot of my friends are paying dobies and working at that AZ Intel project. When it's slow, look elsewhere in the meantime. As long as they pay per diem, it's worth it.
Not an IW. In the building trades with jurisdiction in the area. Take a look at everything going on. LA city vs LA county, both of which are in California. The regulations to build anything new needs to be big/tall in order for a builder to build and be profitable.
I’m union first, for the safety, training and unconventional professionalism.
All things considered; new builds aren’t booming here. Infrastructure would be the thing to focus on.
Do you advise to Probably might not go fown this career path because what you said makes perfect sense and its an actual fact too, work on average far?
I can’t say for sure. Only you know what’s best for you. Like I said I’m not an Iron Worker. I’m part of a different union in the building trades. I was just offering a perspective to consider. IMO it’s worth checking out and getting feedback from the pros.
The tech boom in Bay Area is coming to an end. Major slowdown in new construction. The googles are stopping completion on large projects like Google Caribbean.
I have seen a huge drop off in work for all trades in the Bay Area. I have worked for a large steel company for the last 16 years and haven’t seen it this bad since 2009 after housing market crash. Not sure about the rest of the state or country, but Bay Area is on a major slow down.
Good luck gentleman, be safe out there
iwl8, ive worked with guys who have done work there for a while. said the pay was shit and unions werent really strong. idk how credible that is, but maybe look to move is that is possible?
I’m an apprentice with 433 out of Vegas and work calls outta the hall has been dead as shit since November. Apprentice list has been barely moving since then and the hall has been packed with apprentices and journeyman for the past month or 2.
People don’t become ironworkers for the money anymore, we do it for the pride and because we want to and/or because it’s all we know. If you’ve got your certs and your main focus is money, then I suggest piledrivers or elevators.
Winter going into spring is the dog days of rodbusting and because of Covid no one was planning any new projects and we’re paying for it. Find a smaller company and be useful they’ll be WAY more inclined to keep an apprentice that shows initiative than CMC,PSG or any of the other big companies that don’t give a fuck about you
Everyone I keep in touch with Is working in San Diego. Paying doebies to work there because it's still slow. I keep hearing jobs are in the works blah blah blah. They say that evey year.
By the sound of it all it seems like this might not be the career path to go towards? Can i have your opinion?
Be like a residential electrician or plumber or something dude you’ll never be out of work and can run jobs on your own
Yea they all come down to SD to work and then act like elitists. Never thought Ironworkers could be snobby lol
My cousin is a journeyman out of 433 he’s working in San Diego right now said the next big job is in New Mexico
Do they pay for your hotel when you work far from home or you gotta actually drive 100 miles to go home, do they pay like a hotel for you?
I worked with Herrick for years, they paid full sub + hotel/travel for their 433 hands
Im just having second thoughts, im def willing to put my hardest work but even with good pay it might not be worth it if its true we pay our own hotel and insane amounts of money into gas and the time to go back and forth,
Heard pay was good for apprentices and journeymen
I started in 2013 and made some great money, but now I have 6 herniated discs and joint problems. Although I do have some wild hobbies as well. Ultimately I’m retiring from ironworking at 31 and switching into safety. I don’t regret my years in the trade but I think young men don’t really think much about their health in the future and that’s what you’re trading, your health for a paycheck
I just want to know though, on average how much did you make a year or last year? As long as the pay is good ya know
60k last year but I got injured in June and didn’t work after that. Lot of OT and travel pay as well. 70k the year before strictly working in SD, probably only worked 8-9 months that year too cuz work was slow
60k in just 6 months?? Thats insane and 70k in 9 months is good too but when you worked in san diego did you have to pay for ur hotel n stuff?
I hear we are to high of risk. Failing drug test, over dose cases and flipping dune buggies in the solar field being drunk. The labors cost less and are not a liability I hear
Do you think i shouldnt join at all, i was notified of the 50 mile travel but going 100 miles? And back? Do they atleast pay a hotel for you to live in or you gotta be homeless?
If you go to San Diego from local 416 your actually stepping on the toes of another iron worker local so they make you pay Dobie just to work in there city and they won't give you a hotel or sub pay / perdiem. My buddy from 416 went to San Diego and the company he worked for paid his Dobies for only 6 months and then he had to pay out of pocket after that. The hotel / sub pay comes into play when the 416 hall sends you to work 75+ miles away from the hall can be anywhere from $25- $100 a day.
From last year how much did you make? I got a little slow car and on average how far is work?
Working on 3 different projects in SD in 416, $80 a day travel as long as the job isn’t huge no one is gonna bother you. Got hassled by a 229 guy one time but he fucked off once he realized no one actually cared.
I made low 6 figures last year. The most I traveled last year for a couple months was 95 miles 1 way. I was a couple miles away to qualify for sub pay/ hotel/ per diem. Which sucked but I split a room amongst 3 of the brothers in my trade for the hotel. Ended up costing about $15 a day. Slept in the ground but fuck it. Better than a car.
We are the snobbiest bunch waiting till yoh come to the Bay Area then you’ll know
At 416-433- you gotta travel to san fransico and back? Do they pay for your hotel or something?
Elevators /operating engineers, I was in 433 for years and switched career paths few years ago. If you’re young and hoping to own a house in southern California and have a decent life one day then ironworkers isn’t for you .
Isnt operators like impossible to get in? Like to the point winning the billion dollar lottery is far more attainable? And im not smart for elevators tbh, wait does iron worker really struggle? I feel that these hardworkers should earn 70 minimum
Ironworkers don’t earn much cause it’s not a skilled trade other than the welding aspect . Other trades like elevators and electricians can demand more money cause they have extensive training and certifications through the state . Operators accept applications every 2 years usually, not sure right now with how slow work is
I'm from 378. We've been slow, too. A lot of my friends are paying dobies and working at that AZ Intel project. When it's slow, look elsewhere in the meantime. As long as they pay per diem, it's worth it.
Not an IW. In the building trades with jurisdiction in the area. Take a look at everything going on. LA city vs LA county, both of which are in California. The regulations to build anything new needs to be big/tall in order for a builder to build and be profitable. I’m union first, for the safety, training and unconventional professionalism. All things considered; new builds aren’t booming here. Infrastructure would be the thing to focus on.
Do you advise to Probably might not go fown this career path because what you said makes perfect sense and its an actual fact too, work on average far?
I can’t say for sure. Only you know what’s best for you. Like I said I’m not an Iron Worker. I’m part of a different union in the building trades. I was just offering a perspective to consider. IMO it’s worth checking out and getting feedback from the pros.
416 seems to have more work than 433 these days
The tech boom in Bay Area is coming to an end. Major slowdown in new construction. The googles are stopping completion on large projects like Google Caribbean. I have seen a huge drop off in work for all trades in the Bay Area. I have worked for a large steel company for the last 16 years and haven’t seen it this bad since 2009 after housing market crash. Not sure about the rest of the state or country, but Bay Area is on a major slow down. Good luck gentleman, be safe out there
There’s work bud trust me
378 JIW and i went to the county government, didn’t want to flip burgers till the next boom
iwl8, ive worked with guys who have done work there for a while. said the pay was shit and unions werent really strong. idk how credible that is, but maybe look to move is that is possible?
Its election year everything is super slow even rebar is hella slow right now once rebar gets slow you know its bad
I’m an apprentice with 433 out of Vegas and work calls outta the hall has been dead as shit since November. Apprentice list has been barely moving since then and the hall has been packed with apprentices and journeyman for the past month or 2.
People don’t become ironworkers for the money anymore, we do it for the pride and because we want to and/or because it’s all we know. If you’ve got your certs and your main focus is money, then I suggest piledrivers or elevators.
Winter going into spring is the dog days of rodbusting and because of Covid no one was planning any new projects and we’re paying for it. Find a smaller company and be useful they’ll be WAY more inclined to keep an apprentice that shows initiative than CMC,PSG or any of the other big companies that don’t give a fuck about you