[elorenz]

I work in a machine shop w 15 other guys in Ohio making plastic parts for a lot or companies including D.O.D. Companies. I run a Haas vf2(only guy in shop who knows how to run a mill) I do my own cad work write my own programs set up the machine check dimensions make any adjustments make my own fixtures and can grind tools if needed. I would say its about 50/50 between doing second op jobs for the lathes and making completed parts on the mill.

I'm the only one here with any kind of college education (AAS in mechanical engineering tech) and ill have bachelors in a year I started out at $8 5 yearsAgo and worked my way up to 13. And the guys they've recently been hiring are all starting out at around 12-13 / hour and I usually have to train them on cad and programming for weeks.

Everyone here makes 13 Bucks an hour now. No matter if there on the screw machines cnc lathes or manual lathes we all make the same. Even the useless bastard that that just sweepw floor cuts up material and calibrates our Mics makes 13.

So I'm just looking for some opinions of whether or not you guys think I should be paid more or the others should be paid less because I feel like I'm getting the shaft making the same amount as the other guys here.

[Dennis Bohlke]

It's time to move on... Your working for a socialist if everyone makes the same.

If everyone is worth the same, they won't miss you any more or less then the floor sweeper when you are gone.

Just my off the cuff thoughts.

Dennis
www.super-tech.com

[MrWild]

Start looking. You should be at or over $18.

[laszlozoltan]

it is important to push yourself to learn new things than just settling in. although your area may have few stable shops hiring, you do owe it to yourself to try to find something more challenging and make a few bucks more in the process. Even if you are offered more money in compensation, there is still a lot more to learn from other experienced machinists at other shops- that can prove to be invaluable in years to come. move on if you can.

[ahunter9624]

i learned a valuable lesson on my first day of my current job. That is NEVER SELL YOURSELF SHORT!!!!!! I accepted his offer of $11 and hr when i wanted $13 because i was young and nieve. i was still making more than before but wasn't were i thought i should be. Less than a year later i told the owner i wanted to take over all programing and machine operations and wanted a $7 and hr raise. I told him i could justify every penny and he gave it to me.

Before you just up and leave you should ask yourself if you like your job and how far you want to go in that company and if thats achievable you need to tell your boss how you feel and tell him what its going to take to please you. If you're as good of an employee as you sound you'll get your money.

[elorenz]

the job is nice the boss is lenient and he lets me work odd ball hours so i can still go to school. thats about the only positive thing about the job. theres really no were for me to go up in the job. all we have are machinists designated to there specific area(milling, llathes, screw machines, drill presses) and packaging department and and office people. there arent any foremans or anything like that.

2 years ago my boss came and asked me if i was planning on staying there after i graduated college and i told him i wasnt spending thousands of dollars and 4 years of my time to run a mill for the rest of my life. then he went on to explain how he wants to expand and open up more positions for tool designers and engineers and things like that. he was on a 5 year plan and so far i havent seen one single step towards this plan and im still just sittin on the mill so if he remembers that conversation then he knows what i plan to do.

as soon as i graduate im gettin the hell outa there unless im making enough money to make me happy. i barely get by on my truck and motorcycle payment, insurance, apartment, and food. Plus im expected start paying off school after i graduate... theres no way i can afford that on 13 an hour. and i didnt get any kind of raise when i got my associates...no one has had raises in over a year.

[mactec54]

elorenz

You are not being payed enough for what you are doing, are you doing 40hours or less,This could be the problem, Your boss is treating you like a part timer if you are not doing a 40hour week or more, make sure you have another job before you leave

[elorenz]

elorenz

You are not being payed enough for what you are doing, are you doing 40hours or less,This could be the problem, Your boss is treating you like a part timer if you are not doing a 40hour week or more, make sure you have another job before you leave

no im working a minimum of 40 hours a week. i work 45 hours most of the time sometimes more sometimes less but im full time i always work atleast 40 hours no matter what.

[MrWild]

Oh man.... bye bye baby goodbye.

[MBG]

If you are in school stay in there. If you are able to study even better. Finish your degree up. I am doing the same I have 1 year left of mechanical engineering. Stay in school finish it then worry about your pay.

[ahunter9624]

I think you should stay through school and then make your move. You may ask your boss how that five yr plan is going and see what he says. Have you asked for a raise? If you haven't tried you should. Whats the worse that could happen? He says no you still make $13 an hr.

Just remember what i said when you start your next job. Don't sell yourself short. If you think you deserve 20 an hr don't take less. You can't be mad at your boss for paying you $13 an hr because you agreed to that wage. Alway get promises and plans on paper so you have something to fall back on. If you ask to put it on paper and they get mad then they obviously are full of it.

Another thing i notice about people in general and not you in particular is that they worry about what the guy next to them makes and sometimes get pissy about it. You are responsible for making your own deals with your employer. You can't be madat a guy if he started at $5 and hr higher than you. You should be mad at yourself for not getting that for yourself.

either way i think you need to move on soon. But remember to take care of yourself and don't worry about what someone else makes. Its not his fault he makes more, its your fault you make less. You agree to $13 an hr and go to work every single day. Go get em and good luck. Hope you get the money you deserve.

[neutronics]

Those are China wages. I say move on. You'll be glad you did. Having said that, the job climate is a bit sketchy now so be prepared to look for several months. In the meantime keep performing at your current gig; you don't want to lose that job while you look, and if/when you accept a new offer you'll have more leverage for a counter from your current employer - assuming you'd want to stay.

[harryn]

The flexibility to work non- standard hours in a job is a nice perk, and does have value.

Perhaps you might make up your own 5 year plan and show it to your boss. The plan can have two paths:
- continuing on with the company
- moving on

Show him a spreadsheet of your financial situation and what you believe you need to keep paying for college, assuming you were paying as you go vs borrowing. Borrowing affects your cash flow, but not your costs. Your real, monthly costs, include your education costs, and yes, sometimes this is "in the red". Show in clear black and white numbers that if you include your rent, payments, education, food, etc, that you have negative cash flow at your current income.

The plan can include a spreadsheet page of your estimate of salaries vs skill levels / work, which shows why you are working on your education. Then show how what the new wage needs to be for you to be at break even for your current costs. (including education)

Tell him you have a lot of respect for his business skills, and ask him for his advice on what he thinks of your plan, and that you would like his advice on your plan. This approach enables you to have a completely non confrontational conversation with him in a way which makes him think about your value to him.

It is ideal if you can ask him to go to lunch or have a coffee with you to have the discussion away from work, as this tends to take away the short term distractions.

If he is like most good managers, he will really respect you for asking his advice. It might take some time, even 1-2 weeks for the whole thing to gel in his mind what he needs to do. If he is unable to meet your cash flow needs, then of course he will understand when you eventually move on.

BTW - in this economy, what 5 year plan has held ? Not many.

[laszlozoltan]

I say keep your plans to yourself- you don't want him thinking he'd better hire that guy who sent in his resume the other day because you are feeling a bit antsy. If you can find a better paying job with the flexibility or the perks you enjoy on the down-low then it's your call what to do then; you don't want to ruin your final year in school, so keep that on the top shelf

[Caprirs]

I'll play devil's advocate a little here.

For a guy who is supposed to have a Bachelor's degree in a year, your written communications are lacking. Hopefully, that is only because you're venting on an informal message board.

The employer will pay his people whatever he thinks they are worthto his company. He is the customer with the money, you are the seller with the commodity (your skills). It is your responsibility to get top dollar for your product. It is his responsibility to get your skills for the least amount of money it takes to keep you. He is under no obligation to pay as much as possible for your skills.

Your employer may have an policy that everyone be paid the same to simplify payroll, overhead, hiring, etc. He might even perceive an even pay scale eliminates the exact issue you are having. If that is the case, it is having the opposite effect in this instance.

If your employer knows you are going to school, he may be working on the assumption you will leave immediately upon completion of the degree so there is no benefit in trying to induce you to stay with higher pay. Have you discussed your future after the degree?

These are all things you have to discuss with your employer in a business conversation, leave personal feelings aside. That is often difficult to do when you feel slighted.

You are to be commended for sticking with the education. It's tough to do while working full time and will be worthwhile when you're done. Definitely shop yourself around and negotiate the best deal you can.

[holbieone]

I work in a machine shop w 15 other guys in Ohio making plastic parts for a lot or companies including D.O.D. Companies. I run a Haas vf2(only guy in shop who knows how to run a mill) I do my own cad work write my own programs set up the machine check dimensions make any adjustments make my own fixtures and can grind tools if needed. I would say its about 50/50 between doing second op jobs for the lathes and making completed parts on the mill.

I'm the only one here with any kind of college education (AAS in mechanical engineering tech) and ill have bachelors in a year I started out at $8 5 yearsAgo and worked my way up to 13. And the guys they've recently been hiring are all starting out at around 12-13 / hour and I usually have to train them on cad and programming for weeks.

Everyone here makes 13 Bucks an hour now. No matter if there on the screw machines cnc lathes or manual lathes we all make the same. Even the useless bastard that that just sweepw floor cuts up material and calibrates our Mics makes 13.

So I'm just looking for some opinions of whether or not you guys think I should be paid more or the others should be paid less because I feel like I'm getting the shaft making the same amount as the other guys here.

After reading your post , $13.00 is all i would pay you too!

It has nothing to do with what you can do or what you know !

If you don't have the balls to go get what you want you will always be making $13.00 hr.

no one is going to hand you anything not these days .

[fizzissist]

I'd be looking for a new job. There's employers out there who will make allowances for schooling, especially for someone who's intelligent and looking to move up.

Sounds like what you're doing is simply training your replacement.

Learn everything you can while you're at this job, and don't feel like they're doing you any favors....They're paying what they can get away with, and you're working for what you'll accept.

Let me add this though....with what you're doing, at the level you are doing it (assuming you're being honest), you're undermining the trade for the rest of us because now, at least THAT company, only has to pay $13/hr.

Me? I CAN'T work for that much.

[glovebox20]

:bs: Tool boxes have wheels for a reason.

Keep a positive aptitude and start looking for another employer. Once you find a new place to work, drop the bomb on and say "if you can't give me this, I'm going". I worked for one employer who would never give more than the 50 cent raise per year. Than one day I turned in my pink slip. For some weird reason he was much more negotiable and I got a $3 raise, and fewer hours and a day shift position. And I still walked away. He was MAD!!. If he would treat his employees like human beings and not like overhead, I might of stayed.

Just don't burn bridges if you can help it. Some day you might need help from an unlikely source.

glovebox20

[UWP_Wes]

I had a job like this when I was in school. I was working as a commercial truck mechanic when I could. The boss let me come and go as I needed and never hassled me. I didn't make as much as the other guys in the shop, but they worked standard hours and could be counted on to always be there. They also had more of their own tools. My boss understood that I would not want to stay there after finishing school.

He was happy because I was productive when I was there and he could pay me less. I was happy because it was flexible and I could still go to school.

I don't know your age or if you have a family or house. But, think about how much other college students are earning while in school. Admittedly, they are probably doing more menial jobs.

These guys are right. Get out of there when you have your degree. You will have an education and 5 years experience, can't beat that.

-Wes

[dertsap]

the employer is obviously aware that your going to school , and he came to you with his 5 yr plan . I'm sure that he was hoping that you'd want to be a part of it , but judging by what you said you showed no interest in his plan . now he's going to be left believing that your going to bail the minute your out of school . he's not going to be at the point pay you more than the other guys or invest much effort into your happiness if your just going to up and leave . Employees are an investment (in good companies)
are you the only guy he presented his 5 yr plan to or did he show that to everyone . if it was only you then you had your opportunity to advance further than the other guys