[SKEETO]

Louisiana:
Texas:
Northern States:

[sidhou]

4 dollars/hour,40 dollars/day.China
I can not believe that...But this is the highest CNC operater salary in China

[SIG]

4 dollars/hour,40 dollars/day.China
I can not believe that...But this is the highest CNC operater salary in China

Is it true that some shops offer room and board?

[gibbsman]

4 dollars/hour,40 dollars/day.China
I can not believe that...But this is the highest CNC operater salary in China

Just as a reminder, this was the first response that I saw to the original post (4$\hr). We can all piss & moan that we don't make the X# of dollars that we feel we deserve in this trade and that boycotting chinese made products is the solution but mabey the true enemy we should fight is in the mirror.

USA = 300 million population (10-30$\hr)
Canada = 30 milion population (10-30$\hr)
China = 1.3 billion (4$\hr) How do you fight this workforce?

I don't make these judgements from a highhorse somewhere, I make over 30$\hr at my shop, it's simply an observation that is open to comments.

[Router Lady]

You're right!!! I do feel very lucky to be where I am. Not only do they only make $4.00 a hour in chian, I would bet that women are not able to have a CNC job if they wanted.

It would be nice if we on earth could all have the same out of life.

[Geof]

....It would be nice if we on earth could all have the same out of life.

It does depend from which direction you approach 'same'.

Take a weighted average;

{300 million x 30$\hr + 30 milion population x 30$\hr + 1.3 billion x 4$\hr}/3

The result is marginally above $4/hr.

[CSKkarfoon]

In Singapore ,
we introduce CNC operator from China, the are paid US500 a month for for
176hrs so that works out US2.84 an hour sound cheap for a guy that oush the green button.

[dubb75]

China might only be making $4.00 hr, but American money is worth 7 times more, so if they are getting $4.00 hr it is $28.00 hr in American money.
Just in case anyone cares.

[dubb75]

Hi new to the forum, I've been a machinist for 17 years. I make my own programs and set up my own machines and run them. I make $22. hr.
Good bad i don't know.

[HarryC]

4 dollars/hour,40 dollars/day.China
I can not believe that...But this is the highest CNC operater salary in China

I wonder if this has changed much in China since 2006?

[ca_mold_maker]

Here in Sacramento CA operators (parts changers) make 12-16/hr

I'm the lead programmer/setup guy for 10 cnc's in 3 departments and I'm making 32/hr. I make more than the average around here because we machine green/fired ceramics. Its a constant battle with these machines and this material. I replace screws and ways every 2-6 months.

[Cartesian-xyz]

Here in the Northern Idaho a CNC operator that can use a Good setup sheet and perform a basic setup to include TLO and multi-fixture offset, and protect your machinery will bring the 10.00-14.00/Hr. They may even be able to check there own work and make some inteligent decisions!
CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr.
But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

[oldrusty]

Here in the Northern Idaho a CNC operator that can use a Good setup sheet and perform a basic setup to include TLO and multi-fixture offset, and protect your machinery will bring the 10.00-14.00/Hr. They may even be able to check there own work and make some inteligent decisions!
CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr.
But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

Ps: The reason there are no machinists is because they cant live on 16-20 dollars (1975 wages) and raise a family (at least here in Toronto Ontario Canada ) so why would a young person train half their life for said occupation> It not hard to figure out. Pay for the experience and its there, respect those that have spent their time in the trade and see the what they will do for you.

[Rowboat]

Ps: The reason there are no machinists is because they cant live on 16-20 dollars (1975 wages) and raise a family (at least here in Toronto Ontario Canada ) so why would a young person train half their life for said occupation> It not hard to figure out. Pay for the experience and its there, respect those that have spent their time in the trade and see the what they will do for you.

The biggest problem with the up and coming youth is the sense of entitlement!
I agree that you need to make a decent wage to have a good life.
BUT, you have to "pay you dues"! Kids today expect 6 digit salaries right out of high school. They come to you with the skills of a bent fork and a chip the size of Texas on their shoulder. If they mess up numerous times and you yell at them, the cry and say you can't treat them like that.
Anybody have any apprentices working for them right now will attest to this, I'll bet!

10 bucks is minimum wage here in Toronto. A machine operator, just starting out, has to watch a machine work and change the part when necessary. Not a skilled trade!
A designer/programmer/diagnostic specialist/machine mechanic has put in some significant time and is working up the ladder = more money.

[Barry Young]

CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr.
But WHERE ARE THEY. As a productions manager for a small OEM it is frustrating not to find the skill level I need to produce parts I need for our product. I have seen over the past 15 yrs an alarming decline in the skilled trade of the machinist! Atleast here in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone ELSE?

Try paying a reasonable wage then. As a skilled machinist with many years experience who makes twice what your top of scale is, I can say that your problem is not a small pool of skilled people, it is the small wage you are willing to pay. By the way, I am in the Pacific Northwest. I want to live in Northeastern Washington, Northern Idaho or Northwestern Montana. I have worked as a Machinist lathe/mill/grind/5 axis, Programmer, Inspector, Planner and Process Engineer. I am the guy you are looking for, but there is no way someone with my skills and experience wants to work for what you are willing to pay. Not to mention that you have a State income tax which makes your low offer even lower. If you want people, you have to be willing to pay for them, especially in an environment where everyone is screaming for machinists. The shop I am in now is paying operators who have been through our 6 week course of training $23.00. So why would any skilled people even want to work for your low wage? Your message makes it sound like you think $20/hr. is a lot of money. It isn't. not now. Maybe after 9/11 but not now. There are lots of skilled people in the job pool. There are also lots of jobs. The salad days of underpaying for labor are, for the forseeable future, gone. So, trade in the Mercedes on a Chevy and start paying people.

Barry Young

[okumadude]

Try paying a reasonable wage then. As a skilled machinist with many years experience who makes twice what your top of scale is, I can say that your problem is not a small pool of skilled people, it is the small wage you are willing to pay. By the way, I am in the Pacific Northwest. I want to live in Northeastern Washington, Northern Idaho or Northwestern Montana. I have worked as a Machinist lathe/mill/grind/5 axis, Programmer, Inspector, Planner and Process Engineer. I am the guy you are looking for, but there is no way someone with my skills and experience wants to work for what you are willing to pay. Not to mention that you have a State income tax which makes your low offer even lower. If you want people, you have to be willing to pay for them, especially in an environment where everyone is screaming for machinists. The shop I am in now is paying operators who have been through our 6 week course of training $23.00. So why would any skilled people even want to work for your low wage? Your message makes it sound like you think $20/hr. is a lot of money. It isn't. not now. Maybe after 9/11 but not now. There are lots of skilled people in the job pool. There are also lots of jobs. The salad days of underpaying for labor are, for the forseeable future, gone. So, trade in the Mercedes on a Chevy and start paying people.

Barry Young

I am so tiried of hearing my employer tell us at meetings that, "we are the the only ones left in this area that pay well". I've been cuttting metal for 24 years, and I've got to tell ya, in 1997, I was making $22.44/hour. That job went away to.. well ......I don't know. It was a screw machine shop, and I was the Journeyman/Leadman/Set-up/Operator/FREEKIN ENGINEER of everything that department produced.

Now I, program/ set-up/operate an OKUMA LB35-2-m for a different employer. I currently make $18.50 /hour. I was granted my Journeymans papers in 1990. IT MEANS NOTHING TO ANY EMPLOYER in Western New York.


After 9-11, I could not even BUY a job if I had the means.

North America needs to get back into the REAL world.

I sure as h### wont leave the house for $10.00/hour.

[ewest]

F'ing RIGHT Barry!!!! That's hitting the nail right on the head. Too many cheap prick managers in this world. Third world wages get you third world results.

Try paying a reasonable wage then. As a skilled machinist with many years experience who makes twice what your top of scale is, I can say that your problem is not a small pool of skilled people, it is the small wage you are willing to pay. By the way, I am in the Pacific Northwest. I want to live in Northeastern Washington, Northern Idaho or Northwestern Montana. I have worked as a Machinist lathe/mill/grind/5 axis, Programmer, Inspector, Planner and Process Engineer. I am the guy you are looking for, but there is no way someone with my skills and experience wants to work for what you are willing to pay. Not to mention that you have a State income tax which makes your low offer even lower. If you want people, you have to be willing to pay for them, especially in an environment where everyone is screaming for machinists. The shop I am in now is paying operators who have been through our 6 week course of training $23.00. So why would any skilled people even want to work for your low wage? Your message makes it sound like you think $20/hr. is a lot of money. It isn't. not now. Maybe after 9/11 but not now. There are lots of skilled people in the job pool. There are also lots of jobs. The salad days of underpaying for labor are, for the forseeable future, gone. So, trade in the Mercedes on a Chevy and start paying people.

Barry Young

[aaron p]

$18/hr to machine $250,000 parts on a Integrex 650H-2 Mazak. We do programing on the machine as well. Im getting F**KED!

[cncjunky]

$18/hr to machine $250,000 parts on a Integrex 650H-2 Mazak. We do programing on the machine as well. Im getting F**KED!

how are you being f*cked? is it your machine your tooling materials? No, so how are you being f*cked? I agree you should make more then a tool loader and material loader, which it sounds like your not, but you be glad you have a job as I stated for all the reasons in the last post I posted.

[Cartesian-xyz]

Please dont misunderstand me. As a Production Manager I do not set the wages for the company , that is the Company President and General Managers responsibility. Additionally I stated "good" CNC machinist...Not "Exceptional"..or "Brillant"...or "Top Notch". And as a 30 yrs veteran in the trade I have worked with all the above. And in my opion no one above average should be worth less than 20.00/Hr.
However in looking at the Poll percentages it is interesting to note how close
all the wage windows exist. And that the lowest margin is in the UPPER wage bracket. I since this is primaraly a result of geographic location as opposed to any experience level valued result. Supply and demand can drive the winds of wages as well as the value of our properties. Unfortunately this can give some a false since of value realitive to there true value in the trade.(Either + or -)

As stated by tobyaxis in an earlier post

BTW: Most of the people I meet in Shops call themselves First Class Machinists, but they are nothing more than Overpaid Glorified Machine Operators, nothing more.

Here is a Test.

1) Go to a Mill guy and ask him to make an Arbor for an Indexing Head.

2) Go to a Lathe guy and ask him to make a Fixture for holding an irregular shaped part that need to be Turned.

3) Ask both to Sharpen a Drill buy hand.

4) Ask both to make a Gear on a Bridgeport.

5) Ask both to the other's Job for one day.

Try these and see what results you get. Chances are you will get a puzzled look or a "That's Not My Job" answer.

The answer you should get is NONE, they just go and do what was asked.

That is a Machinist!!!!!!

YAAAAAA......Well put tobyaxis
This is the Machinist I feel is VERY difficult to find at any wage!

But as I stated in my post earlier, I have a hard time even finding "good machinst".


CNC machinist with good milling and turning capabilities, tooling and planning abilities coupled with inspection plate skills will bring 16.00-20.00+/Hr. But WHERE ARE THEY.