- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
- Messages
- 3,001
Oh absolutely, there are lazy kids, lazy employees, self entitled spoiled brats. Everywhere. Every generation and maybe today’s generation is worse, it probably is, but I’m talking about the automotive trade specifically. And you said that yourself “25 years ago” you ran into this problem, it doesn’t just exist today.
This is a very tough trade and employers just don’t pay. They won’t pay to retain talent, they won’t provide benefits fitting of most careers and then when they can’t keep their employees...they whine and blame everyone else. But themselves. I’ve seen this first hand. I’ve had many employers come to me asking why they just can’t find good techs, keep them in the trade and retain them. It’s real simple, they won’t pay THEM. In a trade that requires a ridiculous amount of training, tools and knowledge of mechanics, electricity, hydraulics, air conditioning, machining, welding...heck, just about everything under the sun. These guys don’t get payed like they should. And their benefits are ridiculous. So they leave. Plain and simple. And then the service manager at the dealership pretends to wonder why. It’s laughable. I have tremendous respect for technicians...dealer owners and service managers? Not so much. Sorry not really sorry.
There are literally thousands of different careers in the United States. In the top 300 lowest paying careers in the US the automotive trade has 5 placements in it...service technician mechanic/recondition tech/motorcycle technician/ boat mechanic/small engine repair. The only other trades that were even on that list were culinary, metal fabrication and machinist. A locksmith makes more in most states than a technician. That’s unacceptable to me (no offense to locksmiths). There was no electricians, plumbers, or carpenters on that list. There was no auto day guys either (because in some states insurance regulations don’t hurt their hourly wage). And I’ll tell what I’m financing...machinists are getting paid right now - they will probably move off that 300 list - a place like GE will train, retain and pay a machinist. They will give them a great benefit package and hourly wage, with yearly raises. The automotive trade needs to step up and put some of their profits to the people that actually fix these cars. IMO.
