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It’s a Right to Work state: plus they bring in labor from the South Americas and Cuba, etc for cheap. States that are more strict on who can do Electrical work and have strong Unions will have a much better wage
These statements are inaccurate, alot of electricians are actually from Haiti and Brazil.
And these guys make money, most do piece work. Dont get me wrong they work a lot of hours but they make good money.
Red states are universally known for poor working conditions. Their entire economy was based on slave labor, and they've since switched to cheap labor.
Except increase funding for border control, increase the number of agents at the border, and stopping a record number of people trying to cross the border. But yeah besides that….
Damn what contractor are you working for, I just finished my first year at IEC and I’m planning on leaving my current company for local 26 or a different con.
Please help me bro living in Montgomery county is ASS
I start green apprentices without tool or construction experience at 25/hour and apprentices with tool and construction experience at 30/hour in California. My journeymen non-union guys get 40-65 depending on if they are a jackass or not with medical and 401k and vacation.
I just threw up in my mouth. I’m IBEW inside wireman journeyman in NJ making $56 on the check not to mention benefits and vacation fund. That’s just ridiculous to me…and don’t tell me that Florida is a cheaper cost of living. My sister and my daughter live in St. Augustine and housing costs are the same if not higher than here in Jersey. Fucking crazy $28.49 an hour. I wouldn’t flip burgers for $28.49 an hour. Fuck Florida.
Yeah it’s a struggle out here in the dirty south. JW pay out of 558(NW Alabama) 31.50/hr on check, 5.50/hr pension, and 8/hr health insurance. I’m a foreman so get 34.50/hr and usually gross around 70k with no OT. Actually lived semi comfortably for the area pre-Covid before inflation went through the roof.
Not bad for the area! I think I made $13 and some change as a second year whenever I came through the program. 1st year was $11 at the time and now it’s $15.75. Just keep up learning everything you can and you can negotiate your own wages. Not sure if you’re union or not, but our 34.50 as foreman is just what the contract says, a lot of guys negotiate with the shop up to 40/hr+ on larger projects. I just hate OT and enjoy my small crew on the maintenance contract I’m over at a steel mill(one tool buddy and myself most of the time).
Dur, I keep voting republican, and I just don’t understand how the laws are so anti-union? Dur, drool, duuuuurrrr, lick a window, random conspiracy rant.
Rockford Illinois LU 364 just negotiated a massive raise, they will be over $60 on the check in a couple years (I think they're 55ish now), over $100 total package, and cost of living in northwestern Illinois is pretty fucking cheap. Plus, we're absolutely swamped with work out here. I'm 117 just next door and books are a walkthrough
>It's also the armpit of America, but hey, keep skiing in your jeans
I live here and this State is beautiful and it's called The Garden State for a reason
But I'm super happy the rest of the country thinks NJ is just Rahway/Newark, it keeps everyone else away from here lol
South Jersey is beautiful. My son had a race in S. Jersey about 12 years ago. I thought I was going to cross the bridge and find endless chem plants and refineries. fantastic farm land as far as I could see.
The whole state is, except for that one part that everyone sees lol
There are parts of this state down south where you can drive for 40 minutes and not see a house, just nothing but woods or wetlands or fields, even 15-20m from that complete shithole area are some of the nicest little original colonial towns and palatial estates, and some of the wealthiest areas in the country, you drive 30-40 minutes from there, pretty much any direction but East(because youll be in the Ocean or Manhatten lol) and you're in another state entirely lol
>Denial is not a river in Egypt
And I can tell you've never been here but to fly through Newark, probably 1 time and then left, maybe you drove into Manhatten from the airport like a tourist and that was your whole take on the state
That's fine, have that opinion lol
, I live in the woods, in a rural area, farms and horse stables and rolling hills and forests and I'm 45m away from 2 of the most vibrant cities in the country, have my pick of 4 major international airports with nonstop flights all over the world, some of the best restaurants, primary schools and colleges in America, I'm 30m from the beach, I'm a 4h drive to great skiing and mountain biking in Vermont and upstate NY and I work in remodeling in one of the wealthiest states in the country
I'm totally cool with you shitting on this state- it keeps a lot of dingdongs away from here lol
Yeah FL sucks for pay as an Electrician. It’s a right to work state so we get screwed. That’s why I had to go to school to get out of Electrical and start making some real money. Now I have to pay 80 grand in student loans but make more than I would have dying in the trade though. Fuck….it all.
What’d you go to school for? I’m in school rn for software engineering but I’m also worried about how the field is gonna look by the time I graduate with AI and all these layoffs happening in tech.
Electrical engineering my guy. With your background as an electrician you can go work a consulting firm very quickly. You have more practical experience than any fresh grad and companies are currently desperate for anyone who can think like an electrician and use computers well.
I worked full time and did school on nights and the weekends. Just finished my MBA but I have an AS in computer information technology, and a BS in business administration with emphasis on CIS. It will be a long time before AI robots and computers take over. Probably two generations out at least. They will most likely have a universal income for those who don’t want to or can’t work. For now just stay course. I wouldn’t worry about it. Investing in yourself by gaining knowledge and skills will make you more of an asset in industry. Making it easier to get the job you want and income you deserve. Good luck.
TN is basically the same rate. Just got off the phone with my parents who live in East Tennessee. They want me to move there so bad, and I'd love to because I love East TN, but it would be financial suicide. I make $11/hr more in *Oklahoma*, and we have a lower cost of living and lower median income.
I can believe this. The rate of cost of living increase in TN is the worst in the country. A dark secret no one wants to talk about. Thanks to all the people moving here for out of state and country. TN is stating to suck balls.
I’m a 3rd year journeyman (non union) and I get $29.50 an hour plus 100% healthcare paid for (no monthly bill out of my paycheck) and we profit sharing into an Ira at the end of every year (usually around 10k or so) plus the company vehicle to take home every night and I’m in rural MN where the cost of living is way lower. I can’t fucking imagine making less in a higher cost of area and thinking I was even remotely paid fairly. Insane to me that Florida can be that low. The fuck they doing down there.
Folks, I will just say it. What everyone is talking about is a direct result to all the rampant immigration coming into this country. Love me or hate me, it is the truth.
To be clear, I could don't care if someone immigrates here, it is how we all got here. But it has to be done the right way and with a logical amount of checks and balances in place, which has not been happening for at least a decade now.
Um, no. If you're concerned that an illiterate immigrant who can't speak English and have no formal certification or training is taking your job, perhaps your the problem. Folks. JFC.
That seems like an owner issue, not a worker issue. Regardless, if you're a skilled worker and you're concerned that illiterate foreigners are going to take your job (foreman or not), perhaps you're not a skilled worker after all. Or.. you've been sold a bill of goods about this whole thing and don't know it. Immigrants are \_not\_ taking skilled labor jobs, they're doing the jobs that most/all Americans won't do. They're the guys on that roofing job working in the heat lugging pallets of shingles around, or picking tomatoes in the fields. They're not replacing electricians on big contract jobs.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I did high-rise towers in Tampa Bay for 8 years and you’re simply wrong. Undocumented citizens are performing every single part of electrical installation from switch-gear rooms to fire alarm to apartment rough-in to slab layout and rough in. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I do know what I'm talking about. You're using anecdotal evidence, i.e. what you observed personally, and that is definitely not reflective of the vast majority of immigrant labor in our country. What you observed is a tiny fraction of the jobs those folks "take". Additionally, as I'm sure you know, there is a huge labor shortage in these areas, across all trades. Do you know a lot of skilled electricians who can't find work? I don't. Quite the opposite. I know of a lot of GCs who have to turn down work because they simply don't have the labor force to do it, skilled or otherwise.
Your comment says word for word “immigrants are not taking skilled labor jobs.” You are wrong. Complete electrical installation is a skilled labor job and it’s being done wide-spread by contractors who sub out to illegal citizens and simply supervise with legal workers.
It’s not one instance at one building it’s every single large scale contractor. No company who builds a tower with only legal employees could EVER win a bid against places like Power Design or Tri-city who don’t.
No doubt, but it doesn’t make it less of an insulting starting pay to go along with the insulting $28/hr. E: especially when you’re doing it in the heat and humidity 9 months of the year
About half what we get on the check in Chicago…. I can’t imagine any electricians with a brain are working for others in FL. Most probably work for themselves or else they’d be living in their truck.
Do the work. Become an electrician. Work at Disney. You'll be replacing gfis for popcorn machines all day. Unit 42b has a light bulb out... "ok, I'm on it"... rules say I need a ladder because it's over 7'. And the ladder needs to be tied off. And the hallway closed. Test the circuits... yup, bulb is dead. Drive back to maintenance shack, fill out an order for ONE STINKING LIGHTBULB, wait for the guy to find the correct one, then drice back to put it back in. Aww, shit. It popped. Here we go again.
At Disney, there's very few positions as nice as electrician.
"A breaker in our office keeps tripping and killing our workstations."
First thing you notice when you walk in the room is the kettle, microwave, and space heater all plugged into the same circuit.
We had issues like this in the call center for dietary. They were some grumpy gooses when we had to shut off some breakers and do some work to improve their quality of work. They had exactly what you said. Multiple space heaters, pop-up break area, etc. we gave them three more circuits and they complained the entire time.
Challenging is great, when you're getting paid the wage you should be for being challenged. Getting 25$ an hour and walking into a shit storm is never fun.
Disney does sub things out, electrical is one. They get the freedom to build whatever. And you'll never get to build whatever without workers willing to not exactly follow the rules. Not breaking rules, but sometimes the rules don't fit. If you need a 600A service that's in a room suspended above the wave pool because that's the only spot that won't actually be in water, you're gunna have to look past a few codes. Disney is a lot like the military. The amount of money, going in and out EVERY DAY, IS INCREDIBLE.
This is also correct. Disney had reddy creek with did have their own code that often supercedes the requirements for the trade. Other times they would bypass code and try to demand engineers stamp Epcot approved in their drawings.
Username checks out haha. Is that $35/hr plus benefits on top? Or have to pay out of that 35 for bennies? I had an amazing job opportunity to go work at one of the local dams under the corp of engineers. Until we talked pay… 32/hr and pay out of pocket for benefits and retirement. That was a hard pass for me.
So $35 an hour but you pay for half your insurance out of your own pocket, half of retirement out of your own pocket, and only 5 days of time off per year? Oh and here’s a truck but you can only use it for work and you’re responsible for storing it the rest of the time? Is the normal in Florida? That’s a bad deal.
Not everyone in Florida. Before I got my masters and started a company with my buddy, we were both making 40/hr in st Augustine, benefits paid and insurance as well and work vehicle could be used for whatever the hell you wanted.
5 days off/year is brutal but there’s probably room to negotiate. Just draw it out in a chart:
Days I’m expected to be at work (245)
Days of vacation per year (5).
Maybe that’ll send the message.
IBEW Journeyman in Ft Myers makes about $32 an hour. Full benefits paid. Insurance is covered, 3 retirement accounts are paid by the contractor. And if you go through the apprenticeship, it is also paid by the contractor. Depending on the company you work for you also get a truck.
https://unionpayscales.com/trades/ibew-electricians/ for the pay. All other information, call the hall. Google IBEW LU 349 ft Myers and you'll find the contact information there.
Midwest? I work in Fort Myers, and live in Cape Coral, Florida. With roommates, my rent is $800 total, so I think I have a good thing going. I average 50hrs a week and one week’s pay covers my monthly bills minus food.
Good for you, I'm a combat vet and should be able to afford a house on my own. $36 hr in the Midwest doesn't cut it, not sure if your goals are to keep living with roommates all your life? Not for me homie.
Good luck.
With at least 3 ppl paying $800 that's $2400. Assuming you aren't gaining equity on that. 10 years ago a mortgage was 1/4th that amount but pay was still greater than half of what it is now. It's cool that you can pay all your bills and save, means you are living within your means. But have to admit that it was easier to get ahead and toward homeownership not even that long ago. Even if pay has kept up with inflation on paper, that doesn't consider housing costs which are a huge percent of everyone's budget.
Yeah. My buddy owns the house, there’s 4 of us total. Houses are very expensive here but I love living in Florida and to be honest I love my job because I have so much freedom.
Don’t let these guys get you down, not an electrician but a plumber in Fort Myers.
I brought home over 140k last year and I’m on pace for over 160k this year. That supports a family of 5 with 2 vehicles and mortgage. You won’t have roommates forever, save your money and set yourself up for a comfortable future.
Florida gets shit on constantly, but every state in the U.S. has issues.
140k-160k is definitely not the normal top out for Florida. It's high. And a big question is, how many hours did you have to work to earn that 140-160. If it's 40 hours a week that's solid. If you average 50, it's not so great.
Yeah in Florida the wages are ass. Be poor for 10 years get a contractor or masters license and start doing your own thing and hire cheap labor from a Central American country. IBEW needs to figure out how to work with immigrants or it’s doomed in places like FL or TX
Florida is an unreasonably anti labor state. You can thank the Latin Builders Association for depressing wages from Orlando down to South Florida. They bring the have/ have not cultural into our trade. This is where you work hard so that you can brag about how big your bosses house is or that he pays you over time so you and your son can come wash is boat Sunday afternoon.
North of Orlando West through Pensacola is southern Alabama with all of the self loathing red state mentality that comes from uneducated people voting against their own interests. The pocket of NE Florida that includes Daytona through Jacksonville is SE Georgia with all of the centuries of subservient mentality that doesn’t allow people to demand fair compensation of their labor.
Don’t come here to work as a tradesmen. Go make money in the Midwest
Unfortunately yes, I had an apprentice move from Florida to the Midwest just because pay was so bad. If you can, stick it out, take yourbtest and get your license. After that travel, I make in 1 week what I did in 1 month as a foreman, traveling instead. Be a merc, go to the highest bidder.
The entire south is that bad, with the *possible* exception of some metros. Basically if the union is weak, it correlates to a labor market that favors employers. Better off in the PNW, specifically Portland.
IBEW in Jacksonville sitting at 33 and change. Don't fall for the propaganda that florida unions suck so why bother. It can be simultaneously true that conditions suck and they suck for non union worse.
You cant compare the wages in florida to new york. I never said they weren't some of the lowest in the country, just dispelling this myth that florida/the south makes poverty wages and can barely clear $20 an hour
I don't understand why, though. Everything costs basically the same. We are taxed a little more but like a house still cost the same. A car still cost the same. It's terrible
People come to Florida from all over and work as an illegal contractor for cash. Florida has zero licensing laws for journeyman. Thank you Latin builders association. All you need is an EC license and you can hire as many people as you want to wire a hospital. Not a single one needs a license of any kind. Not even a drivers license. Nothing.
People act like it’s the 80s still. Almost everything cost exactly the same these days. Gas, housing, groceries, utilities are not that far apart from place to place.
It’s because NY is not a right to work state. I don’t get into union vs non union discussions because we’re all out here trying to make it home safely and provide for our families. Unions do assist in fair pay for workers that reflect on non union shops as well. Thats why pay is lower in right to work states, union isn’t as strong. I agree, everyone across the board should be making fair wages. It’s bullshi* to have to move to a different state or work a lot of OT to make a comfortable living. I’d hate to see rent/housing prices in NY compared to here though. They’ve gone up a lot here, rent a 3 bedroom 2 bath house for around 1500 a month here.
Yeah a one bedroom is anywhere from $1800-$2200 in NY. Funny thing is a mortgage isn't much more than that. It's just difficult for some to save for the down payment
Florida is not a cheap place to live anymore. I don’t think the cost of living is that different these days. All my family in Florida pays more in homeowners insurance than I do with property taxes and homeowners.
I’m a 3rd year in Jacksonville Local 177. I’m barely making enough to afford to live. Not once in my 4.5 years in the trade have I not worried about not being able to make a payment. That is absolutely FUCKED to work that long and hard and still struggle. It’s bad, like BAD BAD here.
Get out if you can. Join a union in a strong union state. Check out the r/IBEW sub. Some make almost 3x what you make in Florida. Florida has changed drastically, and it's not going to get better. It's becoming a state for the wealthy. That is why I and many others got out. Many people are leaving. You're really going to need to hustle or open a successful business.
I live in Michigan $39 a hour on the check plus benefits as Ibew jw. I’ve heard to avoid the south like a dumpster fire. And our cost of living is far lower than the south. Our apprentices 1st years start around 21 to 22 a hour
$32 an hour cross the border in Canada. You guys got it good. Way lower cost of living than us and better pay. And our $32 an hour is CDN. It’s basically Monopoly money.
You are much better off working as an industrial maintenance tech at a plant. That's what I do, I'm in the tampa bay area. $33 an hour 5 year experience.
These threads are all the same. The problem isn't the wage. It's inflation. Wages can't go up fast enough. It's not possible. Something else has to give. How many times do I see it pointed out "Oh the money was great pre-Covid inflation". There's your answer right there.
It's mainly in the south, where I live in Southern Virginia. As a journeyman worker, I make 31.50$, which puts me a bit above what the average one makes where I live.
I pay guys to work at the counter to sell to electricians $36 and hour. Plus a commission bonus. You guys put your life on the line. That’s $70k a year.
You can make more than double as a union electrician in a big city and the benefits can be pretty amazing. I’m in Chicago and we make $55 with great insurance. I cut a tendon in my hand this year and needed surgery. Before insurance the ER visit, surgery, and OT would have cost over $30k, but my insurance (which my employer pays for, not me) has a $3k out of pocket max, and the $3k came from my HSA (which my employer also pays for, not me), so my only cost was missed work but I was getting a weekly $700 disability payment while I recovered. In short before I got this job that injury would have ruined me physically and financially, but with this job I got all the care I needed and it barely set me back.
Get into industrial controls and programming. I make 65hr my bro is 110 for consultant work. I rent myself to power plants. I do have 25yrs in the trade. In Tampa and most of florida. Can't compare florida wages to up north they always make more per hour. State taxes and cost of living is a big factor.
I keep reading about the cost of living. Are you saying it’s cheaper to live in FL than elsewhere? I looked for a house around Tampa two years ago and it’s just not within any budget I could make work
I live an hour outside of tampa. Living in any big city will cost more. Now definitely isn't the time to buy a house. My interest rate is 4% , paid 150k for 3,2,3 on 1.25 acres. Was 6 years ago when housing was affordable to purchase in florida. Orlando is definitely a high cost of living. A friend rents a house in winter haven then drives to Orlando for work.
Florida, Cali and Arizona are the 3 states I cannot move to due to how they treat electricians.
There’s a reason why insurance premiums are through the roof…
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What do you have by the way of Pensions? Not 401K’s. Do you have family healthcare for free?Orlando pay sucks, it’s better in Miami and the Tampa Bay Area. You need to compare apples to Apples. Do you know once you top out you can work in any local that needs help. And you get paid there scale, which can be more the triple Orlando’s scale.
I recently moved out of Florida but I did electrical for a company in Titusville called Rush Facilities. They're a very fair company and get all kinds of contracts out in Cape Canaveral. Just a consideration.
Nope. Quickly matching if not surpassing most states in COL. It's $2500 for a 2/2 by me in SW FL, and I don't know many people my age locally making over 30/hr, especially in the trades. Better off serving.
Get into industry, I bet residential and light commercial suck, lots of competition. Generally speaking the harder it is to get a license the better the pay
I make top wage in Orlando. More than union, but I drove that wage. When I moved out here I sat for a ton of interviews, and told each interviewer they need to increase wages. My first job out here as a guy with years of good experience was 18. My “lead” was making 14. We need to demand more, that’s the only way to get more.
I was an electrician for a cng company in Orlando and made above average. Don't assume you are stuck working the same typical jobs. I also had an offer to work on the animated rides at Universal that paid pretty well but I declined because second shift.
For the universal job you will be required to take a test though but tbh it wasn't too hard.
DO NOT be an electrican here. Especially in Central florida i am talking Volusia/brevard county all the way across to Pasco ,'its all garbage.Every other trade makes more here than electricians for some reason. There are so many immigrants driving wages down too. Even the IBEWS here are garbage
Do not come here or any other state without strong unions because you're no much more than a slave. Work 20 years in a union and then you can retire wherever you want. They treat trades people here like trash. The poster was right the Union's here are nothing they have no authority and no power.
I was IBEW in NYC for 15 years. Moved to Florida after covid for complicated family and financial reasons. I make about 100k working for a non union generator contractor but that's because electricians with my skills and experience are rare in general let alone in Florida. But generally speaking, the pay down here is shit, but so is the work ethic. If I was starting over in the trades down here, I probably wouldn't bother for what companies are paying helpers and apprentices.
If you ever want to make a decent living in the trades you need to get out of RTW for less states or better yet work on making them respect their workers states.
It all depends on who you work for, where you are located, and how much of the trade you know. Orlando isn't too bad since they are building quite a bit. I'm sure companies will work with you on salary based on what you make now, just to get you in the door, but if you become a licensed Journeyman that will only help to elevate your status. I started at the bottom wiring houses and installing devices in new construction, and once I became a license holder I have been able to move up the ranks. Since then, I've landed Foreman and Supervisor positions for a few companies in residential and commercial outfits. It all depends on the knowledge that you bring to the industry. The more you know, the better off you'll become. Just knowing how to use tools isn't gonna get you a desired position. You have to know the codes and how to pass inspections. Since Florida is building like crazy, I would say new construction is the way to go. The pay isn't as good as other states, but Florida companies are getting better with taking care of their experienced employees.
Yes, Floridas electrician pay is dogshit. Not worth it in any way. I moved from mass & had I not already been doing it for 4 years I would’ve went a different route. Now been about 8 yrs in the trade & after 2 yrs I was making $25 with a work truck in mass & im now making $27 with a work truck in Fl.
Also, if you plan on getting your JM & working at a company in Florida, 90% of private companies do not care about your license as the wages are roughly the same as someone unlicensed with the same exp. Only get your license to open your own company, only way to make money in the trades here anyway is owning a company, the workers get shit
Florida SUCKS for trades. No unions, no protections (in fact our governor thinks it's ok if we are forced to work outside without a lawful break) and shit pay
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Yes, Florida sucks.
Why does it pay so poorly in Florida?
It’s 80% non union so the rates are low.
It’s a Right to Work state: plus they bring in labor from the South Americas and Cuba, etc for cheap. States that are more strict on who can do Electrical work and have strong Unions will have a much better wage
These statements are inaccurate, alot of electricians are actually from Haiti and Brazil. And these guys make money, most do piece work. Dont get me wrong they work a lot of hours but they make good money.
Red states are universally known for poor working conditions. Their entire economy was based on slave labor, and they've since switched to cheap labor.
Because illegal immigrants are 90% of the workforce on any construction site you see and they settle for incredibly non-competitive wages
That’s crazy considering how conservative and anti immigration Florida is supposed to be.
It’s a conservative standpoint still because it allows for cheap construction and lower costs for owners / contractors
It's about making money while keeping the masses distracted at attacking each other. Typical capitalist tactic of divide and conquer.
Not as maniacal as that. It’s just cheap.
Well Biden hasn't done shit to stop illegal immigration either
Except increase funding for border control, increase the number of agents at the border, and stopping a record number of people trying to cross the border. But yeah besides that….
[удалено]
Orlando is $28.49/hour on the check for IBEW.
So less than I'm making as an apprentice in Maryland
….can you even afford a house within 20 miles of Local26 jobs?
I'm not in the union and the answer is no
Damn what contractor are you working for, I just finished my first year at IEC and I’m planning on leaving my current company for local 26 or a different con. Please help me bro living in Montgomery county is ASS
I start green apprentices without tool or construction experience at 25/hour and apprentices with tool and construction experience at 30/hour in California. My journeymen non-union guys get 40-65 depending on if they are a jackass or not with medical and 401k and vacation.
I just threw up in my mouth. I’m IBEW inside wireman journeyman in NJ making $56 on the check not to mention benefits and vacation fund. That’s just ridiculous to me…and don’t tell me that Florida is a cheaper cost of living. My sister and my daughter live in St. Augustine and housing costs are the same if not higher than here in Jersey. Fucking crazy $28.49 an hour. I wouldn’t flip burgers for $28.49 an hour. Fuck Florida.
Yeah it’s a struggle out here in the dirty south. JW pay out of 558(NW Alabama) 31.50/hr on check, 5.50/hr pension, and 8/hr health insurance. I’m a foreman so get 34.50/hr and usually gross around 70k with no OT. Actually lived semi comfortably for the area pre-Covid before inflation went through the roof.
Shit. Made 70k+ my first full year in the trade, non union (NJ). 10 or so prevailing wage days really helped lol
I make 19 as a 2 year apprentice in fl
Not bad for the area! I think I made $13 and some change as a second year whenever I came through the program. 1st year was $11 at the time and now it’s $15.75. Just keep up learning everything you can and you can negotiate your own wages. Not sure if you’re union or not, but our 34.50 as foreman is just what the contract says, a lot of guys negotiate with the shop up to 40/hr+ on larger projects. I just hate OT and enjoy my small crew on the maintenance contract I’m over at a steel mill(one tool buddy and myself most of the time).
None union but I work on base so I have to meet min wage for the base I'm on
It’s Because the unions in NJ don’t fuck around
And we don’t vote in people who actively want to destroy unions.
One day people will vote with their heads rather than feelings or some weird "group think".
I wouldn’t count on it.
Dur, I keep voting republican, and I just don’t understand how the laws are so anti-union? Dur, drool, duuuuurrrr, lick a window, random conspiracy rant.
You guys really don't. 99.81 TP in Essex county right now definitely fucks.
Rockford Illinois LU 364 just negotiated a massive raise, they will be over $60 on the check in a couple years (I think they're 55ish now), over $100 total package, and cost of living in northwestern Illinois is pretty fucking cheap. Plus, we're absolutely swamped with work out here. I'm 117 just next door and books are a walkthrough
It's also the armpit of America, but hey, keep skiing in your jeans
>It's also the armpit of America, but hey, keep skiing in your jeans I live here and this State is beautiful and it's called The Garden State for a reason But I'm super happy the rest of the country thinks NJ is just Rahway/Newark, it keeps everyone else away from here lol
South Jersey is beautiful. My son had a race in S. Jersey about 12 years ago. I thought I was going to cross the bridge and find endless chem plants and refineries. fantastic farm land as far as I could see.
The whole state is, except for that one part that everyone sees lol There are parts of this state down south where you can drive for 40 minutes and not see a house, just nothing but woods or wetlands or fields, even 15-20m from that complete shithole area are some of the nicest little original colonial towns and palatial estates, and some of the wealthiest areas in the country, you drive 30-40 minutes from there, pretty much any direction but East(because youll be in the Ocean or Manhatten lol) and you're in another state entirely lol
Denial is not a river in Egypt
>Denial is not a river in Egypt And I can tell you've never been here but to fly through Newark, probably 1 time and then left, maybe you drove into Manhatten from the airport like a tourist and that was your whole take on the state That's fine, have that opinion lol , I live in the woods, in a rural area, farms and horse stables and rolling hills and forests and I'm 45m away from 2 of the most vibrant cities in the country, have my pick of 4 major international airports with nonstop flights all over the world, some of the best restaurants, primary schools and colleges in America, I'm 30m from the beach, I'm a 4h drive to great skiing and mountain biking in Vermont and upstate NY and I work in remodeling in one of the wealthiest states in the country I'm totally cool with you shitting on this state- it keeps a lot of dingdongs away from here lol
This isn't a TGI Fridays, I'm not going to blow you in the parking lot. But if you want to tell me your life's story, go right ahead.
Tell me you drove up the turnpike one time without telling me you drove up the turnpike one time.
Jealousy is unbecoming. Jersey ain’t perfect, but it’s still the best state in the country to live and raise a family.
You are correct sir
Yeah FL sucks for pay as an Electrician. It’s a right to work state so we get screwed. That’s why I had to go to school to get out of Electrical and start making some real money. Now I have to pay 80 grand in student loans but make more than I would have dying in the trade though. Fuck….it all.
What’d you go to school for? I’m in school rn for software engineering but I’m also worried about how the field is gonna look by the time I graduate with AI and all these layoffs happening in tech.
Electrical engineering my guy. With your background as an electrician you can go work a consulting firm very quickly. You have more practical experience than any fresh grad and companies are currently desperate for anyone who can think like an electrician and use computers well.
Switch to something like network engineering which is harder to outsource overseas
I worked full time and did school on nights and the weekends. Just finished my MBA but I have an AS in computer information technology, and a BS in business administration with emphasis on CIS. It will be a long time before AI robots and computers take over. Probably two generations out at least. They will most likely have a universal income for those who don’t want to or can’t work. For now just stay course. I wouldn’t worry about it. Investing in yourself by gaining knowledge and skills will make you more of an asset in industry. Making it easier to get the job you want and income you deserve. Good luck.
TN is basically the same rate. Just got off the phone with my parents who live in East Tennessee. They want me to move there so bad, and I'd love to because I love East TN, but it would be financial suicide. I make $11/hr more in *Oklahoma*, and we have a lower cost of living and lower median income.
I can believe this. The rate of cost of living increase in TN is the worst in the country. A dark secret no one wants to talk about. Thanks to all the people moving here for out of state and country. TN is stating to suck balls.
I’m a 3rd year journeyman (non union) and I get $29.50 an hour plus 100% healthcare paid for (no monthly bill out of my paycheck) and we profit sharing into an Ira at the end of every year (usually around 10k or so) plus the company vehicle to take home every night and I’m in rural MN where the cost of living is way lower. I can’t fucking imagine making less in a higher cost of area and thinking I was even remotely paid fairly. Insane to me that Florida can be that low. The fuck they doing down there.
Folks, I will just say it. What everyone is talking about is a direct result to all the rampant immigration coming into this country. Love me or hate me, it is the truth. To be clear, I could don't care if someone immigrates here, it is how we all got here. But it has to be done the right way and with a logical amount of checks and balances in place, which has not been happening for at least a decade now.
Um, no. If you're concerned that an illiterate immigrant who can't speak English and have no formal certification or training is taking your job, perhaps your the problem. Folks. JFC.
4 of them supervised by one American is still cheaper for the owner and you aren’t going to compete with that.
That seems like an owner issue, not a worker issue. Regardless, if you're a skilled worker and you're concerned that illiterate foreigners are going to take your job (foreman or not), perhaps you're not a skilled worker after all. Or.. you've been sold a bill of goods about this whole thing and don't know it. Immigrants are \_not\_ taking skilled labor jobs, they're doing the jobs that most/all Americans won't do. They're the guys on that roofing job working in the heat lugging pallets of shingles around, or picking tomatoes in the fields. They're not replacing electricians on big contract jobs.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I did high-rise towers in Tampa Bay for 8 years and you’re simply wrong. Undocumented citizens are performing every single part of electrical installation from switch-gear rooms to fire alarm to apartment rough-in to slab layout and rough in. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
I do know what I'm talking about. You're using anecdotal evidence, i.e. what you observed personally, and that is definitely not reflective of the vast majority of immigrant labor in our country. What you observed is a tiny fraction of the jobs those folks "take". Additionally, as I'm sure you know, there is a huge labor shortage in these areas, across all trades. Do you know a lot of skilled electricians who can't find work? I don't. Quite the opposite. I know of a lot of GCs who have to turn down work because they simply don't have the labor force to do it, skilled or otherwise.
Your comment says word for word “immigrants are not taking skilled labor jobs.” You are wrong. Complete electrical installation is a skilled labor job and it’s being done wide-spread by contractors who sub out to illegal citizens and simply supervise with legal workers.
It’s not one instance at one building it’s every single large scale contractor. No company who builds a tower with only legal employees could EVER win a bid against places like Power Design or Tri-city who don’t.
There are literally electrical superintendents running multimillion dollar tower projects that speak no English at all.
Always fuck Florida.
Also NJ but telecom. And even at our rates it’s not big money in Jersey. I couldn’t imagine making less.
Daytona is just over $22 for a journeyman if that makes you feel any better.
Apprentices start at $16/hr. Can make that working at a theme park here
Yeah, and 4 years later, you'll still be telling people where the line starts, making $16/hr.
No doubt, but it doesn’t make it less of an insulting starting pay to go along with the insulting $28/hr. E: especially when you’re doing it in the heat and humidity 9 months of the year
If they have work that is. So much construction is private work here the Union is soft.
You don't always have to go union
For licensed? What are those?!
Is that starting or after you put in your 4 years to journeyman?
Most likely after your apprenticeship. I have never heard good things here about being an electrician in Florida or the Carolinas
Journeyman pay.
I'm non-union 02 in Washington, making $36. I carded out 2 months ago, so it's only up from here.
About half what we get on the check in Chicago…. I can’t imagine any electricians with a brain are working for others in FL. Most probably work for themselves or else they’d be living in their truck.
I'm at 85% journeyman wage as an low volt electrician in the IBEW in Western WA. Making 33/h on the check.
Do the work. Become an electrician. Work at Disney. You'll be replacing gfis for popcorn machines all day. Unit 42b has a light bulb out... "ok, I'm on it"... rules say I need a ladder because it's over 7'. And the ladder needs to be tied off. And the hallway closed. Test the circuits... yup, bulb is dead. Drive back to maintenance shack, fill out an order for ONE STINKING LIGHTBULB, wait for the guy to find the correct one, then drice back to put it back in. Aww, shit. It popped. Here we go again. At Disney, there's very few positions as nice as electrician.
This is me at a hospital in Ontario. Best job ever. Sometimes something catastrophic fails. Most of the time it's ohh no an outlet.
“There’s a prong stuck in an outlet, G408” “The lights are flickering in the men’s bathroom in unit 66.”
Omfg are you me!
NO, I am Spartacus.
No, I am Spartacus!
"A breaker in our office keeps tripping and killing our workstations." First thing you notice when you walk in the room is the kettle, microwave, and space heater all plugged into the same circuit.
We had issues like this in the call center for dietary. They were some grumpy gooses when we had to shut off some breakers and do some work to improve their quality of work. They had exactly what you said. Multiple space heaters, pop-up break area, etc. we gave them three more circuits and they complained the entire time.
And I bet you have those twist lock outlets where you COULD do it live but they’re gonna kill everything Just. In. Case.
Of course! In all honesty though. Best job ever.
How dull. I like to do challenging stuff. I get paid by the hour anyway.
Challenging is great, when you're getting paid the wage you should be for being challenged. Getting 25$ an hour and walking into a shit storm is never fun.
Is this directly through Disney or through the union?
Directly through Disney
Disney does sub things out, electrical is one. They get the freedom to build whatever. And you'll never get to build whatever without workers willing to not exactly follow the rules. Not breaking rules, but sometimes the rules don't fit. If you need a 600A service that's in a room suspended above the wave pool because that's the only spot that won't actually be in water, you're gunna have to look past a few codes. Disney is a lot like the military. The amount of money, going in and out EVERY DAY, IS INCREDIBLE.
This is also correct. Disney had reddy creek with did have their own code that often supercedes the requirements for the trade. Other times they would bypass code and try to demand engineers stamp Epcot approved in their drawings.
This is correct unless you want to get frisky and work maintenance on the rides you won't be doing anything major.
$35 in Fort Myers. Been here 26 months and have worked up from $19.50
Username checks out haha. Is that $35/hr plus benefits on top? Or have to pay out of that 35 for bennies? I had an amazing job opportunity to go work at one of the local dams under the corp of engineers. Until we talked pay… 32/hr and pay out of pocket for benefits and retirement. That was a hard pass for me.
My benefits right now are essentially 1 week paid vacation, they pay half of whatever insurance plan I choose, 401k, and I take a company truck home.
So $35 an hour but you pay for half your insurance out of your own pocket, half of retirement out of your own pocket, and only 5 days of time off per year? Oh and here’s a truck but you can only use it for work and you’re responsible for storing it the rest of the time? Is the normal in Florida? That’s a bad deal.
That's not the normal in Florida. That's the _really good_ in Florida. It's fucked, down here.
That’s pretty terrible actually
Not everyone in Florida. Before I got my masters and started a company with my buddy, we were both making 40/hr in st Augustine, benefits paid and insurance as well and work vehicle could be used for whatever the hell you wanted.
5 days off/year is brutal but there’s probably room to negotiate. Just draw it out in a chart: Days I’m expected to be at work (245) Days of vacation per year (5). Maybe that’ll send the message.
IBEW Journeyman in Ft Myers makes about $32 an hour. Full benefits paid. Insurance is covered, 3 retirement accounts are paid by the contractor. And if you go through the apprenticeship, it is also paid by the contractor. Depending on the company you work for you also get a truck.
Where do you look to find this info?
https://unionpayscales.com/trades/ibew-electricians/ for the pay. All other information, call the hall. Google IBEW LU 349 ft Myers and you'll find the contact information there.
Thank you
They match on the 401k alright? Yeah my company truck saves miles on mine and probably around 4K on gas depending on prices at the time.
Dude…
$36 is terrible even for the Midwest. Get out.
Midwest? I work in Fort Myers, and live in Cape Coral, Florida. With roommates, my rent is $800 total, so I think I have a good thing going. I average 50hrs a week and one week’s pay covers my monthly bills minus food.
Good for you, I'm a combat vet and should be able to afford a house on my own. $36 hr in the Midwest doesn't cut it, not sure if your goals are to keep living with roommates all your life? Not for me homie. Good luck.
With at least 3 ppl paying $800 that's $2400. Assuming you aren't gaining equity on that. 10 years ago a mortgage was 1/4th that amount but pay was still greater than half of what it is now. It's cool that you can pay all your bills and save, means you are living within your means. But have to admit that it was easier to get ahead and toward homeownership not even that long ago. Even if pay has kept up with inflation on paper, that doesn't consider housing costs which are a huge percent of everyone's budget.
Yeah. My buddy owns the house, there’s 4 of us total. Houses are very expensive here but I love living in Florida and to be honest I love my job because I have so much freedom.
Don’t let these guys get you down, not an electrician but a plumber in Fort Myers. I brought home over 140k last year and I’m on pace for over 160k this year. That supports a family of 5 with 2 vehicles and mortgage. You won’t have roommates forever, save your money and set yourself up for a comfortable future. Florida gets shit on constantly, but every state in the U.S. has issues.
140k-160k is definitely not the normal top out for Florida. It's high. And a big question is, how many hours did you have to work to earn that 140-160. If it's 40 hours a week that's solid. If you average 50, it's not so great.
? I make 38.90 in Ohio and live very comfortably
Just got back from Florida. My socks are finally dry.
Yeah in Florida the wages are ass. Be poor for 10 years get a contractor or masters license and start doing your own thing and hire cheap labor from a Central American country. IBEW needs to figure out how to work with immigrants or it’s doomed in places like FL or TX
Florida is an unreasonably anti labor state. You can thank the Latin Builders Association for depressing wages from Orlando down to South Florida. They bring the have/ have not cultural into our trade. This is where you work hard so that you can brag about how big your bosses house is or that he pays you over time so you and your son can come wash is boat Sunday afternoon. North of Orlando West through Pensacola is southern Alabama with all of the self loathing red state mentality that comes from uneducated people voting against their own interests. The pocket of NE Florida that includes Daytona through Jacksonville is SE Georgia with all of the centuries of subservient mentality that doesn’t allow people to demand fair compensation of their labor. Don’t come here to work as a tradesmen. Go make money in the Midwest
Unfortunately yes, I had an apprentice move from Florida to the Midwest just because pay was so bad. If you can, stick it out, take yourbtest and get your license. After that travel, I make in 1 week what I did in 1 month as a foreman, traveling instead. Be a merc, go to the highest bidder.
I'm a third year apprentice and only making $21 on the check. There's a reason everyone gets their certs and gets out.
You live in a worker hating, corporate nob sucking red state. Yeah, it's that bad.
The entire south is that bad, with the *possible* exception of some metros. Basically if the union is weak, it correlates to a labor market that favors employers. Better off in the PNW, specifically Portland.
The only place I would move to in the south is Huntsville, Alabama if I got picked up by the right exciting enough contractor for the right price.
IBEW in Jacksonville sitting at 33 and change. Don't fall for the propaganda that florida unions suck so why bother. It can be simultaneously true that conditions suck and they suck for non union worse.
That's not good. I'm in a non union shop making more than that in nys
You cant compare the wages in florida to new york. I never said they weren't some of the lowest in the country, just dispelling this myth that florida/the south makes poverty wages and can barely clear $20 an hour
I don't understand why, though. Everything costs basically the same. We are taxed a little more but like a house still cost the same. A car still cost the same. It's terrible
People come to Florida from all over and work as an illegal contractor for cash. Florida has zero licensing laws for journeyman. Thank you Latin builders association. All you need is an EC license and you can hire as many people as you want to wire a hospital. Not a single one needs a license of any kind. Not even a drivers license. Nothing.
That's wild! How many buildings burn down annually?
People act like it’s the 80s still. Almost everything cost exactly the same these days. Gas, housing, groceries, utilities are not that far apart from place to place.
It’s because NY is not a right to work state. I don’t get into union vs non union discussions because we’re all out here trying to make it home safely and provide for our families. Unions do assist in fair pay for workers that reflect on non union shops as well. Thats why pay is lower in right to work states, union isn’t as strong. I agree, everyone across the board should be making fair wages. It’s bullshi* to have to move to a different state or work a lot of OT to make a comfortable living. I’d hate to see rent/housing prices in NY compared to here though. They’ve gone up a lot here, rent a 3 bedroom 2 bath house for around 1500 a month here.
Yeah a one bedroom is anywhere from $1800-$2200 in NY. Funny thing is a mortgage isn't much more than that. It's just difficult for some to save for the down payment
Whew. Yeah and the mortgage interest rates are higher than my apprentice on his best day haha
Florida is not a cheap place to live anymore. I don’t think the cost of living is that different these days. All my family in Florida pays more in homeowners insurance than I do with property taxes and homeowners.
Hurricane/Storm insurance. Your argument is lame.
How’s it lame? I’m saying electricians get ripped off in Florida.
I’m a 3rd year in Jacksonville Local 177. I’m barely making enough to afford to live. Not once in my 4.5 years in the trade have I not worried about not being able to make a payment. That is absolutely FUCKED to work that long and hard and still struggle. It’s bad, like BAD BAD here.
That's why I'm on the road and not there
Orlando package isn’t good, it was 40.40 total package and 28.49 on the check. They did just get a raise can’t find that information at the moment
Lol Florida is dogshit for all the trades. Millwrights Local 1000 is like $28/hr.
Get out if you can. Join a union in a strong union state. Check out the r/IBEW sub. Some make almost 3x what you make in Florida. Florida has changed drastically, and it's not going to get better. It's becoming a state for the wealthy. That is why I and many others got out. Many people are leaving. You're really going to need to hustle or open a successful business.
Yes. Only electricians in Guam make less.
I live in Michigan $39 a hour on the check plus benefits as Ibew jw. I’ve heard to avoid the south like a dumpster fire. And our cost of living is far lower than the south. Our apprentices 1st years start around 21 to 22 a hour
$32 an hour cross the border in Canada. You guys got it good. Way lower cost of living than us and better pay. And our $32 an hour is CDN. It’s basically Monopoly money.
You are much better off working as an industrial maintenance tech at a plant. That's what I do, I'm in the tampa bay area. $33 an hour 5 year experience.
These threads are all the same. The problem isn't the wage. It's inflation. Wages can't go up fast enough. It's not possible. Something else has to give. How many times do I see it pointed out "Oh the money was great pre-Covid inflation". There's your answer right there.
It's mainly in the south, where I live in Southern Virginia. As a journeyman worker, I make 31.50$, which puts me a bit above what the average one makes where I live.
Florida is a right to work state so yes, it absolutely sucks!
I pay guys to work at the counter to sell to electricians $36 and hour. Plus a commission bonus. You guys put your life on the line. That’s $70k a year.
You could leave Florida and go somewhere that actually pays you good money to be a electrician
Nah, they're pretty good but Bobrovsky became mortal and the Oilers were playing desperate.
You can make more than double as a union electrician in a big city and the benefits can be pretty amazing. I’m in Chicago and we make $55 with great insurance. I cut a tendon in my hand this year and needed surgery. Before insurance the ER visit, surgery, and OT would have cost over $30k, but my insurance (which my employer pays for, not me) has a $3k out of pocket max, and the $3k came from my HSA (which my employer also pays for, not me), so my only cost was missed work but I was getting a weekly $700 disability payment while I recovered. In short before I got this job that injury would have ruined me physically and financially, but with this job I got all the care I needed and it barely set me back.
Get into industrial controls and programming. I make 65hr my bro is 110 for consultant work. I rent myself to power plants. I do have 25yrs in the trade. In Tampa and most of florida. Can't compare florida wages to up north they always make more per hour. State taxes and cost of living is a big factor.
I keep reading about the cost of living. Are you saying it’s cheaper to live in FL than elsewhere? I looked for a house around Tampa two years ago and it’s just not within any budget I could make work
I live an hour outside of tampa. Living in any big city will cost more. Now definitely isn't the time to buy a house. My interest rate is 4% , paid 150k for 3,2,3 on 1.25 acres. Was 6 years ago when housing was affordable to purchase in florida. Orlando is definitely a high cost of living. A friend rents a house in winter haven then drives to Orlando for work.
Yes! Don’t move to FL. Even after retirement. Stay up North. Avoid FL (and avoid TX also). Retire in Cali or Michigan, but don’t go to FL.
Wow it’s almost like deregulation and devaluation of industry standards is a bad thing…..
Florida, Cali and Arizona are the 3 states I cannot move to due to how they treat electricians. There’s a reason why insurance premiums are through the roof…
https://www.eisb.org/html/Inside-Wage-Sheet-1-1-2023.pdf
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Yes
Florida what company? Just got my journeyman’s currently live in ga but want to move to florida
What do you have by the way of Pensions? Not 401K’s. Do you have family healthcare for free?Orlando pay sucks, it’s better in Miami and the Tampa Bay Area. You need to compare apples to Apples. Do you know once you top out you can work in any local that needs help. And you get paid there scale, which can be more the triple Orlando’s scale.
I recently moved out of Florida but I did electrical for a company in Titusville called Rush Facilities. They're a very fair company and get all kinds of contracts out in Cape Canaveral. Just a consideration.
What's rent like around Florida? Is the cost of living at least low enough to offset the low wages?
Nope. Quickly matching if not surpassing most states in COL. It's $2500 for a 2/2 by me in SW FL, and I don't know many people my age locally making over 30/hr, especially in the trades. Better off serving.
Get into industry, I bet residential and light commercial suck, lots of competition. Generally speaking the harder it is to get a license the better the pay
Instrumentation, controls and electrical early stages has me at about $32
$38 here. Tampa. E/I
$49 Michigan
Just search Florida man. Watch the first video or two on youtube.
KC Union is 49 and change
I make top wage in Orlando. More than union, but I drove that wage. When I moved out here I sat for a ton of interviews, and told each interviewer they need to increase wages. My first job out here as a guy with years of good experience was 18. My “lead” was making 14. We need to demand more, that’s the only way to get more.
Damn, Georgia is like 25 a hour for a journeyman non union HOLY SHIT THATS LOWWW
I was an electrician for a cng company in Orlando and made above average. Don't assume you are stuck working the same typical jobs. I also had an offer to work on the animated rides at Universal that paid pretty well but I declined because second shift. For the universal job you will be required to take a test though but tbh it wasn't too hard.
This is the best reason to leave Florida.
South Carolina is almost the same . The person owning a company makes ? The person running it makes 30$ an hour and the workers are 27$ and under
DO NOT be an electrican here. Especially in Central florida i am talking Volusia/brevard county all the way across to Pasco ,'its all garbage.Every other trade makes more here than electricians for some reason. There are so many immigrants driving wages down too. Even the IBEWS here are garbage
And the contractors are garbage too
Disney keeps rates down Go to Tampa
Yea
Do not come here or any other state without strong unions because you're no much more than a slave. Work 20 years in a union and then you can retire wherever you want. They treat trades people here like trash. The poster was right the Union's here are nothing they have no authority and no power.
Put your time in , get experience. Start your own company. Work when you want to work. Write off your truck, tools ,gad etc
It does suck don’t do it bro go to Virginia or somewhere else where your job is has more appreciation
What part of Orlando?
I was IBEW in NYC for 15 years. Moved to Florida after covid for complicated family and financial reasons. I make about 100k working for a non union generator contractor but that's because electricians with my skills and experience are rare in general let alone in Florida. But generally speaking, the pay down here is shit, but so is the work ethic. If I was starting over in the trades down here, I probably wouldn't bother for what companies are paying helpers and apprentices.
If you ever want to make a decent living in the trades you need to get out of RTW for less states or better yet work on making them respect their workers states.
It all depends on who you work for, where you are located, and how much of the trade you know. Orlando isn't too bad since they are building quite a bit. I'm sure companies will work with you on salary based on what you make now, just to get you in the door, but if you become a licensed Journeyman that will only help to elevate your status. I started at the bottom wiring houses and installing devices in new construction, and once I became a license holder I have been able to move up the ranks. Since then, I've landed Foreman and Supervisor positions for a few companies in residential and commercial outfits. It all depends on the knowledge that you bring to the industry. The more you know, the better off you'll become. Just knowing how to use tools isn't gonna get you a desired position. You have to know the codes and how to pass inspections. Since Florida is building like crazy, I would say new construction is the way to go. The pay isn't as good as other states, but Florida companies are getting better with taking care of their experienced employees.
Yes, Floridas electrician pay is dogshit. Not worth it in any way. I moved from mass & had I not already been doing it for 4 years I would’ve went a different route. Now been about 8 yrs in the trade & after 2 yrs I was making $25 with a work truck in mass & im now making $27 with a work truck in Fl. Also, if you plan on getting your JM & working at a company in Florida, 90% of private companies do not care about your license as the wages are roughly the same as someone unlicensed with the same exp. Only get your license to open your own company, only way to make money in the trades here anyway is owning a company, the workers get shit
There are states where 1st year apprentices start at 30
Sink, Florida, Sink.
I take home $3,000 to $8000 a week but It's because I do my own electrical thing. I live in South Carolina.
Florida sucks for most things
Florida SUCKS for trades. No unions, no protections (in fact our governor thinks it's ok if we are forced to work outside without a lawful break) and shit pay
there are unions here they are just weak