erics37

My mom is a Buffalo native, born and raised. I have a lot of family in the Buffalo/Rochester area. I went to school at University of Rochester. When my mom was growing up, the region was booming. Steel and heavy industry in Buffalo, all the optical and imaging companies in Rochester (Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Xerox), etc. Buffalo is pretty much dead and Rochester is dying; the largest employer there now is the University.

It's really sad.

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- Eric

chicken steve

Mike Rowe's stint before Congress has been all over the 'net since it's debute

The Irony is, he's speaking before a group hired to kill off organized labor

The captains of industry don't want us around making noise while they're making every possible free trade arrangement for cheap labor

~CS~

backstay

This has less to do with organized labor, and more to do with globalization. Most of those cargo containers where once on a ship coming from China. We don't make much here anymore.

That and our culture is telling these kids they should get high paying jobs right out of school. Who would start a job at 40% when they have been brainwashed to believe they deserve top pay with no skills.

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When "deleted" called the Seals, they killed Bin Laden. When the Seals called "deleted", he denied them.

NJWVUGrad

This is a VERY good point. Companies make up job titles, offer 20$ an hour and are surprised they can't get help.

I had similar a experience applying for a Construction Manager Job posting for large firm. They wanted 10-15 years experience in the field (check), Electrical License a plus (check), AutoCAD helpful (check), Construction management certification (um, no I've been working...plus all the certification companies require is that you have 10 years experience in construction management before they certify you), College Degree in Construction Management (WTF, they just started offering these in the past 5-6 years and you wanted 10 years of experience)


My rambling point is, our society thinks you can learn anything by taking a class or getting a certificate.

NJWVUGrad

This is a VERY good point. Companies make up job titles, offer 20$ an hour and are surprised they can't get help.

I had similar a experience applying for a Construction Manager Job posting for large firm. They wanted 10-15 years experience in the field (check), Electrical License a plus (check), AutoCAD helpful (check), Construction management certification (um, no I've been working...plus all the certification companies require is that you have 10 years experience in construction management before they certify you), College Degree in Construction Management (WTF, they just started offering these in the past 5-6 years and you wanted 10 years of experience)


My rambling point is, our society thinks you can learn anything by taking a class or getting a certificate.

Big John

Seen that one first hand. Some PM with the ink still wet on his bachelors degree had the sheet-metal guys trying to anchor studs to a recently poured concrete floor.

Concrete wasn't properly cured yet, and the shot they were using was just blowing it out and nothing was holding. PM kept insisting the cure time was acceptable for anchoring, like somehow him saying that would change reality.

Book smarts are only so valuable.

-John

Big John

That's what I also suspect when I hear people cry about lack of qualifications.

But this is also a product of our "college solves everything" society. Because companies don't respect the value of a trade, they don't understand the skill involved at being a master at any one of them, so some distant management department it may seem perfectly reasonable to expect a man to be qualified in four different disciplines.

-John

RGH

I just did a quick search in "Indeed" job search engine..over 5000 openings for both electricians and welders....I was well aware of the welder shortage years ago...wages all over the board...one guy made a great point....college solves everything mentality....wow that hit the nail on the head...we are looked down upon by society because we don't carry a brief case...the brainwashing by mass media to be another Gordon Denko and reap millions is what they portray as the panacea to our youth...the flip-side as our numbers diwindle...our rates go up....hey...economics 101 supply and demand...pay up.....or shut up.....by this simple logic we should weather the storm....maybe those GFIC resents should be $175.......as Gordon said "its information that separates you for him"..

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Are those doughnuts for anyone??

The_Modifier

It's not only happening in America...

Canadian Shortage

nrp3

Sometimes the glass is half full.

chicken steve

Labor used to be respected

Labor built this country, every road, every bridge, every street light , dwelling etc....

from the wayback machine>

Dhfisher

Gentlemen
Having entered into my "geezer hood" many years ago, I found that at the magic age of 50 I became over qualified ( read: you want too much money) I was fortunately hired by GM and spent 25 years with them before retiring in 2007, at the age of 72 again overqualified for electrical trade jobs, I guess they expected me to keel over as I walked out the door. Guys age discrimination is alive and well in the US. I am old enough t remember the 2ond. World war, I lived in a industrial city, remembering that one day we were manufacturing autos, the next day we were turning out tanks, guns. Ships, ect. Could we do that in this day and age, no, we would have to farm it out to overseas companies. The plutocrats and their running dog politicians have sold our manufacturing base down the river, we have youngsters who want to sit at a desk all day and punch keys, who have no loyalty to their company, and vice/versa, this is the generation of I got mine MFer, you get yours. Truly in 77 years I have never seen things so screwed up. Call me curmudgion if you want. Thank you.

Wirenuting

A few years ago we got a co-worker who was transferred from another facility. He was placed in a job he did not fully know how to do.
He asked for some training and the answer was, "Your to old", "You might retire soon".
So after 7 more years he retired. And as for age discrimination, yup even in the federal gov it's alive and well. :-(

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Teacher, my brain is full... Can I go home now?

varmit

I think that there is an extreme lack of respect, in this country, for anyone that has a job where they regularly get dirty. Often, on my way home, I will stop at the grocery store, as it's more convenient for me than for my wife. I admit that I am not he most handsome dude around, but go in a place of business wearing safety glasses, steel toed brogan shoes, dirty beat up work clothes and people will look and act as if you just crawled out of the dumpster out back or had some vile disease.

Stan B.

Pffffffftttt.

Sadly, there are members of the general public who buy into this bull**** and disseminate the propaganda for no compensation.

don_resqcapt19

First we still outproduce every other country in the world, including China, but they are rapidly catching up to us.

Second, why can't the big companies understand that consumer consumption drives the US economy and that a strong middle class is needed to make that work. As they displace the middle class they lose customer base.

Dhfisher

Just watch TV. In adds they will usually show the blue coller guy as a stumbling, bumbling, drone, who's wife and 5 year old are oh so much smarter then the old man, American mentality buys into this scenario. I have made a pretty good living for 30/40 years doing electrical work and am proud of the trade and wearing a blue collar. I ask who are you going to call when the appliance breaks down?

nitro71

Isn't that the truth, such as being a welder and an electrician. There are a few of them but they both are specialized trades. I wouldn't expect a welder to be an electrician. I certainly don't expent most electricians to be professional welders.

nitro71

If you look sorta decent most chicks look at you like they want some of that hard body construction worker manhood!

mattsilkwood

I think one of the biggest issues is kids these days have never had to get out and get their hands dirty. They don't know the first thing about hard work and they have no mechanical ability.

Now I'm not just being a grouchy old fart, I was green once too and I have done some stupid things but I was never as green as some of these kids now.

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A man that will not read has no advantage over a man that can not read.-Mark Twain