[electricmalone]

Just got "promoted" to foreman of the service division. All this means to the boss is more responsibility, not more $. What is average? I already make about $2 more per hour than the rest of the guys, but I was paid this before being required to do more. Is it normal to be paid a percentage more for the position, or what? I want to have decent reasons / data to back myself up with when I go in to the boss. Thanks in advance

 

[Dennis Alwon]

You took the job knowing it would not be more money so I would wait at least a few months before I went to the boss asking for more money

 

[pistol pete]

All depends on what you can argue for.. I have no idea what type of work you do or size of operation.. but if you are a foreman officially all of a sudden u should get a couple bucks an hour and a phone .possibly a company card ..minimum...

 

[electricmalone]

All depends on what you can argue for.. I have no idea what type of work you do or size of operation.. but if you are a foreman officially all of a sudden u should get a couple bucks an hour and a phone .possibly a company card ..minimum...

From day 1, all licensed guys get phone, van to take home, gas card. We do high end Resi work, there are 6 licensed guys, and 5 apprentices. I'm in charge now of dealing directly with general contractors, estate care managers, owners reps, and a few homeowners to set up, schedule, and do their work. Mostly myself and two other guys I get to coordinate, but growing quickly.

 

[HARRY305E]

Just got "promoted" to foreman of the service division. All this means to the boss is more responsibility, not more $. What is average? I already make about $2 more per hour than the rest of the guys, but I was paid this before being required to do more. Is it normal to be paid a percentage more for the position, or what? I want to have decent reasons / data to back myself up with when I go in to the boss. Thanks in advance

You think that's bad wait till you start your own business and don't get paid at all..:laughing:

 

[Rollie73]

Just as an FYI........Within our local....our foreman get 15% over and above the contractual rate for a regular JM.

$36.80 becomes $42.32 an hour.


90% of the non-union shops and smaller service shops in the area do the same thing although I have no idea what kind of pay rate they may have.

 

[LGLS]

Just another FYI, a gas card is not a benefit or a perk. You say "I get a gas card" like it's something in your pocket that benefits you. It doesn't, it just makes you a part time gas jockey. A take home van isn't a benefit if you're obligated to do emergency calls and your shop doesn't have secure parking anyway. It's more of a benefit to the company. If your company gives you a cellphone it's because they need field communications and expect you to answer it and not turn it off on your way home. Again not a benefit unless you're free to use it as your own anytime you want. What happens when property managers, homeowners and contractors are ringing you up at 8pm? Are you getting paid for that time? I can guiess the answer. And a title and a promotion without a raise is just an illusion. And it turns out this "division" is you and 2 other guys? That's it? That's not what people think when you say "company's division." In fact, where I come from that's not even a crew.

 

[ponyboy]

If your job description changed as well as your duties and responsibilities then I think your wage should change as well, respectively. There's no way in hell I'd keep my foreman position if I was making the same as the other guys. It just doesn't make sense

 

[halfamp]

We've got take home vans with gas cards at the company I work for that are provided for the job leads. They've got an on-call rotation that the leads go on call for one week every six months or so. We get an extra $200 + / - just for being on call, and if we actually need to take an emergency call it's time and a half from the minute you leave your driveway to the minute you pull back in. Add in the gas, wear and tear and regular maintenance on you own vehicle you're NOT paying for by having a company truck, I'd say this is definitely a perk, IG.

 

[FrunkSlammer]

You should not have accepted the promotion without knowing the details of the promotion.

The owner paid you $2/hr extra to get you comfy because he knew you had the potential to run the show.. now you're comfy and he slid the promotion onto you.

I'd say you have 3 choices:

1) Accept the position and current pay as is (guess you did that already)
2) Pay back all the extra $2/hr pay and ask to be demoted back to your original position
3) Demand more money for the position

If you're not in the union, it doesn't matter what standard pay is.. it's what you and the owner agree to. If you disagree, then explain in a calm and professional manner why, and don't save it for a bad day when you explode.

 

[LGLS]

We've got take home vans with gas cards at the company I work for that are provided for the job leads. They've got an on-call rotation that the leads go on call for one week every six months or so. We get an extra $200 + / - just for being on call, and if we actually need to take an emergency call it's time and a half from the minute you leave your driveway to the minute you pull back in. Add in the gas, wear and tear and regular maintenance on you own vehicle you're NOT paying for by having a company truck, I'd say this is definitely a perk, IG.

Your company got 26 lead guys with 26 vans there halfamp? And of course it's time and a half, the regular workweek takes care of the 1st 40. Call me up at 8pm and it's doubletime or nothing. Because you can bet that's what the boss is charging for emergency service work, if not more.

 

[Voltron]

Just got "promoted" to foreman of the service division. All this means to the boss is more responsibility, not more $. What is average? I already make about $2 more per hour than the rest of the guys, but I was paid this before being required to do more. Is it normal to be paid a percentage more for the position, or what? I want to have decent reasons / data to back myself up with when I go in to the boss. Thanks in advance

Sorry to hear that!!
I mean congratulations!! :thumbsup:
:blink:

 

[Tsmil]

Just got "promoted" to foreman of the service division. All this means to the boss is more responsibility, not more $. What is average? I already make about $2 more per hour than the rest of the guys, but I was paid this before being required to do more. Is it normal to be paid a percentage more for the position, or what? I want to have decent reasons / data to back myself up with when I go in to the boss. Thanks in advance

New job. More responsibilities. Same money. If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck.... You just got a demotion.

 

[electricmalone]

Just another FYI, a gas card is not a benefit or a perk. You say "I get a gas card" like it's something in your pocket that benefits you. It doesn't, it just makes you a part time gas jockey. A take home van isn't a benefit if you're obligated to do emergency calls and your shop doesn't have secure parking anyway. It's more of a benefit to the company. If your company gives you a cellphone it's because they need field communications and expect you to answer it and not turn it off on your way home. Again not a benefit unless you're free to use it as your own anytime you want. What happens when property managers, homeowners and contractors are ringing you up at 8pm? Are you getting paid for that time? I can guiess the answer. And a title and a promotion without a raise is just an illusion. And it turns out this "division" is you and 2 other guys? That's it? That's not what people think when you say "company's division." In fact, where I come from that's not even a crew.

Touched off a nerve did I? I do field calls and emails from customers at night, and then put in for the time on the job it's related to, one hour per phone call minimum. I do the emergency calls at double time, paid from first contact up until I park the van back at my house. The raise is up for negotiation, I don't want to go in and demand an extra $20/hr and have 0 to back it up with. As far as "division", I'm heading up the expansion of this "division" of our business. I understand in the non-Resi world, three guys is a joke, but doing high end Resi service while coordinating two other guys is a small challenge. If I were a big timer, I'd think my job was a joke too.

 

[Next72969]

All depends on what you can argue for.. I have no idea what type of work you do or size of operation.. but if you are a foreman officially all of a sudden u should get a couple bucks an hour and a phone .possibly a company card ..minimum...

pete youre alive? Ive been calling for two weeks . The mothers looking for you too

 

[Big John]

I agree with Dennis, that your best bet if you've already accepted is to do the job for a few months and prove your chops. It puts you in a much stronger position for asking for more money.

As an aside, I also agree with Islandguy, the company truck "bonus" argument always made me laugh. How is it a bonus to me that you're making it easier to drive to your jobsites to do work for you? :laughing: Our company does let us use the trucks for personal use, and that is what makes it a good benefit.

 

[360max]

...thankfully, union rules spell this all out in writing instead of playing, 'Lets Make A Deal' with the boss, who is likely to say your lucky you have a job. 10%-15% is industry standard otherwise, good luck, I hope you get fairly compensated .

 

[Rollie73]

...thankfully, union rules spell this all out in writing instead of playing, 'Lets Make A Deal' with the boss.

Don't forget......the union rules may spell this out but only because we already played " Lets Make a Deal" with the bosses. We just do it every three years or so......collectively as one bargaining unit.

What the non-union guys do isn't much different in that aspect......they just have to do it alone and usually more often. As such they don't have the bargaining power that the colllective voice has and run more risk of the boss telling them to go pound sand.

 

[LGLS]

Touched off a nerve did I? I do field calls and emails from customers at night, and then put in for the time on the job it's related to, one hour per phone call minimum. I do the emergency calls at double time, paid from first contact up until I park the van back at my house. The raise is up for negotiation, I don't want to go in and demand an extra $20/hr and have 0 to back it up with. As far as "division", I'm heading up the expansion of this "division" of our business. I understand in the non-Resi world, three guys is a joke, but doing high end Resi service while coordinating two other guys is a small challenge. If I were a big timer, I'd think my job was a joke too.

Not for nothing Malone, but what is this "back up" you feel you need in order to justify the logic and fairness of asking for and getting more money for managing more responsibility? I would think getting a promotion is all the backup you need. And I don't think you job is a joke, the only joke is a boss who isn't paid to be a boss. An impressive job title doesn't put food on the table.

 

[LGLS]

Don't forget......the union rules may spell this out but only because we already played " Lets Make a Deal" with the bosses. We just do it every three years or so......collectively as one bargaining unit.

What the non-union guys do isn't much different in that aspect......they just have to do it alone and usually more often. As such they don't have the bargaining power that the colllective voice has and run more risk of the boss telling them to go pound sand.

Even with that we're not immune to a boss who wants to get one over. I worked in a shop doing fiber optic backbones and they asked me to run a crew, me and 4 guys. So they hand me a cellphone, drawings, maps, etc and foreman's committee meets Thursdays so I say do I go this Thursday or next Thursday. "Oh, you're not really going to be a foreman, just a crew leader." "So who IS the foreman of the crew?" "There isn't one." So I hand back the cellphone and the drawings and say "what do you want me to do and where do you want me to go tomorrow?" Whether it's 3 people or 30, somebody has to be in charge, somebody has to do all the coordination and somebody has to be the go-to guy when the client or customer or whoever asks "who's the foreman here?" And whoever that somebody is, not only ought to be recognized for it, he should be compensated as well.