General Question on pay ???Boston Area?

My questions remains the same.

Years ago I was the field superintendent working with a company that was on a federal housing project, they were suppose to pay prevailing wages. They were not, the owner told me he received a special exception form HUD for this project. I had no time agaist this project.

Well he got caught, he brought in each employee and offered them about 10% of what they were due and told them they could sign the paper and keep their job, or not sign it and be fired. I talked to each man telling them they could take a 6 months to find a job and still be ahead of the game if they asked for what they were due. To the man, they all signed the form stating he had paid them.

I QUIT. While here are grey areas sometimes, IMO right is right and wrong is wrong, an employee is due what they are due, and anything short of that is cheating or stealing.

This was not a hard luck case for the contractor he was VERY SUCESSFUL and knew what he was doing, the prevailing wage was not an issue he overlooked.

Sorry for the lag response, SAT man had the net down, I stated that because this is our situation: Our Pipelaying barge is going to that area to do a job and we will be working with the union, we are taking on as many union hands as we can work, but the remaining specialty job positions will still be done by inhouse personnel (non-union hands). So in that context, our company is providing us a 40% bonus, but at the same time expect us to pay the Mass state tax of 5.3%, cutting it down to 34.7% roughly. Yes, the option to file and get all the state tax back is available, so with that it still could be 40%... As to your other questions, I am not licensed, but do have 20 years experience in electrical/electronics, see Welcome mat... So at that 40%, it would bring my scale up to $30.00hr which is still $8.57 below even the base scale info provided by Yanici, not mention to look at the total package of $58.42hr. This is what the companys sale on this was, this 40% would bring our pay up to approximately the same as the union hands we will be working with... But at the same time, when we asked for proof of this, they will NOT provide the detailed union pay scale for the crafts, which is for Local 25, marine division... They also said that the reason that the amount was lower than previous bonuses was because that Local 25s hands had not seen as many raises as we have had, more bull****... Now we can look at it as this opportunity does give us more money than we would be making in the Gulf of Mex. and be happy... But, to me, the company should not have tried to bull**** us in to thinking that we are going to be equal to their scale... Our company is on a schedule basis, so keeping the key employees is beneficial to the timeline, and that is why they try to smooth things over, instead of laying down the law, and pissing us off... And yes there are many other jobs available, as you all know, but I have been with this company for 6 years, and gotten tired quick of the shutdown routine... So back to the issue, with this info, what do you think is fair??? Provided that we do live in the south and have a lower cost of living. At the same time, I know of many hands that travel to the north just for the gravy as I was a previous IBEW hand myself... And on top of it all most of the union hands that do will be showing up to help will be from the south, because the northern hands already have positions... So looking at it for me losing $800 to $1000 a week is a little steep... Thoughts???

NO Perdiem or allowances, because we live onboard the Barge offshore...
The point was that the company shouldn't have tried to make it sound like we would be equal to the Union wages... They should have laid down the law, take or leave it... And by doing that, 80% would have left, if they would have took that attitude, but they try to word it carefully to smooth it over us... IF the scale is correct, what is so hard about showing us the other Union hands scale... We are going to find out once we get there anyway, unless they can get all 30 to 40 hands to stay quite about it...

See the basis for this problem is that most electricians in the south only get $15 to $18, and with the 40% bonus bringing them up to $23 - $26 hr, we will have 4 inhouse ones at that pay. They will still be making considerably less than even the Deckhands, some with no experience at all... Even myself at $30hr bonus scale, will be equal to the deckhands pay, and not even close to the union electricians base scale of $38.57...

As is all these cases, if our hands would stick together and walk, at least we would be proving a point to this company, in standing up for what we think is right... But on the other side, all hands won't go through with it, so you can't make an impact if only 5 to 10 outta 30 or 40 will do it...

As stated in the previous threads, these union hands will mostly be from the south anyway!

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You do not know this for a fact, Most northern Union towns IN MY EXPIERENCE are tough on allowing travelers

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Are you or have you ever been in the union?

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I have been a Union member for 30 years, I have owned and operated a Union Shop for 23 years.

I have and understand the operations, as a journeyman electrician in the IBEW, previously...

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BUT at present you are not and may or may not fall under union rules in Boston.

I have worked that routine, of going from job to job in the construction side...

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Not my cup of tea I have only worked for 7 companies in 37 years, I prefer to work for the same company.

So I guess, that part of me, wants to see our rights protected, just as the union stands for their hands...

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The point is as an open shop employee you may not have any rights in this except to decide to work with the rules the company set or quit.

Just because, we have decided to stick with working with one company, doesn't make it OK for them to short change us, if anything they should be thankful for the loyalty and be a little more rewarding...

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Look I would not have handled this like your company did, but the fact is they are offering you a 40% bonus, not exactly short changing you, if they sent you to Florida to do the same job (if this is possible) you'd make 40% less for the same work.

Over the years I have worked where employees made more than I did, heck my first Union job I was listed as a "R" worker on a commercial job, even though I was the foreman. This was an overtime job, during off hours the apprentices made more that I did (They got double time while I only got 1-1/2 pay. I choose to accept it. MY choice.

You have a choice, be a disgruntled employee and accept it. Raise heck with everyone and maybe your fellow employees will benefit, as you are fired, or quit.