Union Wages

[JennySquirrel]

Good for you! Think from the end. Someone told me that and I sold my house in this economy in 2 weeks for more than any house in the neighborhood, ever! SOOOO Think from the end! Picture yourself with that promotion!

Good luck!

[R_Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by JennySquirrel

I'm guessing the "undocumented" workers will get first choice at the trades jobs.

Ever since the new laws went into effect a year ago, fining employers who hired 'undocumented workers' - quite a few of those workers have left. The fines are steep and the paperwork is onerous for business owners. Plus, we have good Ol' Sheriff Joe with his surprise raids checking up on businesses. So i think this statement (while probably true several years ago) is exaggerated.

The whole immigration thing and the job situation is extremely complex and can't be described or cured with a few off-the-cuff statements. For instance, when the laws went into effect, our undocumented population dropped like a rock. Good and bad: Good that a line is being drawn in the sand; Good that skilled laborers get a shot at good jobs. Bad that many, many rentals suddenly were empty. (Domino effect felt throughout the city...) Bad for companies in town if part of their customer base came from those workers who left.

Case in point: Friend of mine is one of the best mechanics in town. He never gave any thought to the demographics of his client base. You don't need to see 'papers' to work on a car. He had a nice mixture of clients, all paid him on time, all pretty nice people, so no worries. The law went into effect last January, the apartments nearby suddenly went empty. His business immediately fell off 1/3.

Everything has unintended consequences. We had an immediate economic downturn when that law went into effect. I'm not saying I disagree with the law, and this isn't a political forum, so let's not go there. But to tell someone moving here that they won't get a job because of the 'undocumented workers' is a little misleading at this point. You won't find a lot of unions- this is a right to work state. True. Construction has dropped because of a glut in home inventory. True. Construction jobs for skilled trades are at a low point. True. But let's not blame it all on one part of the community. Things are just a mess and we'll have to see how it all shakes out.

IMHO - if you are good, and if are willing to work in a non-union job (hoping for at least equal or close to the benefits you are getting where you are- factoring in the COL) you could be just fine. In an economy where things are shaky, people want to hold on to the homes they have. That means remodels are up, handyman contractors are needed, rehabs are still being done.

We rode out the recessions of 1974 and 1987. We'll make it through this one. The biggest difference between now and then? No 24/7 news channels screaming doom and gloom, and no internet.

Onward!