[olecapt]

Originally Posted by ackackack

Wow, you guys are really gonna get it now. After this discussion, you won't have any reputation left. Not only do you not like Las Vegas, you are also racists. I should have figured as much. You should be like the rest of the Chamber of Commerce in here and say how wonderful it is, and give examples like how great it is to have your yard maintained for so little, and how you had that block wall put up for so cheap and how you were able to tile your whole house for a few bucks, etc.

(I don't know if any of you are actual Chamber of Commerce reps. It was just a joke, like when I incorrectly assumed that some of you enjoyed Kool Aid was just a joke).

The going rate for pickup workers at Star or Home Depot is $15 an hour. Framers make $20 as do wall board guys. Lead guys and foreman do better. The "low wage" illegal is pretty much a myth. Hispanics, legal and illegal, dominate certain trades. Framers, wall board, roofers, stucco pretty much all hispanic. Concrete gets split between non-union hispanic shops and union white guy ones. That is really a union issue though.

[ackackack]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't hire illegal, unlicensed labor if it were free. That's not a racist opinion (Unfortunately, I feel I do have to qualify that statement).

How about this: ASK OLECAPT!

Olecapt, I'm planning a trip to the moon for my family and I. We were wondering what the weather conditions are like? Just kidding of course (although many in here would prefer if I went to the moon). What don't you know?

[olecapt]

You don't really have a choice unless you do the prime and subs yourself. I don't believe there is a trade available even in the high quality custom end where you will not find helpers of unknown lineage. Sure you can hire an anglo cabinet guy...guess who his helpers are? Our very anglo tile guy uses a couple of different helpers two of which are hispanic. His preferred helper is an elderly hispanic...but he is not always available.

Ohh and the weather on the moon is either way too hot or way too cold...but it is very dry.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by olecapt

The going rate for pickup workers at Star or Home Depot is $15 an hour. Framers make $20 as do wall board guys.

That's nonsense.... I've know people that weren't making half that.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center the average weekly wage for non-native born Hispanic workers in America is $388/week. They also break down the averages by trade. For foreign born Hispanics working in construction in America on average they make $388/week (native born Hispanics in America are making an average of $484).

There's no way they are getting $15-20/hour unless they aren't working many hours per week....

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

That's nonsense.... I've know people that weren't making half that.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center the average weekly wage for non-native born Hispanic workers in America is $388/week. They also break down the averages by trade. For foreign born Hispanics working in construction in America on average they make $388/week (native born Hispanics in America are making an average of $484).

There's no way they are getting $15-20/hour unless they aren't working many hours per week....

Sorry RWF...I pay lot of attention to the going rate at Star cause I hire people or send people to hire people there a couple of times a month. It is how I get my heavy gardening done. I hire two guys for a day about every six weeks. I also semd my clients to the same site when they need some help.

I help a couple of custom builders in the NW estimate jobs. I know pretty well what we will pay for various skills.

I also maintain enought contacts in Los Angeles to know what goes there.

Now the cheap southerners may get away with less. Then again they do that to there own.

In the SW the cheap hispanic is a mirage. May well have been true a while back but no longer.

I believe my cleaning lady, who is an American Citizen, pays her helpers $10 an hour. And they may well be all off the books...I am not about to enquire.

Interesting Lady about 28 or so. Probably came across a long time ago illegally. But now a citizen. Hubby has been seriously disabled by a back injury...so she simply rose to the challenge and has bascially replaced his income and then some. Many of the employees in her cleaning service and restaurant may well be illegal but many are also family. Amazing to watch her drag them all into the middle class.

[RedWingsFan]

I'd say you and your cleaning lady are getting taken. You can find illegals to do the work for half the price you are paying them. For real...

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

I'd say you and your cleaning lady are getting taken. You can find illegals to do the work for half the price you are paying them. For real...

Not in Las Vegas RWF...we maintain a much higher standard than Florida.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Sorry RWF...I pay lot of attention to the going rate at Star cause I hire people or send people to hire people there a couple of times a month. It is how I get my heavy gardening done. I hire two guys for a day about every six weeks. I also send my clients to the same site when they need some help.

I help a couple of custom builders in the NW estimate jobs. I know pretty well what we will pay for various skills.

I also maintain enough contacts in Los Angeles to know what goes there.

Now the cheap southerners may get away with less. Then again they do that to there own.

In the SW the cheap Hispanic is a mirage. May well have been true a while back but no longer.

I believe my cleaning lady, who is an American Citizen, pays her helpers $10 an hour. And they may well be all off the books...I am not about to inquire.

Interesting Lady about 28 or so. Probably came across a long time ago illegally. But now a citizen. Hubby has been seriously disabled by a back injury...so she simply rose to the challenge and has basically replaced his income and then some. Many of the employees in her cleaning service and restaurant may well be illegal but many are also family. Amazing to watch her drag them all into the middle class.

So basically you're breaking the law by hiring guys outside of Star Nursery?

I won't tell.

I pay my cleaning lady $80.00 to come every other week. She can do in 3½ to 4 hours what it took Carol and me the whole weekend to do. So I guess she makes $20.00 or more per hour. But I don't care. She doesn't bitc* about having to clean like we do.

There is a lot of misconception about immigrants going around. When they say illegal aliens they mean Mexicans. Don't anybody bother to deny it to me because you're wasting your breath; but I will never believe you when you swear that you are not prejudiced against all Mexicans, legal, illegal, or Mexican/American.

[gulfer]

Didn't RWF move a few years ago? Was that when houses were 150K - 200K and now they have doubled.
Interesting RWF you liked it there so much when just you and the hubby, but not now with Children. I respect that you made the choice to move away once you had children, but if you bad mouth things so much...why didn't you move before you had children???

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Not in Las Vegas RWF...we maintain a much higher standard than Florida.

No, I'm speaking of Nevada. I have no clue about how it is in Florida. I don't see illegals hanging out in parking lots here, that was only out there.

Originally Posted by Buzz123

So basically you're breaking the law by hiring guys outside of Star Nursery?

.

That's how much he loves America... he breaks the laws and hires illegals. Upstanding citizen, eh? Great way to contribute to the welfare of Americans.

Originally Posted by gulfer

Didn't RWF move a few years ago? Was that when houses were 150K - 200K and now they have doubled.
Interesting RWF you liked it there so much when just you and the hubby, but not now with Children. I respect that you made the choice to move away once you had children, but if you bad mouth things so much...why didn't you move before you had children???

Incorrect again. I moved not even a year ago after living there 10 years, it was late last year when I moved. I sold my house for the peak amount and now I see they are listed for less than what we sold ours for - they are losing a little value. So I sold at the perfect time and I made a lot of money off it because the price had more than doubled since buying it. Before we had kids we planned on moving. It was always in the plans, but things come up that delayed the move. When you are making a cross country move the timing has to be right.