WyDot (Gillette, Cody, Basin: purchases, construction, school districts)

[snowman0u812]

Just wondering why there is such turnover with WyDot? Every week there are a few jobs for them all over. Is it a crappy place to work, lots of retirement, or what? Thanks.

[Brian_M]

In my county (Fremont), it's because people can make more money doing anything else (including flipping burgers). I have a friend with quite a few years under his belt at WyDot and it urks him to no end that they are always understaffed and have no money to fix the problem.

[georgiainwyo]

I think that the money is a big part. However, a lot of people don't look at the "big picture". My son-in-law has been doing an internship type deal working for WYDOT 20 hrs./wk. on the "Design Squad" at UW while finishing his engineering degree. He was just interviewed for a full time engineering position in Cody and found out he got it! He starts right after graduation in May. He considered working for a private firm that paid more, but in looking at all of the state benefits he figured that as a young man (26) that in the long run he would be much better off with WYDOT due to benefits, retirement, etc. I worked for the State for 5 years so can attest to the truth in that. My ex-husband has been with the state for 27 years now and not only is his retirement great, but the money that was put into his deferred comp through the state over the years adds up to a lot of money. He is going to retire at a young age within the next couple of years. Also, I think what you said about people retiring is valid. Seems that there are lots of folks at retirement age and many actually retire quite young. So, from my perspective, if you are young, working for WYDOT or any state agency is a good thing if you plan on staying long term. My son-in-law's wages will start at a min. of $42K/yr. (probably a bit more due to his part-time experience with them), which isn't bad for a new graduate. Granted, he could make more working for a private firm in a different state, but he & my daughter really wanted to stay in Wyoming, particularly in the Big Horn Basin, so this opportunity is just perfect for them. My ex-father-in-law was an engineer for WYDOT for many years, retired early and with a very nice retirement. I hope this lends just a bit of info to your question!

[sunsprit]

The prevailing wage at WYDOT for trades is far below the marketplace in the "boom town" areas of Wyoming.

The trade-off is steady employment, a good chance of seasonal overtime, good benefits package, and a good retirement package. This all may be of value to you if you look at the very long term package, but if you need income now, it may fall very short of your requrements.

The same is true of many of the local school districts in Wyoming in their transportation departments. Their wages are far below what motivated people can make in other shops, but the trade-off of a steady wage and benefits may be more important.

I know that in our local school bus garage, nobody ever works very hard or gets stressed. I've been there many times when various workers were on breaks, playing video games, having a card game, or slowly working on a project or ordering parts for one at the parts counter. It's a real "hurry up and wait" type of environment for when the buses come back in from their routes with squawk sheets ... and the rest of the time is pretty slow. It takes a certain type of personality to be comfortable with this work environment ... and every one of the techs I know there dashes out the door at the end of his shift to go to his home-based or retail outlet business that they own to supplement their income. The hourly wage is easily $8-12 per hour less than the local prevailing wage for dealership techs on comparable equipment ... and would be much further behind in one of the boom town areas for similar skill level jobs.

[snowman0u812]

Thanks all, good info, I guess its all in which you prefer, but knowing I have a job tomorrow would make me feel better, especially now a days. There is absolutely no work here in MN, but obviously it's not just here.

[Clay Lady]

snowman, jobs are becoming an issue everywhere. With the price of oil so low the drilling boom is pretty much over. No more "drill, baby drill". It is really just a matter of finishing contracts in hand for a lot of industries. WY has been booming for several years now with high paying jobs that there are no replacements for when they are lost. You will hear the same thing from every state.

[snowman0u812]

So Clay Lady, is Wyoming on the verge of a bust? Or is coal and methane still happening?

[Clay Lady]

This isn't a Wyoming only issue. When it costs more to produce/drill than you can make a profit from then you stop production. How far you cut back is a guess but you begin cutting. I don't have to tell ya'll that. US rig count is dropping like a rock. I don't know about coal and methane.

[georgiainwyo]

Coal and methane still going strong in Gillette. It is projected that this "boom" will continue for many more years. I work in the school district and we are building new schools, getting ready for TONS more kids. So, no, it is not "bust" time here!

[WyoNewk]

Coal mining is expected to drop off a little, however. 2008 was a record year -- a record that could stand for a few years. Some of the coal mines are planning to cut back 2-5% for 2009 and urging others to do so as well. Almost all the coal goes out of state -- east and south -- so when those states are cutting back, coal purchases are cut back as well.

Coal bed methane isn't likely to take off like it could've either, as investors for new gas lines are backing out.

Housing prices have even dropped a little, and it's less of a seller's market. The state legislature was planning on a $900 million surplus, but recent predictions now have it pegged at $260 million. That's $1,000 per person that won't be spent in construction projects, etc. due mainly to reduced mineral sales. It all adds up. There's also a "wait and see" attitude about the new administration.

From today's Gillette News-Record: http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2009/01/16/news/today/news00.txt (broken link)