What is a good hourly wage for working at a scrap yard? - Page 2

I hear ya .... i would rather be out on the job than being stuck in the office doing the administrative work. Sometimes the working conditions in construction aren't very good though. It's cold here in the winter.

I had a good gig for awhile. I got my class B license over thirty years ago. Once it got to a certain point i would shut down the construction jobs and go to work for the town plowing snow. You spend most of your time either in the heated truck or in the loader. The days are long but the pay is good. You're guaranteed a stand by pay so if you don't get called in you still make something. During the snowy times your take home pay after taxes can be anywhere from 600.00 - 1,000.00$ a week.



It was a nice setup because it gets you out of the way of the worst working conditions. Once the snow plowing work plays out it's generally warmed up enough that it's not so bad to be pounding nails again.

I'm getting older, and my night vision isn't as good anymore, so i decided to give up my class license but it was nice while it lasted. Master carpenter pay is pretty good during those times of the year when the work is there.

Point being : Having the special licenses and a skilled trade did alright for me over the years. It's better now than when i started out working at McDonalds doing maintenance. It didn't happen overnight. There were a lot of Dispoz-A-Help jobs and miserable bosses along the way but it was always like ... how can i add another string to my bow and improve my skillset ? After awhile it started paying off.

Another thing to consider....

Heavy Machinery experience - Means you can drive the yard equipment. Not just pick metal out of a pile. Like we buy said...picking or spotting metal can be taught to anyone if they have a half a brain.

Another thing...an maybe I missed it..but..who are you negotiating with? If it's to become the yard's employee..you got a shot at a higher wage. If with the temp agency..you got a snowballs chance in hell getting any kind of raise that is noticeable. Now mind you..perhaps you have a decent temp agency. In my experience most temp agency are crooks when it comes to pay. I've met a couple that I'd work for/with again..but I can count them on one hand. lol. YMMV.

As others mentioned..COL matters(Cost of Living). For example...here on my sandbar, Pizza delivery pays like..8 to 9 an hour. Maybe 10 if your lucky. Whereas in Manhattan,NYC those same guys make 18 an HOUR. Their also paying 1200 bucks for a raggedly ass apartment in the 'hood'. 10 bucks for smokes, 6 for milk, etc etc etc.

I saw this first hand with retail/warehousing/shipping&receiving. In the dc area one couldnt' live off 10 bucks an hour, whereas in Tucson az...one could live off 10 an hour quite easily(Circa early 2000s/2008ish). Goes hand in hand tho...higher cost of living = usually a bit higher pay. Either way...I'd go with the old saying "Plan for the worse, hope for the best".

I wish you luck an hope you'll report back how it goes an if you were successful in obtaining the raise.

I keep other sayings in mind to when dealing with employers in the past.."No man is bigger then the machine" "Anyone can be replaced". An if they can hire two people for the same wage their paying you, an reap a tax break/benefit...they will. I also think your temp agency is making a lot more then a couple bucks off of placing you.

I may not get the gold I think I'm worth, but I won't work for peanuts...not anymore. I got a taste for running my own gig...an I like it. A lot. lol. If my boss is being an *******...I go back to bed an deal with myself later.

Again..good luck to ya! I think you should also be getting about 15 an hour(based on what I know), but I'm a big fan of paying people for what their worth, but a lot of companies/businesses don't agree. lol.

Sirscrapalot - It isn't the Gods don't answer our prayers, it's just usually the answer is no. - Some book I read once