Buildpedia - The space between money and manpower, in modern construction.

While we sit at influx of unskilled labor from job loss, coming of age and the ever so popular job site floater, we in the business have to daily redefine our positions from teacher and mentor to negotiator, all along while protecting the investments we engage in securing services. The situation has turned into an Ali Holmes fight, with the contractor on life long rope a dope.

The gap growing between paying a man what he’s truly worth and what he believes he’s worth begins to present unseen obstacles in the way of a successful contractor. If the contractor operates in a completive market, and even slightly overpays for provided services, his markup and/or profit can quickly be destroyed, leaving the contractor in no position to absorb the standard, occasional, job to job mishap. Thus driving the contractor to charge more and pushing him outside of his target market.

This dilemma can quickly kill the small contractor, leaving our business in a constant fluctuation between feast and famine. In other words, one good one to the chin puts the little guy out. Even with the growing corporate consumption rate, the millions of little guys are the grass roots of our current economy as well as the closing window to the American dream.

Then here comes the Union, ah yes, the big U. From a position of a small business owner as well as an ex-Union carpenter I believe the brotherhood to be a valuable tool, in some cases. The original founding of the unions gave the American people a standard of living they deserved. However, when it evolved to its present state of self righteous disregard to the little Joe it leaves itself in the same position as the greedy imperialistic pigs we love much.

And then on the other side of the see saw, we’ve got are migrant workers. Bullet proof Google heads that send most their money home where they get more than a buck on 50 cents. It takes a big chunk out of our market if a fellow can provide services at half pay. Although I do have to admit most of them I’ve seen work make a rock look like a crybaby. I say we all pitch in and buy .

Last but by far not the least here comes our kids. Riding the center of that see saw, sliding between good pay and the best they can get. A few, and just a few, seem to be wood smart from the get go, however most of them we have a tuff time just getting them to strap their pants up.

Solution? Well friends, I don’t have an easy fix for this broken truck, and I’m just about out of stupid metaphors. However, if I was going to get to wrenching on it I’d probably start around the following:

I’d begin a High School level employment program focusing on the issues involving specific training for small business attitudes. A sort of ‘let’s win one for the team’ program.
I’d organize an expectable pay rate program for the Unions, based on acquired knowledge instead of time in. This would open the door for small contractors to utilize Unions and still compete in the residential market.
I think we might be on the right track as far as the migrant work visas. I’d just see to it they got enforced and I wouldn’t let them cross the border with anything but pocket change.
I’d place myself as President of these . Simply because I’d love to see the look on their faces as I reformed our land into the world’s biggest circus. I would also let GW keep his under title as head clown.

So I guess that about sizes up my acquired twisted view. However it’s not all bad, in my wake is many installers, carpenters, handy men and services techs, that all started out with me as whatever have you short of that. But don’t be deceived, that wake was kicked out buy a one armed row boater in septic tank of life. Circles keep it moving baby...circles