Attention: auto diesel technicians?
 

well i am just wondering of all the auto diesel technicians out there if you ever feel like you have gotten the shaft from your dealership? i am goin on 4 years at this (chevy) dealership now, i am an ASE master technician, have thousands of hours of GM training, and am also the guy who works on 99% of diesel drivability problems in the shop. just recently we hired two new guys in the shop and my service manager has started both of them out at the exact same flat-rate wage as me!! one guy has no ASE training and no GM training, while the other guy is an ASE master technician with no GM training, neither one know diesel at all, so i am thinking that i'm getting the shaft and that maybe i should deserve a raise. in our shop we only get paid flat-rate, no base pay and i am making $18 an hour on flat-rate, when i started as a freshy, i only got $14 so i don't see why our new guys should make that much, but what do i know, since therefore i am not an almighty manager which means i must not know anything. [verymad] i heard once that the only reason managers get put in there posistions is because they can't do anything else right so they have to do something with them. [rant]

It ain't just auto techs.

A telco tech hired 4 years ago with my company makes the exact same take home pay that I do with 25 years of service. [tapdshut]
But we're Union.


Go ask for a raise. [whistle]

Theres always some drama inside the dealerships. Right or wrong?

ya it is almost as if they don't appreciate the effort it takes to get certified and aquire all that training. at least i can gain because i can work more efficiently due to the fact that i've got the training. and asking for a raise where i work is more useless than this,,, [deadhors] [deadhors] [eyecrazy]

It's the same why at the BMW dealership I work at. Seems like the only way to get a raise is to threaten to quit! [verymad]

That's why toolboxes have wheels. ;)

If it makes you feel better I have been in business for myself, I quit my last boss because he would not give me a raise past $16 an hour...

A month or so ago je called me complaining about his new helper, he says the guy is a really lousy carpenter, and has no tools. Not really worth the $25 an hour he is paying him... I was bringing all these tools to work with me, and usually working alone, while he did another job.
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I'd start thinkng about looking elsewhere.

Another reason why I got out of the auto repair business, that and the warranty labor time that the manufactures keep cutting back.

11 ASE's (Master, L1 Adv Engine Perf, T2 Diesel Engine, and C1), and a California Smog License, and a AA Degree in Automotive Technology.

Started at 8 quit. Came back at 16, raised to 19...........and sat there like forever.

Its cool though, now I sit in a air conditioned office, M-F 7-4, making more than I did, surfing the truck sites most of the day, drinking [coffee]

Gotta love corporate America. :cool:

You realllllly need to ask for a raise, or go over to another GM dealership and see what they'll offer you.

I hear you, but maybe you ought to look at it a bit differently. First, anyone who has seen my posts knows the last thing I am is for any big business vs. the little guy. I would totally agree with you if $18/hr. was clock rate. You all would make your ~ $700 week and you would put out twice as much work as the other guys. On flat rate when you put out twice as much work you get twice the pay. At the end of the week, the three paychecks are going to be vastly different until the other guys get closer to your skills and knowledge level.

Back in the '60's I worked for Coca Cola. As a young kid I made the exact same pay as the other guys who had been there for years. ($5 hr plus .07 case commission) :p . My paycheck was much less than them because I was low man on the totem pole. They had the best routes, sold them most product and made the most money. No one complained back then, but "back then" might be the operative phrase. It's a different world today!

I think we pretty much all know, there are gravy jobs in flat rate shops. There is much more money (much easier to beat the book time) in a customer's brake job than a warranty electrical short. The service manager should give you more than your fair share of those type jobs as a respect for your seniority. JMHO :)

Holy crap guys. I wouldnt work for less then 15 an hour as unskilled labourer.
As a certified auto mechanic I would be demanding 20-30an hour.

I know a couple of guys in your same situation. They told me that they make up for it by doing side jobs. Oh, nothing major. Just lite diesel maintenence and things they know and like doing on Dodge Cummins trucks ONLY too. I know one of their employers "has a problem" with him doing backyard repairs, figuring everyone ought to be taking their Dodge Cummins trucks to them but when he told them he'd give that up for a raise to what he should be making, well they balked at that but haven't said anything further about anything last I heard either. He won't work on a brand new trucks referring them to his employer or whereever they bought the truck. But there's many that're 3 or 4 years old and older that frequent his services when it comes to adjusting valves, routine maintenence, the addition of aftermarket parts, and stuff like that. It's one of those smaller town dealerships that's been around for 60 years where they know everyone and everyone knows them....but they STILL survive. :p Anyway, I know the thought of side jobs could be unpleasant (they do 4 - 10 hour shifts at the dealership and 1 or 2 days in their shop/garages for cash. I'd say they do REAL WELL too.) but on the other hand a few fast and easy side jobs from one so well trained could sure even up the odds too. Good luck. Chuck

If they're making the same pay, they're doing the same job right? Without your technical assistance or manual help. Or if you all do help each other it goes both ways equally no? I'm in the same situation as an elevator mechanic. I know what you're up against. Do whatever makes you happy at the end of the day. If they're decent guys to work with, it might pan out to be a good atmosphere to work in. And remember without the union and it's few faults, the transmissions would probably be rebuilt in house using cheap imported labor and swapped out at the dealerships using cheap imported labor. We also start our mechanics at scale. I do whatever makes my life as an elevator mechanic happy. Sometimes that's to offer a little technical assistance so I'm not spending my week on my route and the weekend on their route. Sometimes I'm too busy to help if it's getting on my nerves that a mechanic is getting paid the same scale I am and he's not pulling his weight. I'll let him sink and get replaced with hopefully a better mechanic that I won't have to hold his hand all day. Do what works best for your happiness and well being but make sure you're not the one being a [tapdshut] . I know I can be a [tapdshut] when I feel taken advantage of. Usually when I don't say what needs to be said when it needed to be said. Later it comes out in anger. That last mechanic was greasy and tough. Gave me indigestion. [coffee]

Been there done that. What shovel said. Tool boxes have wheels for a reason. Time to go bye bye. Flat rate sucks. With your qualifications you will have many many job offers. Probably many at the Ferd dealerships working on the 6.0 pos diesel they have.

I got a whole crew of Mexicans that don't make that! You better check your self worth!

oilfield wages in texas
 

i work the oil patch....we start kids out of high school at $16.00 per hr and $60 dollars a day cash to show up as floorhands...the drillers 21.00 per hr and $100 to show up...then you tack on safety and bottom hole bonuses....i make $1000 a day plus fuel card, plus living quarters,company truck and eats while on hitch...our mechanics make $40 per hr plus fuel, plus eats, and company work truck..oh and anyone above driller gets company paid for cell phones...the phone and ride and fuel card are ok to use on our days off...we only work half a year....7days on and 7days off...there are good jobs out in the patch....redzone...