Switch from Temp-Agency employees to direct hire

[rfwoodvt]

Hey all,

Well, I've finally decided to look into going the direct hire route for workers.

I've "Joint Ventured" with another climber for quite a while now and we've brought in help from temp/man-power type agencies.

It now looks best to bring my JV partner on as an employee and if I do that then it seems to make sense to bring on ground workers as direct emps as well.

Biggest factor right now is figuring out reasonable wages. just curious what sort of range of wages are being payed around the U.S. for different jobs.

Would any of you be willing to give ballpark ranges of pay for the following jobs?

Climber forman

climber

Groundie

Completely new to the profession...

Any differential for ISA Certs?

Is it all hourly or does anyone pay a daily rate?

How about commission or percentage?

ThanX for the info!

 

[thattreeguy]

hey, i think i paid fairly well, because loosing valuable employees to someone else for an extra buck an hour is lame..so here goes...groundie $7to$8....capable of running ropes fixing saws $12...climber(green $8 to $10)...couple years exp $12 to $15... ten years plus $18 to $25.....remember you are only as good as your best climber...foremen...$15 to 25 depends on qualificatons...cdl, cert arborist line clearance,etc.........i paid hourly, only ever paid by the day on cash days...every so often.....completely new to proffesion $7 hr... got to teach em so much you got a four year investment to make that guy worth $12 hr...have fun this part sucks because you have to figure out what you can afford based on your comp rate...i paid 68 percentcomp plus matching the taxes...so make sure you got your bids to allow these guysi charged 75 hr for a climber always two climbers to a crew 50 hr for groundies and a charge for the truck, chipper and fuel/disposal fees.if you dont include it all in your overhead the taxes / comp will bite you....best of luck...gladly now just a grunt again ...dave

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Can you still payroll through the temp agency? I did that for many years and it's 100% legit. They charged me 30% of total payroll and that covered wages, taxes and insurance. At times workers comp was running at about 18% plus so it was a great deal.

TTG's wage rates seem reasonable.

 

[Tree_Wizard]

Once you join TCIA to get the Model Company Safety Program (as Tom recommended in your other thread) you will also get the results of the "Annual Wage Survey". This survey is broken down by region of the country and job classifications. It also lists the high, low and average hourly rate by position. A new one is coming out shortly as I just filled our data for TCIA last week. The data goes in confidentially - other than the region of the company you are in. The region is important since a reasonable wage for a groundman in Boston could be completely unreasonable in Missoula, etc.

As a member you also get a three ring binder of copies of forms (300+) that other member companies use for running their businesses and a best practices guide that covers most everything you need to know on how to run a successful tree service business.

 

[jroyce]

Iam not an employer Iam on the other end of the pay check. I think that how you pay your workers is highly based upon your location, how much it costs to live, and how they are as workers. I have worked in massachusetts where the pay is relatively high but it still seams as though it is not enough (isn't that alwyas the case)
Groundsman- 15.00 an hr.
Climber- 16.00-20.00
Forman- 20.00- 25 an hour.
I have an associate degree with two years climbing experience. Does this mean that i should make more money than a guy fresh off the street? Also, what if someone has been climbing for a year or two and has no degree, but is a great arborist and is on time and has a desire to contine to learn, does he deserve more or less?
I think a lot of the pay should be based on an individual. I know i have always done a few trial days with companies before i get hired so they can evaluate me on how my work ethics are and my abilities.

rfwoodvt,
You from Vermont? If so I'm sure the prices will be different. I say pay them as much as you can afford. I think that way you'll get better people and hopefully be able to keep them. Its awful when you train someone for a year or two and then they jump ship.
Hope this helps and good luck