BLOG FOR FRIDAY - FINDING TOMORROWS CRAFTSMEN

In 1986 I paid $21.00 a square to my applicators on a big apartment complex job. I think that the shingles cost just about that much. In today's market I don't think that they are paying $75.00 to $95.00 a square to the applicators. If they are making half s much as they used to they are lucky as far as buying power at the end of the week.

That is why no one wants to be a roofer. Period.

Over the past two decades, the construction industry, (in the west, anyhow), has become dependent on the illegal workforce.....Wages have stalled....What was once a fribrant, romantic, (for lack of better words), & rewarding career path, has become a dismal/menial service job.

I've lost several ouitstanding individuals to other career paths, simply because of the general work-place environment of illegal/non-english speaking peers.....It's not much fun anymore.

I hire ONLY allegient American,

V the B, you answered many of your questions. I brought something similar up a couple of months ago when we were all discussing storm chasers and illegals in the work force. My thoughts are; that, yes when the schools are having career nights, we as contractors or our state associations should be setting up booths to show case our industry. There are many jobs in our industries such as helpers, apprentices, journeyman,tilemen, foamers, single plyers, hot moppers, distribution, sales, manufacturing etc. Generaly they, as young people, have to start at or near the bottom of the trade and pay scale just like any other trade. A lot of the trade has moved away from the asphalt products abnd they don't get nearly as dirty and safety is much more a concern today. The industry should be more appealing over all. I would beleive that less than 50% of students are going on to college and even less are going to finish college, so they have to turn to the trades and on-thejob-training If we are paying as much as hvac, plumbing and electrical and we should be, then we can keep the kids away from drywall, masonry, cement, painting and other trades that compete for our youth. We need to convince mom and dad at these career fairs that roofing is a honorable profession that instills knowledge, trust and honesty in our profession with out breaking our backs

Of all the thinking I did about my blog I never even thought of the fact that you gravitate to where you could support your family. Money.

Regarding your book. Make it into a PDF and it can be made into an e-book and we will sell it on the CoffeeShop for you - No charge. An E-book will save you the cost of printing it and if they see it on a website they can probably figure out how to print it out. There are a variety of websites that we can get to post it for you. Webmaster Steve would be HAPPY to help you set up the process - (wait until we tell him!) It won't be on the best sellers list due to a limited audience but your book will be appreciated I am sure. If you put a vampire in it it would sell more.

I have written a short book on exactly this same subject as it relates to slate roofing, but I haven't had time to publish it yet. Who would read such a thing?

There is a big difference between being a "roofer" and being a roofing contractor. We have written about this on the coffee shop before. The reason there are so few new young roofers is because the money that one can make doing it has evaporated to almost nothing. People are getting what they are paying for too! The contractors are making money by cutting what they will pay to the roofers. but unfortunately they too are cutting what they get (a lot of them anyway) and there is nothing to be made. We are specialized and I still do a lot of the work with the crew and it is tough! I don't know what the answer is. In Europe, roofing is a highly regulated, very respectable and well paying profession. Here, Chuck with a truck and Pablo and Juan are killing themselves (literally) for nothing and it is cutting into the profits of those that try and do things leagally with the proper insurance and safety programs.

I should re-read what I have writtin over the last few years and get it ready to publish. Would anyone buy a copy? It is titled "Slate", the "State" of the "Art"