Roofers Please Read for your own good

Here is another set of topics I would like to talk about. This is for the roofers out there that come in everyday, sober, and give it everything they got. For those of you that don't do this, you got some growing up to do before you even bother reading this.

Roofers, both men and women, please know the truths about this business when you go to work for someone.

1. Cash under the table, anything over $600 in a year is illegal for a legitimate business to do. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Not only that, but you aren't covered under any insurance of theirs if you were to get injured. Some people can swindle their way around this, but is it worth the chance??

2. Withholding Taxes: Roofers, it is worth your time to verify this from time to time. I have seen employers take your taxes out, then not pay them. What happens then?? At the end of the year, when you have thought all along that taxes were being taken out, the IRS will inform you that they in fact have not been taken out. They will look for YOU to pay them and tell you to take that employer to court.

3. Banking Hours over 40: OH No. Big No, No. Please do not fall for that. EMPLOYERS: Do not let a roofer tell you that they are ok with that. Here's what happens: One day they get mad at you when you fire them or don't pay them right. even though they tell you they were o with it, they won't be when they call the labor board. The United States Labor board is currently reviewing some of these rules because they know that not only Employers take advantage, SO DO THE WORKERS. I had an incident where a whole crew scammed me on bogus hours for a year, then tried to get me in trouble when I fired them. Some of them went to jail over it.

4. OSHA Safety: Big topic for me. Roofers, make sure your employer has everything required to be OSHA compliant!! If they don't then they need to break out their wallet and get it! EMPLOYERS: It is YOUR responsibility to have a safety plan in place and that you ENFORCE your safety practices. FINE them if necessary!! You can fine any employee as much as you want as long as thier check is at least minimum wage! Roofers, BE SAFE! Employers: ENFORCE IT! Peoples lives are at stake!!

5. Prevailing Wage Jobs: Roofers, make darn sure you are getting the appropriate wage! You cannot bank hours and ANYTHING over 40 requires overtime. Certified payroll is often turned in, so whether they are paying you correctly or not, they are telling the government that they are paying you correctly.

6. E Verify: EMPLOYERS: Please e verify! Do not go by just an ID and a SS card! In some states if you do not e verify and you get caught, its like 10k PER illegal. I am all about all races working, but come on. be a citizen of this country!

7. Drugs and Alcohol: Roofers: Don't be stupid with this subject. Did you know that if you get injured on the job, your medical costs will not be covered if you fail adrug test or have Alcohol in your system?? Besides that, a REAL professional roofer wouldn't tarnish an employer's reputation over a joint or a beer.

8. Traveling Perdium pay: It is a FEDERAL LAW that requires employers to pay their employees a daily perdium (minimum $20 per day) for food expenses. I am a traveling subcontractor and I am sick and tired of seeing people getting taken advantage of. EMPLOYERS: YES! You have to pay perdium in addition to a worker's check! YES, You have to PAY for their lodging as well!

9. Pay: Roofers: Always check your hours and rate of pay. Protect yourself, BUT please be aware of the below paragraph as employers have rights too.

EMPLOYERS: If you have an employee that is terminated, you have the RIGHT to pay them only minimum wage for their services. This usually happens when theft occurs, or grounds for termination resulting from drugs and alcohol abuse, absenses, ect....

10. You decide what to add from this point on. If I am wrong about any of this, of which I'm pretty sure I'm not, please comment. Guys, we all need to be professional in this business. Roofers need to respect their employers and Employers need to respect thier employees.

As for pay; You must pay the employee the established wage. An employer cannot legally withhold/withdraw/lower a wage to "minimum wage", for any reason.

Which brings to mind an issue we ran up against aprx. 10+ yrs ago;

We did a lot of new const. res. roofing. Mostly pc. wk. We had a crew go to the Fed dept of Labor, after we had deducted $, we paid another crew, to fix thier screw-ups

To make a long-story short. Big bro in thier great wisdom decided we needed to pay every employee that had been in our employ over the past 2yrs, 2hrs overtime for each pay period. Imagine going back over 2 yrs of weekly payrolls, and issuing 100+/- mini windfall checks...all the direct labot burden costs as well...A lot of which were undeliverable/returned, to which big bro said they get to keep the $!

Anyhow...You must keep accuratre time cards for pc. wk. and if the employee claims he/she worked over 40 hrs, they are entiltled to overtime pay based on the avg. paycheck they have received.

Estorey....You missed the biggest, most exploited unethical, practice that is so common-place,(in this state anyhow), that's it's simply overlooked/accepted as the norm....That of which, is misrepresenting employees, as independent subcontractors.

Willie is just glad that he don't have these problems anymore.

:unsure:

Actually, the biggest scam in roofing is mistating the amount of hours on WC for piece-rate workers. I have always paid hourly and subsidize the guys that pay piecework that claim their people make fulltime money only working 20 to 25 hours a week.

That was a very nice post. You got it all right! The big reality behind this business. My favorite one is in #10, about RESPECT. ;)

I'm not even sure what the "roofing industry" is anymore Estorey.

Marketing companies? Home Improvement Companies? Restoration Contractors? Unemployed Carpenters? Unemployable hacks?

(Or my current flavor of the Day: Manufacturers telling us to "Educate" the consumer on "quality" while they are working triple time to reduce the quality of their products ever further. I can't keep up!)

So let's get this straight: You have the so called subs working for the so-called roofing contractors....and there is no contract....and then there is a problem...and..... then what?

IDK: What? :S

And yes, it is a federal law about the perdium. According to the United States Department of Labor (Federal), the only way around it, is if you do a piece rate that doesn't go less then minimum wage ever and as long as people don't work over 40 hours in a week. It's tricky but legal to do it that way, however, at least in my world, it's not that easy due to the size of work we do and the basic fact that there are many roofers that have a hard time managing their money.

All states and insurance providers are different. I know how this industry is, trust me. I travel everywhere and I hire a lot of people and I hear all the horror stories, as well as living some of those horror stories.

I have been thinking of starting a non for profit organization that helps both the roofers out there, as well as the small to mid size contractors. Scams occur on both sides. Just like there is a labor board for workers, the business side of things also needs help that doesn't involve a laywer.

The new scam, if you are a subcontractor for larger roofing companies, is the scam where they work you till the end and then they screw you on your final balance. They force it to go to court or to mediation between attorneys and then they can settle for pennies on the dollar. Do this a dozen times in a year on big projects and you are talking about big money they are making. Some companies (who I will leave nameless), purposely do this. I've seen it and have even been a victom of it. I cover my butt better then most, but this little scam is hard to beat.

Although it's exactly what we do, ($20/day + hotel) I'd be surprised if that's actually a federal law.

Most roofers have decided that they don't want any part of the American Economic System. The greatest, most opportunistic in the history of the world.

That's why roofers are generally regarded as being real smart dudes :dry:

And I'm with MIKE: How many layers/ payments of insurance do we need? Whether I get hurt on the job or at home or in a car, I AM HURT.

Don't have time to go through it all now, but number one raises a few issues.

"Cash under the table, anything over $600 in a year is illegal for a legitimate business to do. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Not only that, but you aren't covered under any insurance of theirs if you were to get injured. Some people can swindle their way around this, but is it worth the chance??"

Cash under the table is illegal period. $600 is the threshold for mandatory reporting (1099) but even $1 of payment to a fake contractor is illegal.

You actually are covered under their workers comp if you are in a state like I'm in. There is even a fund for uninsured employers you can tap into. But if you pretend to contractorhood and take a 1099 and then get hurt, you can go right back on the person who hired you anyway. The rules do not allow you to waive your wc rights, even if you want to.

Gotta run...