“For every eight guys who retire in this trade, only one guy picks it up. The whole industry is in danger.” “Wow. Would you hire me? I’d love to learn it.” “Absolutely not.”
Image from Schmμτż ᛭𝟗᛭ (@Schmutz_9R)
Image from Schmμτż ᛭𝟗᛭ (@Schmutz_9R)
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Boomers: Learn a trade! Join a union! Literally everyone born after 1979: hey, I’d love to get into this trade, is your union hall opening up for apprenticeships!?! Boomers: Absolutely not.
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IBEW is desperate for electricians in Texas. Average starting wage for someone completely inexperienced is almost $18/hr in the cities.

Nov 10, 2026 · 3:26 AM UTC

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Clearly not that desperate if they're only paying $18/hour
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18/hr for an electrician is literal slavery
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Custodians at the post office start at $26 and have great health insurance and a pension
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$18/hr and 'desperate' in the same sentence is fucking hilarious. You can't be serious, right? That is a terrible wage.
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If everyone isn't angry enough yet at the 18$/hr, ask how much they'll charge a client per hour and see how much of that actually goes to the new guy.
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A cashier at Buc-ees starts at $20/hr.
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Wow what a terrible wage it makes sense they are desperate.
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$18/hr explains why they are desperate for electricians.
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$18 an hour has not been good money at any level for at least five years now.
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Bump it up to $30 an hour first year with an increase in pay every year of experience up to 10 years and you got a deal.
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They have been saying there is a shortage for decades. I remember applying 10 years ago during a shortage. Scored 90/100 and was number 7 on the list. Never got picked up. Ended up in a different trade, met one of the guys on the IBEW local chapter board on a job site and he flat out told me that if you don’t get 98+/100 they won’t ever call and you have to know someone to get in. He offered to hook it up but that turned me off the union for good.
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My local Target is paying $20/hr. No union dues either…
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18/hr can barely pay rent or groceries, you got us fucked up thinking Gen Z is going to work a BACKBREAKING job just for $18/hr.
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You mean ‘non-illegal’ electrician? Because there is a huge glut of Hispanic tradesmen working under the table here
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I pay unskilled laborers over 50% more, that's dogshit
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Dude, just cut the shit and go hire some illegals. This is insulting. Its what they are gonna end up doing at those wages anyway.
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Can you even live off of that in any city that matters in Texas?
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IBEW also wants you to complete a pre apprenticeship program to join. So that's 18 months on top of the 4 years to become a journeyman. That's total bs
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Median rent in Austin is 1323. $18 an hour is 2880 a month. It's not enough.
Image from Ashaman (@_Ashaman)
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A gas station grill job near me with 3 tables is offering 20/hr. No lie.
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My local McDonalds starts higher than that and I'm not even in SoCal anymore where they start at like $21
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So unions are ran by completely out of touch boomers too? Good to know
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I knew someone who was making quite a bit more than that as a school maintenance worker back in the 90s in a place where you could rent an apartment for $300/mo. You ain't attracting any kind of reliable worker for that kind of money these days. Forget about someone with skills.
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$18 an hour doesn't sound desperate to me lol, those are poverty wages. Grocery stores pay the same, sometimes even more.
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You're baiting right? If you housed me and covered medical insurance with zero premium and per diem'ed heavy on top of that you might be competing with costco wages.
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bro if you work 6 hour days thats fucking $25k a year lmao
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Youre smoking Crack if you think 18 an hour is anywhere near decent starting wage for that
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I made $18 an hour selling TVs at Best Buy 20 years ago in the suburbs. I was still in high school. Who the fuck is excited to make the same 20 years later, in a large city, while physically busting your ass?
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Joke pay. It's no longer 1982. 18 year olds make $4/hr more working in warehouses
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The plan is to let these $18/hr positions run vacant long enough so they can import h1b slave labor. It’s wrong on every level.
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Not even a full 18 an hour for a unionized trade the south is an actual irredeemable shithole
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Lol McDonald's pays more ffs
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Respectfully, why would you not just work at Wal-Mart for that much? How quickly do wages ramp up as you gain experience?
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McDonald’s pays $18/hr.
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$18 an hour is a joke
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🤦‍♂️ Driving around and changing the water in fish tanks pays $35/hr+benefits in Vegas.
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