What's A Fair Wage?

So, I make an hourly wage where I work (no surprise there) plus a percentage of each dollar charged in labor as commission. In the last year or so my company has added more work in the form of me working out of town for cable companies. I go there and install leakage detection equipment in fleet vehicles for Comcast mostly but other smaller companies as well.

My problem is that I get paid less than I would normally because my boss is a brother-in-law to the owner of the company sub-contracting us out to do these installs and he is getting a labor discount. Regardless, even if I got paid exactly the same, it seems odd that there is no extra pay for having to work out of town. Sometimes I drive up to 2 hours away every day for a few days, leaving my wife to deal with the things I normally do everyday (morning routine taking my daughter to school and picking her up, etc...).

Should I suck it up and just be happy I have a job or am I (hate to use the word) entitled to a higher wage while doing this sort of thing? I've worked here for 6 years and I am the only tech they have.

Well for starters, I hope they are covering your fuel costs. IMO I think you should be entitled to some sort of additional compensation if you are routinely asked to spend several days away from home at a time.

While it sounds like you have a new set of duties, are they giving you additional work hours? Or are you still working a full 40 every week?

12 hours of driving in a few days? At least get yourself a rental on their dime.

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Originally Posted by AdamVR4

12 hours of driving in a few days? At least get yourself a rental on their dime.

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Agreed. You should be paid for traveling that far. Not sure what the norm is but we get $0.55/mile where I work. That's a LOT of traveling if you aren't compensated for it.

Um, if you're just asking if you should get paid more for working out of town, the answer is a big fat NO. Sometimes a job description will change over time to include travel. That doesn't mean you're going to get paid more. What it DOES mean is that you should be compensated for your travel time and expenses.

I used to have to fly back and forth to Jacksonville, Dallas, and Salt Lake City. The company paid me for travel time, which basically starts the second you leave your home until you arrive at the hotel, and vice versa. But I didn't make more money just because I was out of town.

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Originally Posted by UTRacerX9

Um, if you're just asking if you should get paid more for working out of town, the answer is a big fat NO. Sometimes a job description will change over time to include travel. That doesn't mean you're going to get paid more. What it DOES mean is that you should be compensated for your travel time and expenses.

I used to have to fly back and forth to Jacksonville, Dallas, and Salt Lake City. The company paid me for travel time, which basically starts the second you leave your home until you arrive at the hotel, and vice versa. But I didn't make more money just because I was out of town.

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Agreed. Paying extra for working at a different location, No. Compensating you for having to travel to that location, Yes!!

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Originally Posted by UTRacerX9

Um, if you're just asking if you should get paid more for working out of town, the answer is a big fat NO. Sometimes a job description will change over time to include travel. That doesn't mean you're going to get paid more. What it DOES mean is that you should be compensated for your travel time and expenses.

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Originally Posted by DrGonzo

Agreed. Paying extra for working at a different location, No. Compensating you for having to travel to that location, Yes!!

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These

I agree, travel costs only.


As for fair wages...has your pay at least kept up with inflation?

Not sure, I started in 2006 making 8.50 and im at 12.95 right now. Not exactly what I wanted to be making at 32 years old but I haven't always made the best choices in life so...

Time to start looking for other work my friend.

If you are the only tech there,you got them by the balls,go find another job at higher pay and then bring it to them nicely and they will have to counter. Options are good

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Originally Posted by ictponder

Not sure, I started in 2006 making 8.50 and im at 12.95 right now. Not exactly what I wanted to be making at 32 years old but I haven't always made the best choices in life so...

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Well you're definitely getting real raises (higher than inflation), given your pay is over 50% higher than when you started (doesn't feel like much does it?). However, that still seems really low. Granted, minimum wage here is $10.25 and I'm getting a pretty lean deal at $10.92 here for warehouse work as it goes elsewhere for $12-15 an hour, so I'm not used to seeing people pay techs $8.50. You could suck it up, but honestly for all the people who bitch about people in 'lowly' jobs being paid too much to do too little, bad for business etc. at the end of the day if that raise went to you instead of the extra money going to the boss, you're not going to go hide it somewhere where it does nothing for GDP, keeping people employed etc. and it might even keep you from having debt troubles (which keeps the banks happy and happily in business).

In other words, go for a raise, the worst they can do is say no.

Paid a higher rate, no.

But, IMO if the work they have asked you to perform requires that you not be at home you should be paid for every hour you are not at home. Every drop of gas all the food everything should be paid by the company. When you are on a business trip you do not have "free time" you just have time where you are not working. If you were salary it'd be different but you are hourly and they should pay for every hour that you can't be home.

I've had several jobs, union, and non union where I would get paid from the time I leave my house, until I return. I would ask for travel time pay for anything outside our normal work area. Now the hourly pay would be the same, but the travel hours usually bump the hours into the overtime bracket.

Out of town pay is usually not paid hourly. It is paid as perdium, which is between $25-$75 per overnight stay away from home plus sleeping accommodations.

Check with your state laws, as they will have the minimums, and situational law pertaining to you. Calling is the best way, as they will just forward a bunch of document with no explanation. If your company has been subpar on travel according to local law, they will be responsible for back pay as well.

I am a construction superintendent, and travel often. It is in your best interest to learn the labor laws that affect any trade you are in. That goes out to all...