Question What's wrong with this picture?

[Neal]

And we wonder why we can't get service on our RV's? And coaches at this price point pay how much? So yeah, it pays to not work and get paid by the government, it seems.

Source: Facebook feed

 

[Neal]

Another one:

 

[redbaron]

And have you seen the electrical quality of Newell and Marathon? Makes me sick to see how poorly these things are wired.

Made me feel a lot better about my lowly newmar.

 

[sheridany]

I can’t speak for marathon but getting techs anywhere is extraordinarily difficult even at nirvc. I am not an electrician or an engineer but I have a lot of confidence in Marathon and or Newell converting a bus or building a coach into a motorhome. I would encourage anyone to go take a tour and decide for yourself. To each their own.

 

[Fatboy2004]

Gaffney for FL service is $149/hr? Can't confirm. Newmar: $140/hr (Jan 1 - Mar 31 they offer a winter rate at $115/hr)

Not that good at math but it seems like we are missing about $100.00 hour.

 

[Neal]

If you're having a hard time hiring you may want to look at your offering. Attractive jobs find good people. These pay rates are insulting for a company with these revenues. There are more postings appearing. They are also looking for an interior designer. Did all of their staff just leave at the end of the year?

 

[redbaron]

And have you seen the electrical quality of Newell and Marathon? Makes me sick to see how poorly these things are wired.

Made me feel a lot better about my lowly newmar.

This is the picture that made my head spin. This is a new Newell under construction. This area is hidden by a large TV once done and is above the driver.

Look at how many ac outlets are there just for Ac to DC conversion.

I understand that there are a lot of components, and lots of demand. I also understand that it's a lot more organized than some areas of newmar.

What I don't understand is why aren't they using a power bus for DC off the 12v bank, and organized based on demand.

How do they expect the wall warts to behave when bouncing on America's highways?

Why does a $1M + coach have audio cables running parallel with AC power lines? Sure they can add a noise filter later, but why not eliminate the problem.

All of these questions are answered by post #1.

 

[Neal]

I researched Newmar jobs but couldn't see wage offerings. Was hoping for a comparison of what an entry level tech is making to compare to what MC is listing.

 

[MapNerd]

Seems a good thread to drop a couple of on topic phrases from my “Things to Live By” log…

• If you run a business and your employees make more on unemployment than they do at work, you’re not a job creator, you’re a poverty exploiter

• You aren’t paid according to how hard you work. You are paid according to how hard your employer thinks you are to replace

Seems some of these employers might not have heard these things before.

Some folks often complain that people don’t want to work anymore. I don’t buy it. I think that in the vast majority of cases, people do want to work. This is something that is bred into Americans. Work hard. Be honest. Make good decisions and the world is yours. But there seems to be a severe wage shortage today that is much worse than any talent shortage.

 

[Engleman]

And we wonder why we can't get service on our RV's? And coaches at this price point pay how much? So yeah, it pays to not work and get paid by the government, it seems.

Source: Facebook feed

View attachment 10339

Wow!! Fortunately I am able to do a lot when it comes to the maintenance and repairs of my own DP. From interior to exterior including engine. I used to charge $ 30.00 per hr. To weedeat when I was in business for myself. As the slogan goes, you get what you pay for.

 

[sheridany]

These pay rates are insulting for a company with these revenues.

But are they? Have you been to Coburg, OR? It’s not a giant metropolis that’s expensive to live in and we all know companies pay based on the local market. Most of the people I have met at Marathon have been there 20+ years. Like any other company in America, they want to grow and they need to hire so they offer what they consider to be a fair wage in the marketplace. I have also been told getting a tech up to certain standard takes two years minimum. I am sure if any company gets an applicant that is exceptional they will pay a solid competitive wage that is probably at the top tier or higher for those skills.

 

[DHudson]

I know everyone always says, "It's different". But is it really? We always paid our techs 40 to 45 % of what ever the labor rate was in a new car dealership.

 

[Engleman]

I live in California and your lucky to find a service dealership that will charge under $100.00 per hr. There is no way I would let a service tech work on my vehicle for $25.00 per hr. With 2 years of experience. Inside or out!

 

[Engleman]

I live in California and your lucky to find a service dealership that will charge under $100.00 per hr. There is no way I would let a service tech work on my vehicle for $25.00 per hr. With 2 years of experience. Inside or out!

Took my DP into camping world for warranty work and pretty much had to fix everything they touched. Will never go there again.

 

[J&JD]

But are they? Have you been to Coburg, OR? It’s not a giant metropolis that’s expensive to live in and we all know companies pay based on the local market. Most of the people I have met at Marathon have been there 20+ years. Like any other company in America, they want to grow and they need to hire so they offer what they consider to be a fair wage in the marketplace. I have also been told getting a tech up to certain standard takes two years minimum. I am sure if any company gets an applicant that is exceptional they will pay a solid competitive wage that is probably at the top tier or higher for those skills.

The annual average wage for all occupations in Oregon was $58,443 in 2021, or $28.10 per hour. Of the occupations with published data, gambling dealers had the lowest average wage of $13.14 per hour.

$25/hour works out to $52,000/year, pretty close to the annual average of Oregon. Add in a benefit package and who knows what the total pay package is. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the Coburg area where Marathon is based and it is certainly not a high income area. I would bet that the Marathon workers that have a bit of time, experience & expertise with the company do reasonably well.
Remember, those of us that are lucky enough to own these Newmars, Marathons, Tiffins, etc. are some of the fortunate few that have relatively high income levels. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to relate……

 

[MapNerd]

Okay, but Marathon coaches sell for millions of dollars. Each and every one. I’d bet their service rates are above average as well.

 

[sheridany]

150/hr. Cheaper than a few places I have been to.

 

[J&JD]

Okay, but Marathon coaches sell for millions of dollars. Each and every one. I’d bet their service rates are above average as well.

And it takes hundreds if not thousands of hours to build the Prevost and the Marathon conversion giving work to many, many individuals. If a company doesn’t make a profit it will not be in business long. If the business is gone the loss of jobs follow.

 

[MapNerd]

$2.5MM for a 2022 coach.

So guy doing the work makes $25/hour. On a service bill, he/she bets the company $125/hour, minus overhead.

The point I am making is, they can easily afford to pay more and a premium coach builder shouldn’t have a labor shortage problem because of that. It’s an easy fix - pay more and poach the seasoned guys from other manufacturers. After all, they’re building a premium product, using premium parts and charging a premium price, so reason bears that premium workers should be putting it together.

$25/hour is not a bad wage. Far from premium.

 

[AbdRahim]

Gaffney for FL service is $149/hr? Can't confirm. Newmar: $140/hr (Jan 1 - Mar 31 they offer a winter rate at $115/hr)

Not that good at math but it seems like we are missing about $100.00 hour.

Companies usually pay about 10% of what each employee brings in. $25 / hr with no experience, no college degree? That is a starting salary of $50,000/yr. People today don’t seem to understand starting pay ishoukd not be final pay. Hopefully, pay will increase with experience.