Hey there im a independent subcontractor who has been tiling almost 10 years, i was offered a job guaranteed work until next sept. and it is a union company.

After alot of bs. dealing with retail stores i have been told that i should go union and see if i like it.

they will give me 25$ an hour to start, he said it'l only go up if i can do what i say i can do.

i know this is kind of personal but i feel like its something im forced to do because th3e stores arent bust enough, i put all my eggs in 1 basket and now they are slow, i figured il go union and ride it out, i mean at least il have work until next sept. and i can always look around for something steady come spring when the seasonal boom is on.
my father and uncles / all say go for it and il love it, the whole subcontracting for companies is ok but ttheres alot of tile you dont get paid for, ie: picking up materials, gas, insurance, estimates, or when theres a sslight problem, i wont have to work late and best of all no paperwork and crap to worry about.

I was overextending myself and i feel like it was all for nothing, i never got any time for myself and the stress just started to build, and they still treat u like dirt even though i have been doing them mega favors all the time. my uncle said most retail places are the scum of the earth, dealing with people whocant even measure a friggen job right.
I feel like they just used me, i phoned them up and I straight out asked the owner if there was a problem with me. he said no and that his other tile crew
my question is what is a usual ammount to lay for a union guy per day and what does a journeyman make per hour.
the boss there said about 300 sqft a day on my own is the ammount that he figures a journeyman should do a day. does that sound right?

Thanka guys i know this is touchy subject but its been depressing me and giving me anxiety.

The nice thing about a union job is you get lots of help. That 300 ft is with a labourer...you won't have to do anything except the layout and lay the tile. Hell, you may not even have to grout it. I don't know the rates these days really, but I would think around $30 for a journeyman...so $25 is not bad now. The bad thing about union jobs....you could be travelling a lot. They will be pricing schools and malls and hospitals and such...so if they get them, you may have to spend a few months driving to North Bay, or where ever.

I was thinking of working for a big company as a tilesetter at one time.But then I thought that these big union jobs,which are all commercial gigs,would probably wear a guy out after a while.

With doing residential renovation work you get to choose the type of jobs and mix it up a bit.Build a shower one week,tile a fireplace another week,then a 400 sq.ft. kitchen and hall way and then maybe a backsplash.Is probably better for the body than being on your knees constantly while setting 200 to 300 sq.ft. per day.

But,then again,there wouldn't be all the stress of scheduling jobs and estimates,dealing with difficult customers,picking up and hauling around material.

I don't know...I don't think that $1000 a week is worth it if the risk is high that you'll be physically worn out by the time you're 45 from working on big commercial jobs.

Nope ... $30 per hour isn't enough.
$1500 - $2000 per week after expenses and with weekends off as much as possible.
It can be done with only 3 complete shower rebuilds per month.

Hi Steve. I would suggest you contact the local union office. You will be making more then $25 an hour when you add in the benefit plan, pension, and such. Travel money as well if the job it to far, sometimes even motel allowence if need to stay overnight. If they have work for you till next sept Im sure that they would have landed some other contracts by then. When all said and done a journeyman now adays is around $50 an hour when you add everything up.

I am also thinking about trowing in the towel and joining the union. Im not sure I can take running my own company for a $500 pay check each week. I would love to just show up at work and install tile till friday at 5pm. No more phone calls, late nights in the office pricing jobs and invoicing bills. oh its sounds to good to be true.....

I agree with Ron, putting down 300 feet a day in some shopping mall will wear a guy out. I know for myself if I have a whole week on the floor my body starts complaining.

I for one really like the personal aspect of contracting. The majority of my customers end up really happy with my work and design input, which is a good feeling. Also I get to do a bit of carpentry here and there to keep it interesting.

I am currently subing with a flooring store and liking it. A bit less stress than when I was entirely independent. The only complaint I ever have is that they overbook me.

Anyway, for the Union I'd say give it a try because you are obviously not happy with your current situation.

Check this page out. Ceramic tile rates
I hope that includes washing windows and changing oil in customer's car. Over lath too.

Just imagine what you could be charging for a proper install.

Actually, if your pricing is less than that, I doubt your bottom line(profit)is very good.

So what is the going rate for installing the lath, since I've never done it, and won't. I must say, that's more than I have ever been able to charge. No wonder you guys all drive Mercedes pick ups.