# Do you remember what you earned when you started the trade?



## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

Me ... .75 per hour in 1955. 

$3.00 per hour when I got married in 1957

I went into business in 1969, Hired my first employee in 1970
his pay was $2.35 per hour.

And so it went .... Up, Up and away. 

The ironic part of this is I still have tools I bought with those early wages.

I don't believe my dad earned more that $2.00 per hour his whole life.

1900-1973


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

July 1976 $3.50 Use to take 2 dollars a day with me to work for lunch. burger fries and soda and got change.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

$3.25 hr in '74


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

$9/hour in 1997 as a "green" apprentice.

I can't believe how far I've come. I thought it was just a temporary job at the time. I was young and lazy. I didn't realize I would one day own my own business as a licensed pro competing with the best of the best!:thumbsup:

The pay got much better too.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

$8.25 per hour back as apprentice back in 1992 by 1994 I was making $9.75 as a second year apprentice
Left to go work for RR was on commission think I made less. Got my journeymen's during 1999. Commission got bumped up 5% from 20% to 25% on drains 25%- 32% on plumbing.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

$5/hour - 80's



I was working back in the day when minimum wage was $3.35/hour.


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## ILPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

$12.50 in 92


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## spudwrench (Sep 15, 2009)

Dunbar said it $5.00 in the '80s If I remember, $127.50 take home/wk. Wife not working and 4 kids.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

If memory serves $ 1.85 hr


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## TheSkinnyGuy (Sep 15, 2009)

10 an hour 2003, which was 10 more than being unemployed for close to a year while waiting to get my green card.


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## KCplumber (Dec 31, 2009)

2.50 back in 74 100.00 a week 

I remember boss charged $25 for service calls


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Heck I remember being able to get a 12oz can of mountain dew, pack of smokes and a cherry pie for $2.

Pfft. Try damn near busting a $10 with a single and some change.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Or when you go into a convenience store, that is 5 deep in line all day, with a $50., or worse, a $100.00 bill.

They look at you like your a freak!!!!

"Oh, we can't break that!!"

Mudderfudder, I just watched 6 dudes give you $20's. 

Give me all singles and fives in change, I don't care.


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

$8.25 hr + all scrap copper I could carry. (early 90's) apprentice at the time and copper was'nt worth scrap.

Wish I had saved it all.:furious:


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

1974- 3.25 p/hr. 1984 - 9.00 p/hr.


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## longplumb (Nov 15, 2009)

$6.00 bucks/hr in 1996 as a grunt/apprentice. Worked up the scale fairly quick. Licensed plumbers were usually making around $22 to $25 around here for starts since about 2005.Didn't ever think I would own the business and be paying myself. Stranger things have happened!!


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## Miguel (Aug 10, 2009)

$6/hr 1982 - $9.50 by 4th yr.
In '88 took a job with a big outfit for $14.25 (non-union shop)

Now I think I can pay myself about 10 bucks an hour. :laughing::jester:


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

3.15 an hr in 84. I could dig for 12 hours straight,they had to make me take breaks.


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## ROCKSTARPLUMBER (Dec 14, 2008)

8.00 an hr, I drove a crackhead around for a while, and watched him take naps on OSB, while i ran cpvc, and installed stud gaurds. 1 yr later, I was on my own truck, doing stack outs (tub sets) for 10.50 an hr, doing probably 1.5 houses a day.


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

200.00 a 5 day 8 hr week at RR) 1 1/2 yrs later 5.50 hr at a union shop with non-union service dept I worked as many as many hrs per day and weekends as they would let me and got paid by ticket not by work hr some days I came in with 12 to 15 1 hr tickets in those days I was rooLooling lol


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## robthaplumber (Jan 27, 2010)

6.75 an hr. in 1991. Now @ 35%.


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

What ever min wage was back in 85.


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## AKdaplumba (Jan 12, 2010)

$12 in 2006


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

$8 per hour in '95. 

My buddy and I were just talking about this a few days ago. He was telling me about his dad doing septic tanks in the 30's. Dug all by himself, by hand and then building the tank out of concrete blocks. He got paid a nickle per block, the digging was free. I'm sure he was tickled to have the job.





Paul


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

1.25 per hour back in 75. Got a raise in 6 weeks to 2.00.


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## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

Went from making 750 a week Forklift/Manager of a Marina to 210 (min. 5.25 in '79)a week plus a 4 year apprenticeship, but well worth the change.


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## plumbrsteve (Jan 16, 2010)

'85 started with $5 hr, can a cope $.80! out the door! alum. cans $.35 lb thrifty ice cream $.25 tripple scoop, crying yet? first car 1965 comet cyclone,289,4 sp. factory black for $225.00, thats ok I sold it to some sucker fo $400, ok now I'm crying


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

6.00 an hr back in 1992. I was as green as you could be. Barley knew what a 2x4 was, and didn't know what hard work was. My 1st boss didn't teach me much on the technical end, as I was too green to understand much anyway. The one thing he did teach me that I'll be forever grateful for, was how to kick a physically demanding job in the arse. How to dig, drill, and cut like an animal. There was no such thing as pacing yourself, he would send me to the van to get something and I would literally run back and forth. I still do that sometimes, and yes I look like an idiot :laughing:.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

9.00s an hour, not all that long ago, 2003. Believe it or not this was from a former union plumber who started his own business. His journeyman rate was going to be 12.00. Six months later I went to work for another company that paid 12.00 to start with a van.


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

When I was a kid, bottles of soft drinks were 5 cents, and if you returned the bottle you got 1 or 2 cents back. Few coke bottles and you were high rolling. I always had more money than other kids. I rode the bus to school and they picked us up at the only country store open that early. I took my dollar lunch money and turned into $5.00 everyday, buying gum at 5 cents a pack, sell it at school for 5 cents a stick, swiser sweet cigars 25 cents a pack, sell for 25 cents each, chewing tobacco 25 cents a pinch (Beachnut or Redman) Lunch time was my busiest time. I had army coat with pockets sewn on the inside for my goods. not bad for 6th grader at the time. It was the start of my entrepreneurial ways. Sorry you guys had me thinking back.


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## gladerunner (Jan 24, 2009)

In 77 I started making 2.00 an hour, still lived at home with mom and dad. On friday Iwould fill my car for 10.00 and buy a carton of cigarettes for 5.00, good for the week, Then i would spend the rest on booze and women over the weekend. Would borrow 20.00 every monday to live on for the week. 
God i miss those days, (except for the 2.00 an hour part)


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

$8.28 an hour in 1996, which was 1st year apprentice scale for Local 422, Joliet, Il.


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

Slick, sounds like you were destined to be self employed. :yes:


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

pauliplumber said:


> Slick, sounds like you were destined to be self employed. :yes:


I also had a shoe shine operation, and was prolly the first white golf caddy in the city of Dallas. Carried double bags 27 holes every Sat. and spotted for a group on Sun. Work the parking lot for tips getting bags out of cars while waiting for a round.


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## Airgap (Dec 18, 2008)

1st year cub scale in LU 491 Roanoke VA in 92. 7 and a quarter i think...


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

It was about $114 a week...
Of course that was the going rate for an E-3 in the USAF back then...

Payday was the first and the 15th...


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

25 cents to get in the movies 5 cents for soda 10 cents for popcorn. 15 cents left over to buy candy and soda for after church on sundays.:thumbup:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

$6.25 in 98 doing residential AC.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Started at $ 5.00 Canadian back then about $ 3.00 US. I remember the wife would make $ 2.00 an hour and me $ 5.00 and oh boy we were high rollers back in those days.


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## Associated Plum (Nov 4, 2008)

May 1973-$1.59 an hour as a laborer

September 1973-$3.00 an hour 1st year apprentice

January 2010-$000.00 as an owner of a plumbing firm or at least it seems like it at times


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## dankman (Nov 19, 2009)

$6/hr waterproofing homes in 1996. At the time I had another job as a telemarketer making $7.25/hr, after the first week I had to choose between the two jobs because they were interfering with each other; I think I made the right choice.


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## LAP (Jan 31, 2010)

A whopping $6 an hour in 1996. I took it as a temporary job until I could find a "real" job and I guess I never did find a real job lol, Im still in the plumbing business.


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## PLUMB TIME (Feb 2, 2009)

$4.00/1981


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