Farley on Mechanic shortages

[GDN]

Interesting article. Little does he know with just a couple of engineers in the back room at HDQ, he could eliminate some of the need in the shop. Work harder on that SW in the lab and Just get it pushed out.

Also a sad bit of truth about education and training (or maybe laziness) in America if we have 5,000 unfulfilled $120K jobs when we just learned the last few weeks we have over 40 million depending on the government for SNAP just to get a meal.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ford-ceo-warns-america-trouble-125900085.html

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[jetfixr1]

Thats marketing lingo to get people in the door. I really dont think dealer techs are making $120K. Im sure Ford constantly underquotes labor hours. Ive had friends move on from dealer to heavy equipment. Much better hourly rate, union and no constant squeeze between the OEM, dealer management and the customer.

 

[RLXXI]

Thats marketing lingo to get people in the door. I really dont think dealer techs are making $120K. Im sure Ford constantly underquotes labor hours. Ive had friends move on from dealer to heavy equipment. Much better hourly rate, union and no constant squeeze between the OEM, dealer management and the customer.

This exactly ^^ and Ford rapes their techs with warranty pay so much so and for so long, all of the seasoned tech's told them to pound sand and left for a living wage. The only warranty pay that was fair was what they paid to fix 7.3 dit diesel engines.

I myself left the dealer over 20 years ago for this very reason after giving them 11 years of my life, I'd had enough. Best move I ever made.

I will say this though, I learned more working there than any other shop over the past 40+ years though they keep you away from your family for weeks at a time then rationalize the low pay as fair compensation because of that training. They thought wrong.

 

[Henry Ford]

What's stopping Ford from opening trade schools? Oh wait...I bet he means he means public trade schools, paid for with taxes and tuition. I don't necessarily disagree with him but it's laughable to hear a titan of industry suggest it's a societal problem that he doesn't have workers.

Henry Ford built a factory that literally made every part of the Model T, he built a city in South America to harvest rubber and one in Michigan to harvest timber. What do you think he'd have to say about open technician positions?

“We have over a million openings in critical jobs — emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians and tradesmen. It's a very serious thing. We do not have trade schools. We are not investing on educating a next generation of people like my grandfather who had nothing, who built a middle-class life and a future for his family,” he said.

 

[fhteagle]

Anytime you hear "labor shortage", translate that to "Shortage of compensation for labor" instead. I've seen it in my chosen industry, and I'm sure it's the same here. If they want the labor, make sure there's enough compensation and people will show up. Yeah the C suite and shareholders might make a few pennies less. But it's people that make a company, so staring at the bottom line and under investing in people means that bottom line is only going to go in one direction............

 

[republicoftexas1836]

Thats marketing lingo to get people in the door. I really dont think dealer techs are making $120K. Im sure Ford constantly underquotes labor hours. Ive had friends move on from dealer to heavy equipment. Much better hourly rate, union and no constant squeeze between the OEM, dealer management and the customer.

my 19yo nephew did BMW apprentice/ training program straight out of HS. It was all in-house, no official trade school. He's now making over $100,000 per year with no debt what-so-ever. Also, he paid for his BMW X3 in cash. So I know that's at least true.

 

[EV Engineer]

I mean they wouldn't have this problem if Ford wasn't #1 in recalls.....


Do it right the first time.

 

[jetfixr1]

my 19yo nephew did BMW apprentice/ training program straight out of HS. It was all in-house, no official trade school. He's now making over $100,000 per year with no debt what-so-ever. Also, he paid for his BMW X3 in cash. So I know that's at least true.

Apprentice and training programs are the way to go. I got my aircraft maintenance license in high school, payed $0 for it.

I could see your nephew making what he does working for BMW. Im sure he probably works extra hours or hustles labor to make it work. But 120K at Ford? Thats hard to believe.

 

[republicoftexas1836]

Apprentice and training programs are the way to go. I got my aircraft maintenance license in high school, payed $0 for it.

I could see your nephew making what he does working for BMW. Im sure he probably works extra hours or hustles labor to make it work. But 120K at Ford? Thats hard to believe.

Yes, at his service dept, they are required to work a certain amount of Saturdays. He loves working, so his co-workers pay him to take their Saturday shifts. So yes, he is hustling a bit but loves it.

 

[Lytning]

I have long believed that outrageous CEO compensation puts them out of touch with the reality of their employees' and customers' lives. I don't see how anyone making $25 million per year can identify with the constant middle class struggle to makes ends meet each week. I expect the average @Ford Motor Company mechanic makes about half of what the CEO seems to think they make.

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