Oil Heat Techs hard to find

John G. Merritt

Hi fellas!

Oil Heat Techs (experienced) are getting harder to find, almost impossible at times in the Philly and surrounding counties. Seems like nobody is interested in this line of work anymore! Wonder why?
Maybe snow,ice,nightwork,weekends,lousy managers,dirt,and low pay. Everything a young fella could want in life.
Then the Oil companies cry they can't get anybody.
Amazing!!

John

[Deleted User]

You are

correct. I would not even think about working in an industry where most companies only offer:

1. Guaranteed 40 hours per week

2. Transportation to and from work

3. Free uniforms

4. Medical insurance

5. 401Ks or SEP/IRAs

6. Discounts on fuel

7. Free training (most during paid working hours)

8. Paid vacations

9. Paid sick days

10. Tool cost sharing

11. The latitude to use your own initiative.

We, like everyone else, waited for the snow and ice to melt before we ran gas calls last winter. And. Of course, we never go out at night, on weekends, or holidays. That is reserved only for oily burner techs. They must be a tough bunch.

Lousy managers. Low pay. I hear the same thing from gummint employees all the time - on their way to the bank with those teenie weenie paychecks. That must be why no one is applying for gummint positions.

Burger flipping has to be where it's at!

MikeR

Not all...

companies offer great benefits, or guaranteed 40 hour weeks. The problem is that you hire a new guy at a low starting pay, and then lay him off (or sometimes simply find a reason to let him go) when it gets warm out. I see a lot of trainees get the schooling, but then leave the industry before they ever make a decent living at it.

John G. Merritt

42 years -no regrets

Yeah, a lot of guys leave after training, that's true.
Mostly because the money is not there and the work can be tough at times. Trouble is, they seem to be stuck for a long time as "Trainees".
I've got 42 years in and no real regrets, but there is a lot of changes, especially with young fellas these days.
They are smarter for one thing.
Once they get a good taste of the Oil service business they take off, especially when the've been "trainees" for 3 or 4
years, doing the job but not getting the rate. John

flange

thats because most of the good ones are doing larger commercial boilers. working for a small residential contractor usually makes a lot of money for the owner, and the tech's get pissed off when they hear about the fishing trips or the golf outings that they never get invited too. most resi/light commercial contractors have zero respect for their employees, and those that do retain the good mechanics.

John G. Merritt

100% correct

John Flange, you are 100% correct!

John

heatboy

It's called burnout, John.

I spent 15 years doing oil service for a company about an hour North of you. Incredibly long hours in the Fall/Winter, being on call every third night and weekend (for free), no chance for advancement, pay nowhere near the obliged dedication you had to have, no company direction (have sold out to mega-company since my departure 11 years ago) and terrible managment were all factors that lead to my jumping off the ship.

hb

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Bill NTSG

H.B.

Jeff,I think we must have worked for the same company or you are telling my story.

J.C.A.

I'll vouch for J Flanges take !

Worked for a company for 16and 1/2 years. The boss treated me very well but the pay just didn't justify staying . I talked to a bunch of guys at the supply houses , and found that what I was getting was comparable, but after 15 years, shouldn't I be getting more ? I busted my butt and could pacify any customer BETTER than my boss or his son, but was making squat compared to the real going rate .
I found a good employer and someone who was looking to do the same quality of work as I was , and the "chowderhead" and I work well together now .
I tried to do everything to the best of my ability , but was shot down for the pourpose of keeping the price low , and that was the wrong way to do it .I now have found an employer who knows the reason for the things I do , and happily agrees with most of it , so I guess I'll keep him . Chris

John G. Merritt

Major Company story

Hey guys! Worked for a major Oil Co. in Philly area for 14 months after Retirement. Lead Technician!! Top Money!!
Was fired for not wanting to risk my neck in a lousy neighborhood, after a major snow storm (No parking) and a gang of guys on the street throwing iceballs at everything and everybody. I called it in as risky, as I'd have to walk 2 blocks to the house through this situation. Was told to do it anyway. I refused. Fired!!
And they cry they can't get good techs.
What do think about that? Then they tried to talk me out of leaving!!! And they cry about not being able to get decent experienced people. Amazing.
Well, I hooked up with another outfit, part time, but can't get paid.
Getting out for good this time.
John Merritt

hot_rod

worked free on weekends?

Dang, I'd sure like our company to hire the guys who worked for free on weekends!

We get paid time & a-half and on holidays, we're paid double time, which is actually tripple time since we're already being paid for the holiday! It's a team effort thing. Keeping customers happy with service available - for real emergencies only. In our case, boss takes the week nights - every week - and the employees take the weekends, rotating on call once every three months for just one weekend. That way boss gets to have a life too.

The payoff? We retain the customer's loyalty, which brings in work during "normal" hours and ensures those 40-hour weeks continue! That then pays for all those holidays off (with pay), vacations, paid insurance, 401 K with profit sharing employeer contributions - even if we don't contribute one thin dime, trucks, uniforms, etc, etc, etc.....

David Sutton_2

we are what we percive our selfs to be

> Hi fellas!

>

> Oil Heat Techs

> (experienced) are getting harder to find, almost

> impossible at times in the Philly and surrounding

> counties. Seems like nobody is interested in this

> line of work anymore! Wonder why? Maybe

> snow,ice,nightwork,weekends,lousy

> managers,dirt,and low pay. Everything a young

> fella could want in life. Then the Oil companies

> cry they can't get anybody. Amazing!!

> John

David Sutton_2

we are what we percive our selfs to be

most people see the (oilman) as this oil smelling soot coverd man with a big butt crack, who's biggest reply to a question is... duhno. when i started at this oil co i was low man on the planet, was paid like it to, i stayed this way for a few years till .i decided that it was time for a change, i started going to classes and to seminars, reading
asking questions like why? do we do it this way why cant we do it better, the replys were cause thats the way we do it, well not no more,

there are two way of thinking
one says if they paid me more i would work harder
the other says if i work harder they will pay me more.
i like the second one my self. and it happened, they saw that i was moving up in my chosen PROFESSIN and that i was becoming a risk to loose, and things changed, i now am the highest paid guy and got the newest truck ( which bye the way they let me pick out what i wanted), for this all i needed to do was to change the perception of they way they saw me, now this is what we need to teach the new guys that they are not the oil guy!!! that they are experts in the feild of residentule climate comfort control( oh well sonds good huh) when we change the emplyers will have to change to or they can put the coveralls back on and start the truck them selfs......

Big Ed_2

Bad Situation for Burner Techs

The situation for for burner techs looks bleak until there is a major change in the industry .The problem is low profits in oil service .

People get paid relative to what they can produce in way of revenue . Take the pay scale of a star actor or baseball player to that of a farmer .The farmer is by far the most important and hardest worker on the social structure but is paid far less then Jeater on the NY Yankees who plays a kids game for a very good living . The farmer does not sell as many t-shirts or jerseys as a star baseball player does . He can not sell out $55 stadium seats or $10 movie house seat like Tom Hanks. It's alot unfair but the way it is.....

Years back in the oil industry a owner built up a company from new home building to acquire more customers which sold more oil . They paid the builder for the startup oil accounts .The owner offered good service to the customers to stay and buy oil from the company . The owner himself in the early years was running all hours supplying the oil and service. The company grew and the owner hired more help . Such building growth thawed over the years which was the start of the price wars . First cheaper contracts ,then came cheaper equitment . The utilitys companys looking for more profits expanded their lines and entered the war . Service at this time is a loss for most companys .It was giving away and stripped of any value . All the profits came from the fuel supply end. So any pay raise in service is looked on as a loss of more profits . But service is still the key . Why should a customer stay with the company . It comes down to service . If price was the issue everyone would be buying C.O.D. oil Right! Compare the price of a service contract from today to when the Brady Bunch was a number one hit. The difference is around $50. It's time to rethink and rebuild our industry with good service. Until service is revalued the pay will not come in line to other fields . Our field is worth more then we take credit for....I mean a customer can call in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and have a tech fix their broken furnace with a some what of a smile on his face is priceless, don't you think ?

John G. Merritt

Right on the money

Big Ed, You're right on the money.
All I know is that I am 60, 42 years experienced, and in good health.
Friday was my last day in the trade, unless something mighty good comes along, which I doubt. The Oil companies will not improve in their treatment of Service Techs anywhere soon, and won't be able to hire any, as it is now!
It looks like Home Depot for me, or something like that.
Made a good living, no regrets, but things have really changed.

John

Firedragon_4

John, what happened now? Call or e-mail me.

Tom_10

all the same

Its all basically the same story. $20.00 bucks an hour is poverty level no matter how you stack it. (Maybe not for a kid out of school who still lives at mommas house) I hear the same song and dance from EVERY tech. I know. They complain about their co-workers. This one does this, that one doesnt do that. How come I have to but he doesn't. Come on guys. How many of you live this story every day. It gets old, fast. I worked for a company for 15 years. When the two dopey sons took over from the father that was it. New house additions,new cars for the old ladies, cell phones for the kids, family vacations, anything and everything all at the company expense. They were ruining a thriving business and began to run it into the ground.Then, the benefits were stripped away the minute the contract was signed. The damn ink wasn't even dry yet. Then, best of all NO RAISE for anyone in the company for over four years. The secretary(who is still there)STILL hasn't gotten a raise and I've been on my own for three years now. TRY PAYING A COMPETITIVE RATE and they will come. Pay it and they will come! Stop crying about a tech shortage and try paying a rate where someone can support a family and still be able to see them before they grow up and leave the nest. I'm glad I went on my own. I see my family, make TRIPLE what I used to,and follow the local oil companies around putting in new boilers for their customers. I dont even sell oil but get commision checks for referring customers to guys who ARE willing to pay. I bet my old boss misses that 50,000 gallons/year now(up from 30,000 last year). I guess it was pretty "smart" of him to let me go when I finally became adament about getting a raise. About 150 of his customers came along for the ride. So figure between the yearly services, lost installations, and lost gallonage, he really saved alot. I pay my tech $30.00/hour BECAUSE HE IS WORTH IT !!!! And hes due for a raise this Sept. Hes here when I need him and leaves when hes done by his own choosing. I'm not holding a gun to his head. Loyalty is a wonderful thing. Its all about the money and how to let go of some. PERIOD !!! End of story.

Firedragon_4

Very well said, congratulations

and I wish you even more success in the future although I don't think you'll need it. BRAVO!