To keep things short and simple: I work in Sacramento CA for a small “mom and pop” construction/paint company as a “carpenter” specializing in Tennant Improvement. My skills include: carpentry, framing, sheet rocking (basically, everything necessary to build an office space to code in an existing commercial building) basic HVAC and concrete, intermediate Electric and plumbing, FRP installation, scissor/boom lift experience, forklift certified, and VERY recently have learned to terminate and install data (Ethernet) cables. I work for $22 an hour
My boss recently accepted a new job, installing 3,000+ feet of cat 6, numerous cameras, network switches, digital recorders and signage etc. essentially cable installation and termination for a building security system the size of a Costco. I’ve had 3 hours of experience installing and terminating data, nothing else. So I decided to ask for fair compensation (a raise) before accepting even more responsibility and adding to my skill set. Reminder: I was hired on 3 years ago as a CARPENTER nothing more, and everything I’ve picked up since has not been financially compensated. I was denied, and told that I may have my hours reduced as a result of refusing to take on more work/responsibilities for no additional pay.
I guess I’m just looking for some incite and advice, am I right for wanting to be paid more than two dollars more than the fast food minimum wage? Am I being unreasonable? The average salary for an IT technician in California is $25 an hour, and that’s disregarding all the other skills and knowledge that I have and use on a daily basis. If you have any advice or suggestions I’d appreciate it. Thank you
UPDATE: I was laid off today, “I can’t have guys turning down work I find for them while we’re slow” was the reason, which is odd considering I worked a full shift today, which wasn’t the warehouse security installation I requested a raise for, but I digress. It seems this is the ideal outcome thanks all.