I work in the water industry (obviously) and I love my job, I provide a critical service to society by treating water and wastewater.
It’s a lot better than working for some corporation, and a lot less stressful (sometimes)
In my state, the average pay for operators is between $14-$18 an hour, to run an entire treatment plant yourself, which requires you to be licensed by the state to even do.
I also work long on call periods 7 days on call, 2 weeks off call.
We’re talking working all day, and as soon as I pull into the driveway, I get a call, and have no idea when I’ll get back home, or if I’ll even sleep.
(You usually get a call everyday, most of the time multiple)
We also have to be on site for emergencies (hurricanes, flooding, etc…)
To get to the point:
It’s honestly soulcrushing, to work a 125 hour brutal call week for less than some target employees make.
And for those that will say switch jobs, it’s not about that, this is an industry wide issue, my company pays top dollar, and has benefits that other companies can’t compare to.
People call to complain about a $5 water bill increase, nobody cares about where their water comes from, or where it goes when you flush. And the brutal hours operators are putting in to make sure you have clean water.
We deserve better.