[Ducdesmo]

So apparently they are considering a 26% rate hike over the next 3 years. Guess where that money is going? :badpokerface:

2,667 Hydro employees made more than $100,000 last year (http://www.theprovince.com/news/Hydro+employees+made+more+than+last+year/8959892/story.html)

[tarobbt]

Driver/Helper $151,975.

Wow son, where do I sign up?

[radioman]

I was looking through the list and couldn't find anyone below 70k.
I gave up :lol

[Gridlock]

BC Hydro-where 45% make more than 100k, and 55% apparently answer phones and send e-mails.

[quasi]

BC Hydro-where 45% make more than 100k, and 55% apparently answer phones and send e-mails.

Nah, the people who answer phones and emails don't work for Hydro they broke that part of the business off years ago and it's done by Accenture.

I haven't even clicked on the original link but I'm guessing the call center is not included in those numbers for the reason above and that's where a lot of the lower paid employees are.

[Traum]

I can drive and splice cables. So if I apply for those 2 jobs at BC Hydro, does it mean I'll make $350k?

Fxxk you, BC Hydro! Fxxk you!!! :yuno:

[4444]

Socialism at its finest.

I wouldn't mind it so much if they weren't a government agency, but this really boils my blood

[gars]

If you talked to any tradesmen - they'll tell you that there's good money in trades. But you'll be working in storms, in the winter - and it's hard work.

I'm not saying there are idiots that are probably overpaid - but I'm not surprised to hear about some of the salaries.

That and I'm sure a lot of it is due to overtime - not regular 9-5 stuff.

[BBMme]

I wish I worked for them haha
Posted via RS Mobile

[Doubl3_H]

grass is always greener on the other side

[Spidey]

who cares. seriously, why do people complain all the time regarding how much employees for certain companies makes? it's called inflation, and it's called economics. Why don't people complain to lawyers about how much they charge and how much they make? unless you actually KNOW what it is like being an employee for certain jobs, stop complaining, and quite your minimum wage job, and do something with your OWN life.

[Hondaracer]

Go try to apply to them and see what they require for a tech etc

You're average person isn't willing to get that training or work in those conditions

Obviously a lot of them are probably very overpaid but if you're willing to work in the rain and cold in a bucket or in a hole you can make good
Money anywhere.
Posted via RS Mobile

[Hondaracer]

who cares. seriously, why do people complain all the type regarding how much employees for certain company makes? it's called inflation, and it's called economics. Why don't people complain to lawyers about how much they charge and how much they make? unless you actually KNOW what it is like being an employee for certain jobs, stop complaining, and quite your minimum wage job, and do something with your OWN life.

Everyone complains about every fucking thing these days, fucking sick of it

You want to make 100k with no education? Go push a broom or strip forms in Alberta

Don't want to do it? Then shut up about how much other people make.
Posted via RS Mobile

[Nocardia]

My uncle is actually on there and is probably one of the lowest! He is a mechanic and is way below the average. Interesting that many of these jobs are engineers and managers.

Many of these jobs have hazard pay and I have no doubt there is a lot of overtime for certain jobs (specifically the helper/drivers). Powerline technicians should demand a higher wage because they are likely in the middle of nowhere a lot of the time and doing things that are much more dangerous than most jobs. We rarely hear about accidents but I bet its more common than we are aware of.

[nabs]

Hydro workers are actually very hard working and put their lives in danger doing their work. Most of them are very skilled at what they do and they only hire the best of the best.

I have a lot of old classmates who work for Hydro and they do deserve what they make because of the scope of their work. They are often asked to live in shit hole towns in the middle of no where for long periods of time. I wouldn't expect them to make any less than they do.

Useless thread.

[dinosaur]

The only thing that irks me is when I read this.... BC Hydro forecasts 'massive' rate increases (http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Hydro+forecasts+massive+rate+increases/8896768/story.html) followed by this thread.

On the other hand, to live in BC, these types of wages should be more common than they are. The ones bitching are just jealous they decided to waste years in school getting their BA in "English" or "PoliSci" while looking down on those who went into the trades.

[xpl0sive]

a buddy of mine from highschool works for hydro... he had to do 2 years of school, then he spent a year in butt-fuck no where northern BC, working 10-12 hour days in the middle of -20C winter. Then he had to go back to school for a year. Then after doing that he finally got transferred to the Surrey operations centre. He's a lineman BTW. He is now clearing $90k/year easy, and he's been there for 3 years.
He has confirmed that most of the linemen who make $150-200k/year have absolutely no lives and work a ton of overtime. Most of these trades jobs require you to do a lot of overtime if you want to make the real money.

His dad also worked for Hydro, which is the reason why my buddy got a job at Hydro in the first place. They don't just hire anyone, you have to know someone to get in there. He made around $150k/year and could have gone to a private contractor and made more money, but his dad chose to stay at hydro for 25 years and retired at 52. He is now making a great pension and builds muscle cars for a hobby.

[ScizzMoney]

I could see people complaining if their power was out every day. A few guys I know that work for BC Hydro put in some pretty long hours and it's always random.

[Spidey]

People these days bitch about working 8 hour days, sitting behind a desk, and have 1 hour lunch breaks.... how many hours in an 8 hour day are you actually "working".. I am going to guess 4 at most.. you get what you pay for... So don't complain about making 30 40 or even 50gs a year for "working" 2 hours a day. 5 days a week, at a comfy desk... if you work it out, these "office" workers are probably "overpaid" compared to any hydro employee, cop, paramedic, nurse, etc.

[pastarocket]

I thought Translink employees, especially the executives, were overpaid.

BC Hydro salaries > Translink salaries.

[RouRK]

Lineman jobs at hydro are NOT as dangerous as you guys make it out to be.


they are way over payed, its a job that if you don't know someone you prob won't get in.
when you create the power, own all the infrastructure, set your pricing and inflate your costs, you will come under criticism.

[Mr.HappySilp]

If you talked to any tradesmen - they'll tell you that there's good money in trades. But you'll be working in storms, in the winter - and it's hard work.

I'm not saying there are idiots that are probably overpaid - but I'm not surprised to hear about some of the salaries.

That and I'm sure a lot of it is due to overtime - not regular 9-5 stuff.

That's true got a friend that works for BC Hydro as an accountant. She doesn't make more than your accountant. Her OT is pretty though because she have to go to different sites and that's when the crazy OT kicks in.

[Tapioca]

On the other hand, to live in BC, these types of wages should be more common than they are. The ones bitching are just jealous they decided to waste years in school getting their BA in "English" or "PoliSci" while looking down on those who went into the trades.

Yeah, let's pile on the Arts majors because we're all suckers who work at Starbucks pumping out shitty espresso flavoured drinks.

Tradespeople have my full respect and most people making these salaries at BC Hydro likely deserve them.

[Tapioca]

Lineman jobs at hydro are NOT as dangerous as you guys make it out to be.


they are way over payed, its a job that if you don't know someone you prob won't get in.
when you create the power, own all the infrastructure, set your pricing and inflate your costs, you will come under criticism.

Fair enough, but if power were privately-owned, managers would still likely get paid more than their worth, while the people who do the dangerous work would be underpaid. Moreover, we would probably pay higher rates on average than we do now. I guess that's okay though because it would be a private company, right?

[threezero]

People these days bitch about working 8 hour days, sitting behind a desk, and have 1 hour lunch breaks.... how many hours in an 8 hour day are you actually "working".. I am going to guess 4 at most.. you get what you pay for... So don't complain about making 30 40 or even 50gs a year for "working" 2 hours a day. 5 days a week, at a comfy desk... if you work it out, these "office" workers are probably "overpaid" compared to any hydro employee, cop, paramedic, nurse, etc.

this. Most of the people complaining about trades person being overpaid would not last 1 hour working in the rain. Most would quit after getting their hands dirty :fullofwin:

[jimmyrustler]

brb anyone making more money than me is overpaid
brb everyone is an electrician itt
brb all lineman work is the same
brb brb

[Traum]

I look at it this way -- as a crown corp, citizens have a right to demand accountability from it. After all, it is our tax dollars that are keeping their lights running.

Now, when it comes to OT, I subscribe to the believe that a little OT make sense, especially in the short term. On the other hand, frequent and massive amounts of OT are almost always a telltale sign of poor management of some kind, be it project management, human resource management, efficiency management, etc. In effect, the huge OT payouts are a symptom to bigger underlying problems that needs to be addressed.

So no, it isn't bxtching or whining. It's a problem that needs to be looked into and resolved for the benefits of our tax dollars.

[H.Specter]

if you have time to worry about yourself, you're never going to improve yourself

[RRxtar]

People these days bitch about working 8 hour days, sitting behind a desk, and have 1 hour lunch breaks.... how many hours in an 8 hour day are you actually "working".. I am going to guess 4 at most.. you get what you pay for... So don't complain about making 30 40 or even 50gs a year for "working" 2 hours a day. 5 days a week, at a comfy desk... if you work it out, these "office" workers are probably "overpaid" compared to any hydro employee, cop, paramedic, nurse, etc.
SO true. There are alot of people on RS and around who work 35 hours a week, probably in a cushy union job, get an hour lunch and two 15s and bitch about not making enough money.

Trades and construction fucking LAUGH at 40 hour work weeks. Getting ahead in life on 40 hours a week is a thing of the past. If I work a 40 hour work week it means I took 2 extra days off. Most of the guys you see making big money WORKING are putting a shitload of OT in, or running their own business putting uncountable hours in. There is no strolling in at 8:15 on a Friday and saying "Ill leave it until monday" in the construction world. It's on site at 7am and "Get this project done so I can get paid and start a new one on monday"

Even guys up north who make $150k/year arent making astronomical hourly salaries, they just work their fucking nuts off putting in crazy OT. Doing jobs most of you office 'business degree' guys wouldn't even make it until lunch doing.

It might sound ridiculous to someone who doesn't understand. But when you realize I can can make more than your 2 week pay cheque working 2 extra days this weekend on a side project, not even counting the Monday-Friday work, you can start to see where where the money comes from.

[Tapioca]

SO true. There are alot of people on RS and around who work 35 hours a week, probably in a cushy union job, get an hour lunch and two 15s and bitch about not making enough money.



I don't think union guys complain about their jobs because they know they have it good. I would imagine the people who do low grade white collar work - clerical work, or call centre type stuff - complain the most (been there, done that). Or perhaps people who work in retail (been there, done that too).

Or people just complain because they have an axe to grind and can't stand someone else making more money than them.

[gars]

I look at it this way -- as a crown corp, citizens have a right to demand accountability from it. After all, it is our tax dollars that are keeping their lights running.

Now, when it comes to OT, I subscribe to the believe that a little OT make sense, especially in the short term. On the other hand, frequent and massive amounts of OT are almost always a telltale sign of poor management of some kind, be it project management, human resource management, efficiency management, etc. In effect, the huge OT payouts are a symptom to bigger underlying problems that needs to be addressed.

So no, it isn't bxtching or whining. It's a problem that needs to be looked into and resolved for the benefits of our tax dollars.

Your idea of OT doesn't always apply to this. A lot of union jobs will pay regular pay during the week during the day but automatically pay overtime outs you're working in the middle of the night or on weekends. It's not about being under staffed. You can't choose when a storm hits, and you can't station people everywhere. If power goes down in the middle of the boonies, and the closest team is 2 hours away, you still have to send them, you can't wait till the weekend is over.

The other thing- this is a crown corporation. It was put in place so that everyone gets a fair price. We can't charge rural customers more, even though it costs more to provide power to them.

[westopher]

Even guys up north who make $150k/year arent making astronomical hourly salaries, they just work their fucking nuts off putting in crazy OT. Doing jobs most of you office 'business degree' guys wouldn't even make it until lunch doing.

Its amazing how many people don't understand this. Even some of the people that do this don't understand this.
"bro I'm getting paid so well up in ft.mack, you get paid half what I make!"
Yeah but I also don't want to haul shit in -40 and get called a faggot 16 hours a day 21 days in a row by some asshole that has only ever fucked girls that he paid for.

[ImportPsycho]

I am willing to work any amount of OT, 24/7 if i can make 100k....
Posted via RS Mobile

[Hondaracer]

Then go to Alberta..
Posted via RS Mobile

[meowjinboo]

^Still unemployed :p

[noclue]

no offence to the tradespeople but whenever I have a conversation with them it seems like they only know how to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in their vocabulary, even to strangers.

And a great majority of tradepeople making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the white-collar educated person even though they are killing their body long-term. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New Dodge RAM3500, alcohol, whores, snowmobiles etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live up there forever.

[RRxtar]

^ fuck that shit.

ya a good chunk of up north guys burn cash, thats fairly well known. but I think most guys who work local are more responsible with their money.

[Sid Vicious]

let's be real here, the real outrage is CBC employees making over $100,000 a year

730 CBC employees take home more than $100,000 a year | National Post (http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/31/730-cbc-employees-take-home-more-than-100000-a-year/)

facts:
- cbc sucks donkey balls, only hockey is good on this channel
- i can get my news from literally any other outlet
- cbc original programming is so bad, i dont understand who would be retarded enough to actually watch it (lil mosque on the prarie)

whereas hydro employees are busting their balls to get clean sustainable energy provided for us, cbc just produces and airs crap

[AWDTurboLuvr]

And a great majority of white-collar workers making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the blue-collar worker even though they are killing their body long-term by sitting on their asses all day at a desk, slouched over a computer. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New BMWs they probably shouldn't have leased, buy homes they can't afford, alcohol, take vacations they pay with credit etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live like this forever.

Fixed that for you, with a bit of sarcasm. Look, there's always going to be certain people that cannot manage their money, regardless of their occupation.

I'm not a blue collar worker at all, but I respect people doing trades work. It's a skill that some don't have and if they're willing to get their hands dirty and work in remote locations, shit, they've earned that money.

People need to look at how difficult it is to get to where some of these workers are, and not just look at the end compensation.

[Hondaracer]

alot of people working in Alberta in the oil/gas industry only know short-term thinking, they work hard for 6 months have 20k in the bank after terrible spending habits then feel the need to make a purchase to have somthing tangible for their hard work

on the other hand there are many who are very frugal with their income, save, dont go out drinking and partying on their days off, and reach their goals of saving etc

4 of my good friends all live/work in Cold Lake now, one guy does HR work, the 3 others work in the field. 2 of them had barely had full time jobs prior to going to Cold Lake, they had no trades training and had fairly cushy lives up to that point, now 8 months later these two who had little to no management/construction/oil industry knowledge are now foremen for crews making 45+ an hour with $150 live out allowance per day.

most of them are terrible with money as has been expressed, but eventually they will smarten up, you save 50K over a year and a bit, buy a rental property down here, continue living up there, profit

All of these people got up there on their own, no help from anyone until 1 guy had become established, now they are all fully employed by imperial oil

there is -nothing- difficult about getting a job up there, and making very good money staying up there with the conditions, work, living is another thing

[Verdasco]

i love George Strom from Much Music / CBC. Fun guy!

Must be making bank though if they didn't announce his pay

[Manic!]

facts:
- cbc sucks donkey balls, only hockey is good on this channel
- i can get my news from literally any other outlet
- cbc original programming is so bad, i dont understand who would be retarded enough to actually watch it (lil mosque on the prarie)

whereas hydro employees are busting their balls to get clean sustainable energy provided for us, cbc just produces and airs crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw9oX-kZ_9k

CBC is killing it right now.

Dragons den
Strombo
Battle of the blades (genius idea)
Heartland
Murdoch Mysteries
Republic of Doyle
and now they got recipe to riches

All those shows are hits and have big followings.

You and to see bad original programing look a TLC and slice.

[Gridlock]

And yes, you can get shit news from many outlets, but only the CBC doesn't have an interest in shaping the news.

CTV is a media conglomerate...do you think their reporting would ever be critical of Bell?

Global? Shaw is into a lot more than just over-priced cable.

We need to protect something to do with independent news sources.

[dinosaur]

CBC is also way more popular and relevant back east.

[MarkyMark]

Yeah it must be a back east thing cause whenever I see a preview for any of their shows I think to myself who watches this shit?
Posted via RS Mobile

[Verdasco]

vancouver is more about the US type of shows :lawl:

[quasi]

no offence to the tradespeople but whenever I have a conversation with them it seems like they only know how to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in their vocabulary, even to strangers.

And a great majority of tradepeople making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the white-collar educated person even though they are killing their body long-term. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New Dodge RAM3500, alcohol, whores, snowmobiles etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live up there forever.

I work in a trade locally but not in the field anymore behind a desk project managing and estimating. I do swear more then your average Joe but most of it is at my computer, I talk to myself a lot when I work to it helps me work things out :). I don't have stupid spending habbits, I don't smoke or do drugs and I rarely drink. There are all kinds.

[LiquidTurbo]

Wow, compensating people for skilled work and labour? Imagine that?

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Oh wait, you can't because you don't have the proper skills.

I guess start complaining that you don't have the proper skills? How Vancouver-like. Find something to complain about..

[Lomac]

no offence to the tradespeople but whenever I have a conversation with them it seems like they only know how to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in their vocabulary, even to strangers.

And a great majority of tradepeople making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the white-collar educated person even though they are killing their body long-term. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New Dodge RAM3500, alcohol, whores, snowmobiles etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live up there forever.

A "great majority?" How many tradespeople above the age of 25 do you talk to? Pretty sure you're talking about a vocal super-minority of tradespeople there...

[MindBomber]

no offence to the tradespeople but whenever I have a conversation with them it seems like they only know how to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in their vocabulary, even to strangers.

And a great majority of tradepeople making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the white-collar educated person even though they are killing their body long-term. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New Dodge RAM3500, alcohol, whores, snowmobiles etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live up there forever.

I'm a tradesperson. I don't swear or flaunt my income, and my financial management/planning skills are excellent. I don't destroy my body at work, and arguably the physical nature is a health benefit over desk work. I rarely meet tradespeople that are as you describe; I do meet unskilled labourers that are as you describe. The unskilled labourer types wouldn't cut it as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, or any other highly skilled position in trades. The trades require intelligence, work ethic, and great pride in producing quality work to achieve success, so straighten out your generalizations.

[will068]

The business side tells me ...

Good for them

If they can get more $$$ in their pockets, why not ?


My business side also tells me...

As a consumer, I want them to be paid as least as possible so I pay less. Regardless of how great the work is done or if they are in the executive level or technical core

[will068]

i love George Strom from Much Music / CBC. Fun guy!

Must be making bank though if they didn't announce his pay

Strombo has made it big. He has his own show in CNN. Fucking awesome.

[twitchyzero]

They don't just hire anyone, you have to know someone to get in there. He made around $150k/year and could have gone to a private contractor and made more money, but his dad chose to stay at hydro for 25 years and retired at 52. He is now making a great pension and builds muscle cars for a hobby.


this pretty much sums up why everyone's mad lol

I can think of many line of work that is requires equal amount of "hard work" or requires "being in the cold weather" with similar qualifications yet pays less.

[GLOW]

I don't think knowing a hydro employee helps a lot. You need to know someone with impact on the hiring process. My friend has been trying for a while and has a relative working there and still can't get in. He's qualified.

[Gululu]

my friend is on that list too. sr engineer. ha

[quasi]

I don't think knowing a hydro employee helps a lot. You need to know someone with impact on the hiring process. My friend has been trying for a while and has a relative working there and still can't get in. He's qualified.

My wife originally worked for Hydro, she got her job mainly because her Aunt who was working there recommended her, that was like 14 years ago though maybe things have changed.

[GLOW]

my friend's case it was his sister...but i believe she was more administrative where my friend is an engineer so being in different dept might be why

[l2_narain]

do not want to work outside in this weather!

[dinosaur]

do not want to work outside in this weather!

Its not as bad as you think. If you are dressed properly, its fine. Sometimes its nicer to work outside in this weather than it is mid-summer 30+ weather.

[ZN6]

no offence to the tradespeople but whenever I have a conversation with them it seems like they only know how to use the words "fuck" and "shit" in their vocabulary, even to strangers.

And a great majority of tradepeople making "bank" always loves to brag how much they make compared to the white-collar educated person even though they are killing their body long-term. They also love to SPEND instead of SAVE. New Dodge RAM3500, alcohol, whores, snowmobiles etc. The debt they incur pretty much forces them to live up there forever.

Your name says it all.

[StylinRed]

Strombo has made it big. He has his own show in CNN. Fucking awesome.

no one in the states watches it though expected to get cancelled

[EliteResearcher]

That's pretty high percentage...45%!

[too_slow]

That's pretty high percentage...45%!

Why aren't you banned yet you useless piece of shit

[too_slow]

I would reckon employees from FortisBC are paid almost as high. In fact, part of your 'incentive payment' is stock options if you're exempt (non-union); and the dividends stream has been increasing moderately since Day 1

(Former Accenture (worked directly with BCHydro) and FortisBC Employee)

[GS8]

If I had to choose between more money / less time and less money / more time, I'd probably opt for the latter. I guess I view life differently. I value my personal time more than dolla dolla bills.