Wages for a 5 colour operator?

Hi there. I have been working at the same company for around 8 years so i'm sort of out of the loop as to what wages should be for a 5 colour operator. I need some info before I move on elsewhere to look for work..
I'm a 38yo currently Running a 5col Speedmaster 52 (2009) model with CP 2000 and am Making 22 dollars ph (Australian dollars) I feel that this is a little low and would be interested in your feedback. Cheers

 

obviously depends on your knowledge of the particular machine and what else you can bring to the company, At a minimum $25.00 p/h up to low $30's p/h if your the lead printer /supervisor.. Also depending if your in a major city or not.

 

Here that would be on the low end..but theres plenty of states in the US where pressmen are getting 22 an hour...if you feel confident Id go for at least 30 , but you have to be ready to produce , train , problem solve , give imput to job planning etc etc..my last gig as a 8/c lead man paid 36 an hour , but I made money for the company! so dont sell yourself short..
best of luck

Steve

 

dude I get 24/hr running A 5COL A2 in southern Queensland Australia and have been with the company for 8 years as well. I think the wage is lousy but if I say anything they will show me the door. If anybody out there, anywhere, want's a printer who still gives a damn about quality then I'm your man.

 

i'm also running a 5 col a2 and getting $24 and in reckon it's a pretty lousy wage as well. However compared to other printers in the area as far as I know it's above average. If I were in Melbourne it would be a different story $30+ per hour.
It's not right if you consider 2 things: 1. There is quite a lot of technical knowledge required that is only gained from experience to be a truly good printer and 2. As far as I know most 5 col press time is charged out at $150-$180....where does the rest of it go?......Obviously to running costs and back into the business for investment but still an efficient printer can make a huge impact on profit much more than his hourly rate would suggest!
thats my 2 cents worth