Looking to write up an article on average pay in Midwest region

Hi I am looking to write an article about the average hourly rate a pressman makes in the Midwest region I need info similar to this, I do all maintance and press work on three presses two one color and a two color and I make about $11/hr. I would like to get this out there so pressman know what they should be expecting if they are changing jobs or maybe moving into the area thank you all in advance

 

I live in South Dakota do all the maintance and press work for a small business here. We only have one press 9910 with t-head, i also do all the bindery work. I recieve $11.50/hr. Looking for a raise after the first of the year. Think $11.50 is two cheep especially fixing the press when broke down. General maintance is understandable.

 

ziggy, e-mail me a copy of the artical that you write. would like to read it. itsmyram@gmail.com thanks. kb

 

I think a lot of you guys are underpaid~! I know this conversation is about Midwest but out east pay is about double that as a comparison. Good pressman are skilled craftsman.

 

Also for you guys who also do the repair work you should get a little more for this service as well. You're saving the company the cost of a repairman. I've been in this game a long time. And worked in both small and large shops along the way. If your employers don't quite feel like they should pay you something extra, maybe next time the press breaks your not sure what it is. And how to fix it. Follow along? And they need to call a repairman and take in the costs of it all. Maybe next time you can fix it. This should be a subject you can openly talk with them about. Places that give great beni's and a bonus that may even some of this out. But the average shop here these days run very lean. So throwing the pressman who's steps up and saves the day with a major repair a few extra bucks is only fair. JMO of course.

 

I should add doing basic press maint normally falls under the normal hourly wage. It's really to your own advantage and keeps the press in great shape.

 

Yea I kno we get paid garbage. I tried the oh I can't fix it routine and then fixed something major but haven't seen any increase in pay for that skill that's why I started my own press repair service. I will add that I've been at the same place over 5 years with only a dollar an hour increase to my wages. Forgot to mention I also shoot negs and burn plates!

 

Man you need a raise~! Maybe you can suggest to the boss when you are doing repairs there that he should pay you a higher rate. $1 over 5 years man he's a cheap f**k. There I said it.

 

I have often thought that when the press breaks down. I get it torn apart and then say he can put it back together cause i can't remember how.

 

Why does your press break down so often? Not enough cleaning and lubrication? Improper adjustments? I noticed that most maintenance is restorative maintenance. Restoring to operating status. Preventive maintenance is scheduled down time to prevent unsheduled down time especially when a job due date is now. Hourly rates here are between 11 and 25. I am on the high end and have not had unscheduled down time in years. We had trouble going threw the learning curve with the new low VOC solvents but thats been resolved.

 

The reason i have down time is because the owner will not spend any money on new rollers, grippers sleeves or what ever the press needs unless it is major. It is just the way it is. Anyone who is able to keep yer press in top notch shape is very lucky. Not the case here that would be great but it just don't happen. So i just do the best i can to get bye. It's a bummer on my part. But theres not much i can do. I know the company is doing well but, he is convinced in 2 or 3 years that the offset press will go by the wayside. Sometimes i think the only reason we have it is because of envelopes.

 

After five years of working on my presses at the shop I have them now where I don't break down at all unless something happens which Is pretty rare. With the shrinking of the print industry us small shops can't afford to spend spend spend with out having large volume of jobs flowing thru

 

Fellow Worker,
Average pay in the industry is a great topic. I am wondering where you would publish this article. I have a small shop I run from my garage, and I estimate all of my labor at $50 an hour. I don't have any employees or overhead, but my pricing is standard for the Chicago area. I think $50 an hour to run or service a press is a fair rate to be paid for a skilled worker, however this does not factor into the profits and real expenses of a day-to-day company.

I work full time at a union plant. I recognize that this thread is under the 1-2 color printing header, but the rates at our shop for 1st men are from 32-40$ an hour. This is running 5 to 7 color (10 to 14 plate unit) web presses into finishing lines with all the bells and whistles. Entry level for packers is 12.75. Maintenance gets around 24-30$ an hour for machinists and electricians.

I worked at a small shop and the A.B. Dick pressman was making about 14$ an hour in 2005. They have since closed.

A handy reference might be to consult the last contract between the (since disbanded) Chicago Lithographers Association and Chicago GCC/IBT Local. The contract is available here: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/blscontracts/80/

As you may see in the last industry-wide agreement, union single-color duplicator operators were making 27.75 as of 5/1/07. Of course Chicago is a major metro area, and our wages are much higher than in non-metro areas. But the fact of the matter is that union organization leads to higher wages.
I suggest a union for anyone who is underpaid. My personal favorite is the IWW, you can find them at www.iww.org