Mo' money (need advice)

[Cobra X]

Okay, here's the way it is:

I work as a network/systems administrator for a large wood truss manufacturing company here in Va. The pay isn't the greatest (about $30,000 a year after taxes), but it's only about a 10 minute drive, and to find anything else decent in this field, I'd have to look for work in the city, which is about a 2 hour drive both ways. I'm definitely willing to take the money vs. distance trade off.

The thing is, my company has recently set up a working partnership with a truss company that's just starting up. They're on the other side of the mountain, again about a 2 hour drive. Since they really don't have the need for a full time IT posiition, and my boss feels I have too much downtime, they are going to start outsourcing me to this company 1-2 days a week, and be on call as needed. I've spent the past 2 days there pulling cable & setting up their network.

I don't really like this arrangement, but I really don't have much choice in the matter, and I don't feel like changing jobs at the moment. I voiced my opinion & displeasure on the topic with my supervisor, and he's offered to at least give me a raise to keep me happy. He told me to think about what I want to make it worth my while over the weekend and we'd talk on Monday.

So, should I ask to know how much they're making on outsourcing me for, and ask for a percentage of that? Or should I just ask for a simple increase in salary?

[Budd]

i don't know about the raise, but get milage if they're making you drive your own car/truck

[paraflyer]

Coming from a telecom/LAN cabling background, you DEFINATELY should get mileage.

Plus, you could also add the fact that most cabling contractors average about $100 per LAN drop... At least here in the Allentown PA area, anyway.

Persoanlly, I'd ask for the percentage.Don't take any crap from them, it's you that's doing the work, and the management is just sitting on their you-know-whats.....

[imaeditedbysowulo]

I would go for a percentage of what they are billing you at.

They wouldn't want to give you a substantial raise because the bulk of your time will probably be spent in the first few months. Once you get everything situated at the other site your time spent there should drastically decrease.

With a percentage deal, they are still making their profit without committing too much salary to you in the long run. Plus you'd still have some amount of control over the size of your raise if you know what I'm sayin. wink wink

*edit* Paraflyer gave me an idea. Call a cabling company or two and have them come out to the site to give you an estimate. Most places are more than happy to come out for free and give estimates. It will make your negotiating process even easier. Plus mileage too without a doubt.

[Ya_know]

First off, 30000 take home doesn't mean sh!t. How much do you make before taxes! Let's say you are at $35k. What are you in charge of? What are your actual responsibilities? If you are a PC Tech with some network administration that is one thing. If you are directly responsible for servers (and I don't mean changing tapes) that is something completely different. If you want a good, raw honest opinion, we need more about the job duties, not the mileage.

Now, as far as the mileage, that is a no brainier. You should get mileage, and be able to drive on the clock...that is fair.

[Cobra X]

I am in charge of everything computer & network related. I am completely responsible for the servers (2 Windows NT/2000 servers, 1 Unix server & one Novell server), routers & switches, client machines, everything. At least that's back at my main office. I'm not sure that I'd be totally responsible for all of it at this other place as of yet.

[confus-ed]

First off, 30000 take home doesn't mean sh!t. How much do you make before taxes! Let's say you are at $35k. What are you in charge of? What are your actual responsibilities? If you are a PC Tech with some network administration that is one thing. If you are directly responsible for servers (and I don't mean changing tapes) that is something completely different. If you want a good, raw honest opinion, we need more about the job duties, not the mileage.

Now, as far as the mileage, that is a no brainier. You should get mileage, and be able to drive on the clock...that is fair.

My $0.02 worth ...

I wish $30,000 after taxes here meant a gross of $35k ... you'd need $50k here !!!!!

Anyway seems to me you are driving 2 hours there & two hours back, I call a working day 7 &1/2 hours so now you are doing 53 % longer ! So ask for that as a pay rise ...

I don't see that 'whatever' he's responsible for at 'new place' has zippady-doo-dah to do with 'first place' ... he's been asked to do 4 hours a day more to suit his employers purposes, whatever he does at 'new place' is in addition to his normal duties whatever that might be, if his employers are 'dumb enough' to send him to change a tape, thats their lookout not his.

Here I'd not be wanting mileage, I'd be wanting overtime & mileage ! - he is working to his employers convience

[3D Prophet III]

I'd have to agree with Ya_know about travel time, being a field tech myself. I get paid for travel time, plus if I use my own vehicle which I do on rare occasions, I get paid 50 cents a mile. Asking for a considerable amount for a raise though might make them consider looking elsewhere for their services or it might just make them say this is what we're offering and that's it, take it or leave it! Now go run some cable over at the other facility. You got to be careful with all the techs that are out there plugging their resumes to companies all the time. I know it sounds paranoid, but it's the truth. If they think they can get experienced labor cheaper with less confrontation, they might go for it. After all, there are a lot of unemployed techs out there with all of this outsourcing going on these days.

I get paid 80% of my normal wage during travel time, plus if I have to drive more than 50 miles to get home at the end of the day they'll pay for my lodging and $40 a day per diem.

[gazzak]

Look ahead a bit. Once the other site is set up and working OK your life will get easier by doing more work remotely. You'll get a rise now, and maybe you could negotiate for a bonus on completion of the other site along with the immediate pay rise.

As for the travel, that will drop as the other site gets up to speed, and sometimes it's a good thing to get away from the normal office environment for a few hours or days.

Stick with it, make a decision this time next year.

[jitBob]

A new company is always a hit or miss proposition, a pay raise is the gift that keeps on giving. Travel time on the clock if in a company car, on the clock and milage if in your auto. Gazzak has some good thoughts.

[jitBob]

$30,000.00 after taxes would translate to roughly $21.00 an hour.

[Ya_know]

$30,000.00 after taxes would translate to roughly $21.00 an hour.

I am glad you don't do payroll. $21 an hour times 52 forty hour weeks (2080) is $43680, raw math. Now, how do you get $30k being a take home from $43k??? Maybe after a 15% 401k deduction, and rip off pretax medical expenses for insurance.

[KINGofBLEH]

I'd have to agree with Ya_know about travel time, being a field tech myself. I get paid for travel time, plus if I use my own vehicle which I do on rare occasions, I get paid 50 cents a mile. Asking for a considerable amount for a raise though might make them consider looking elsewhere for their services or it might just make them say this is what we're offering and that's it, take it or leave it! Now go run some cable over at the other facility. You got to be careful with all the techs that are out there plugging their resumes to companies all the time. I know it sounds paranoid, but it's the truth. If they think they can get experienced labor cheaper with less confrontation, they might go for it. After all, there are a lot of unemployed techs out there with all of this outsourcing going on these days.

I get paid 80% of my normal wage during travel time, plus if I have to drive more than 50 miles to get home at the end of the day they'll pay for my lodging and $40 a day per diem.

Bear in mind that the maximum mileage rate allowed by the IRS is 37.5 cents per mile. Anything more than that is taxable income.

[jitBob]

I am glad you don't do payroll. $21 an hour times 52 forty hour weeks (2080) is $43680, raw math. Now, how do you get $30k being a take home from $43k??? Maybe after a 15% 401k deduction, and rip off pretax medical expenses for insurance.

Did you miss the term "take home"? After taxes my man.

[TripleRLtd]

Did you miss the term "take home"? After taxes my man.

Ya_know is your man??? Oh, my... Anywho. this is NOT about math, this IS about what is right. And what is right is that X should be compensated. Asking for a percentage of the take is asking an awful lot (as G says: there are many out there willing to be used as you are...yeah, I know, he didn't say it like that, but...). Bosses simply don't like to be challenged like that. So, ask for as much as you can get as far as a pay raise goes, with mileage included: remember, all those miles are down time and quite relaxing when you have some good tunes to take along! Start high and negotiate lower. Above all, be happy with what you accept. If not, then....