.8 fuel tanks and Tacos 🌮

tech_4d660933

Had chat fix this up for me

MCT decided to turn off the comments, but honestly, these are the kinds of topics that deserve an actual discussion.

The company has talked about “record-breaking profits,” while technicians are still dealing with low flat-rate pay, no diagnosis fees, and an overcrowded shop where techs are scrambling to find an available lift.

Then there’s the whole “tacos and pizza” approach 😂. Nobody is saying food isn’t appreciated, but when the company is expanding and the owner is purchasing more dealerships, it’s fair to ask how much of that success is actually making its way back to the technicians doing the work.

And the Toyoguy situation raises another important issue. Toyota has specifically warned about sharing proprietary information online, and Toyota TIS requires technicians to agree to its terms when accessing the system. If someone violates those terms, there can obviously be consequences.

These are legitimate industry topics that should be discussed openly—not just celebrated when management “throws a bone” after the meat has already been eaten. 🍖😂

Technicians should be able to have a conversation about pay, workload, shop conditions, manufacturer information, and how dealerships are treating the people generating the labor without the comments simply being shut down.

What do other techs think? Are these conversations happening at your dealership, or are we just supposed to be grateful for the pizza?

tech_4d660933

Dealership makes techs feel bad or that is wrong talking about pay and when we do talk about it we find out the new guy is making more than the senior techs. Warranty denies a claim and the dealership blames the tech and “backflags” his hours.

Tech_00

tech_4d660933 just a reminder. “Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or the Act), employees have the right to communicate with their coworkers about their wages, as well as with labor organizations, worker centers, the media, and the public. Wages are a vital term and condition of employment, and discussions of wages are often preliminary to organizing or other actions for mutual aid or protection.”

i.e. Lawyers would have a field day if technicians got fired for discussing pay

tech_76e3bbf0

When I was in the private sector, discussing pay was discouraged but when I started working at the state garage, I can litterally go on a website and look up everyone I work with and see what they make, even people way high up. It's even public knowledge, anybody can look it up haha. I think as far as this situation, techs should absolutely be able to discuss pay with eachother as long as everyone is ok talking about it. It should set off some red flags when they forbid you from talking about pay.

tech_84ff4cb5

Couple years ago at the last shop I worked at which was a Lithia dealership. I was completely open about what I made and my issues with flat rate. Found out the world class tech with 20 years experience only made a dollar more than me. I was angry on his behalf and the next day he went and got his raise. Email went out to the shop that afternoon saying it’s company policy to not discuss wage (it’s not) One of the techs called him out saying that’s illegal and because we’re flat rate everyone knows what happened next. They tried to starve him out but it only lasted a month. He spent that time and got his training from 20% to 60% and jumped shops a couple months later and got himself a five dollar raise. Information and community is what’s going to help this movement of improving this industry.

tech_56b936d2

Tech_00 Absolutely, if any employer attempts to tell you not to discuss wages it's a major red flag, it is a federally protected right to discuss wages. I am completely open with all my coworkers about wages and pay rates because the only one protecting us is ourselves. I will even apply to other shops and interview just to check wages and pay rates of their shops to compare. it amazes me that pay rate and hours are kept hush hush under lock and key in most places.

tech_56b936d2

just for fun I looked up a Hyundai engine warranty and customer pay, warranty pays 5.4 hours, customer pay is 14.1 hours. This is all manufacturers cutting labor times, and my shop talks about how bad our warranty rates are all the time, we have a 40 hour guarantee and the 3 of us that actually do the work don't even chase hours anymore. Just get the car in and fix it right, which is hard for management to understand, they just think we are lazy and don't do anything.