CHICAGO | One Chicago | 971 FT & 574 FT | 78 & 49 FLOORS - Page 97

harryc · #**1921** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 4:18 AM**

Climbing Form

Jan 14

The business end - form walls

Attachment bracket - I think the angled tube is a screw-jack to adjust the angle of the protective wall.

The hydraulic jacks that raise the form (in unison) helpfully colored a bright green.

bhawk66 · #**1922** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 9:04 AM**

Truly amazing. Those guys don't get paid enough.

Thanks Harry

cozy · #**1923** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 5:43 PM**

Yeah awesome close-ups harry, thanks. Excited to see this climb!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhawk66

Those guys don't get paid enough.

Based on my conversations with union workers in lakeshore east they get paid enough

bhawk66 · #**1924** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 9:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cozy

Yeah awesome close-ups harry, thanks. Excited to see this climb!

Based on my conversations with union workers in lakeshore east they get paid enough

mmmm, not sure, still. Can you ball park what you've heard?

For what these guys due in the elements, the physical demands, and the dangers, I'd put them over $100K easy. ($50/hr rate)

chris08876 · #**1925** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 9:34 PM**

Union workers building skyscrapers get paid handsomely. Lets not forget that its a trade, a skill. Folks underestimate the trades, but some trade workers or contractors actually make way more than your average bloke in some office. Mechanics too! I'd imagine the rates aren't that much different than here in the tri-state, but mechanics, your common electricians, union construction workers (especially with overtime) make good bank.

The guy working the crane, surgeon pay. But arguably, the most responsibility from a safety perspective. If that crane operator messes up, a lot of folks can die and millions of dollars could be lost on a project (delays, fix costs, stop-work orders and so on) and the real damage, the PR damage for "X" crane company or contractor/subcontractor.

Either way, the guys that build these skyscrapers for glory of our cities deserve a nice cold beer at the end of the day, and possibly a few shots of whiskey to top-off the night.

One Chicago is still significant. This is up there with Vista in the excitement factor. Hopefully you guys can get that Tribune Tower going. Bloody fantastic era to be in!

bhawk66 · #**1926** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 9:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

Union workers building skyscrapers get paid handsomely. Lets not forget that its a trade, a skill. Folks underestimate the trades, but some trade workers or contractors actually make way more than your average bloke in some office. Mechanics too! I'd imagine the rates aren't that much different than here in the tri-state, but mechanics, your common electricians, union construction workers (especially with overtime) make good bank.

The guy working the crane, surgeon pay. But arguably, the most responsibility from a safety perspective. If that crane operator messes up, a lot of folks can die and millions of dollars could be lost on a project (delays, fix costs, stop-work orders and so on) and the real damage, the PR damage for "X" crane company or contractor/subcontractor.

Either way, the guys that build these skyscrapers for glory of our cities deserve a nice cold beer at the end of the day, and possibly a few shots of whiskey to top-off the night.

One Chicago is still significant. This is up there with Vista in the excitement factor. Hopefully you guys can get that Tribune Tower going. Bloody fantastic era to be in!

I originally had my numbers at $160K per yr or $80/hr but thought I'd get laughed at. Haha. I agree, they deserve just what some lawyers and top sales guys make. My friend who's in sales makes over $200K a year. For what? Working the phones, gladhanding, and traveling some.

Much respect to these guys.

gandalf612 · #**1927** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 10:20 PM**

SolarWind · #**1928** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 10:25 PM**

January 16, 2020

KWillChicago · #**1929** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 11:24 PM**

Monster.

BrinChi · #**1930** Posted **Jan 18, 2020, 11:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhawk66

I originally had my numbers at $160K per yr or $80/hr but thought I'd get laughed at. Haha. I agree, they deserve just what some lawyers and top sales guys make. My friend who's in sales makes over $200K a year. For what? Working the phones, gladhanding, and traveling some.

Much respect to these guys.

Totally. I wonder how cyclical their high salaries are. These are obviously the elites of the construction world. But what about during slow times like 2009-12? These guys probably can still find work in other areas but maybe have to work for less. That would make it very similar to sales.

pianowizard · #**1931** Posted **Jan 19, 2020, 12:37 AM**

These guys have made so much progress after just 8 and a half months of construction.

cozy · #**1932** Posted **Jan 20, 2020, 5:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhawk66

mmmm, not sure, still. Can you ball park what you've heard?

For what these guys due in the elements, the physical demands, and the dangers, I'd put them over $100K easy. ($50/hr rate)

So the gentleman I spoke with was the lead carpenter on Trump & Shoreham, he told me about not only himself but the average guy on his team. A lot of these workers we see in these pics are at $35-55/hr. But thats just where it starts. Think about overtime, it's not structured the same as your average 9-5. You're on the site for over ~6 hours, you start making 1.5 your rate. Over ~8 hours, double pay. You ever see pics of workers dated on a Sunday or a holiday, know that their work is serious stuff - they are getting paid double off the bat. Now health insurance, dental, retirement, paid time off, time off, holidays, hazard pay, list goes on. These guys are in it for the long haul and need to take care of their families, or feed their drug habit (hah.. tales from ironworkers in Florida for another day..) Anyways all this is from memory so don't take it as fact. I'm sure every deal is different with each contractor and union. This guy was definitely a carpenter with mchugh though he had the scars and knowledge to prove it.

Your guess of $160K per yr or $80/hr is not laughable. I agree, they should get more than the suits shorting stocks in between decadent lunches, but, c'est la vie..

Skyguy_7 · #**1933** Posted **Jan 20, 2020, 7:41 PM**

^ I run a union shop and those are the rates. We bill $120/hr after you add all the indirect expenses.

KWillChicago · #**1934** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 12:00 AM**

Anyone know what area they will be bringing in/taking out material from the bottom up construction of the lower floors when they get the first floors poured?

cozy · #**1935** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 12:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

^ I run a union shop and those are the rates. We bill $120/hr after you add all the indirect expenses.

Nice to know, Skyguy. Thats a hefty sum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

The guy working the crane

Not exactly surgeon pay but they are trained extensively in trade school on how to safely operate those powerful machines. A lot of their job is automated now, for example a decently sized liebherr tower crane will auto shut off when it senses winds at 45mph. Pickup and drop height / locations are automatically logged, etc. So much new tech being developed in construction these days. There was a time when these guys deserved surgeon pay.. funny how back then before organizing they were paid less.

Before the cab? Operators would stand on the boom with a remote control panel around their neck, like how modern concrete arms are operated.
Before there were computers on board to log the drop heights? Walk out onto the boom and mark it yourself.
Before OSHA? You aren't tied in for any of this. Then again, they had balls of steel and (still, for the most part) feel no need to tie in.

Fun fact about their pay scale nowadays, size does matter:
"What matters is the amount of boom sticking out. It's a union scale. They have a flat rate for up to 90 feet," he said. After 90 feet, it's an extra 75 cents an hour. After 150 feet, the pay goes up another 75 cents an hour, plus 10 cents for every additional 10 feet."

I recommend this article if I was able to peak your interest
"The High Life" by Emily Nunn: https://www.chicagotribune.com/enter...r28-story.html

chris08876 · #**1936** Posted **Jan 21, 2020, 3:34 AM**

^^^^

Thanks.

That was a good read. Yeah the old days must of been crazy. Not for the faint of heart, with no harnesses or safety regs.

Lucky guy, has high job satisfaction. Like every day of work is new and exciting.

""

In fact, the only thing you'll hear him say that truly scares him is the idea of putting another person in danger. "I worry about that more than anything -- who's below. I don't want to hurt anybody," he said. ""

Immense responsibility. Even with automation, the pressure must be massive for sticky situations when applicable.