cheap labour

[Bill C]

Guys, what are you all talking about. Life has got a little tough as of late and everyone's started crying. We all signed up for this life of contracting and we have all seen the good times with plenty of bucks coming in. Now your all talking about unions and associations, isn't that the reason why we went contracting, to get away from that mentality.

If you need that kind of safeguard then maybe a permanent job is needed together with the pay and benefits. In the past it was the case, your only as good as your last job, has that changed?

Prove your worth by providing a quality service and this will elevate you above any pretenders or cheap labor that is supplied. At the end of the day only the fittest will survive. The model managers select their people from resumes supplied by the agents then ask about abilities, so dig in and do your job.

Bill

[ralfg]

hi all...

I am glad to see that I am not the only person interested in having a better situation for all of us,

I mean there have been more than 600 people looking at this so far !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, everybody has to do the best he (she) can to make things better at the place he (she) is working right now !
It would be nice if people could send their names with their comments to give this matter a bit more of a serious character !

My name is Ralf by the way.........

[ralfg]

hi all...

I am glad to see that I am not the only person interested in having a better situation for all of us,

I mean there have been more than 600 people looking at this so far !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, everybody has to do the best he (she) can to make things better at the place he (she) is working right now !
It would be nice if people could send their names with their comments to give this matter a bit more of a serious character !

My name is Ralf by the way.........

[Darth Maul]

I agree with Bill C. The good old days have long gone and won't be returning anytime soon. Studios no longer have the capacity or mentality to suport 20 or 30 labourers masquerading as 'automotive sculptors'. Milling machines and cheap outsource companies have or will replace these cowboys and only the Jedi will remain. Good luck anyway, Don't stop moaning and remember, use the force.

[R2D2]

d**n! And I thought we'd been getting away with it all these years!

[OBI ONE CAN DO IT]

:DGreat point Dark One,there are very few true JEDI left in the game.It,s true, companies are relying more and more on the initial milling of the models, but this process takes most of the Donkeywork out of modeling.It gives designers a symetrical base model to start changing.Unfortunately the Donkey,s are still out there braying and winging about the lack of work shite rates,and F-in agents.These boys talk a good job.In their CV,s (I bet they have all set up studio,s and been Lead modelers somewhere.) Not many of them have had to work alone and be accountable for their work.There is enough work out there for the ones who are prepared to move around.Long contracts are few and far between,and with the memory of what has happened in the passed some of these Muppets have become complacent,They have lost sight of fact that you can,t survive anymore,milking the model on a rear bumper corner for 6 weeks and get away with it,like the good old days.We have all had some good times in the past,and most of us have pissed it away sometime or another,haven,t we RALF ?.You won,t stop technology and experience.Real Clay Modelers will never be out of work,because we are the ones who have seen the light and the force, O Dark One, and have accepted the change,and adapted to it.See what you started RALF.Carry on everybody ///

[Darth Maul]

You speak with wisdom Obe Wan. I forsee you will become a great Jedi Knight.

[ralf]

Hi Bill C

I hope I dont have to pay for your retirement mony in the future,
because u must be on a really good rate to be able to finance yours and your familys future !
Or do u just not care !!??

Ralf

[Eric]

Confusious says :- Agents who pay penuts get monkeys

[stevea]

Hey Ralf,

This is a very interesting subject that we have going here so let's keep the dialog in English. I know for a fact that the proboard.com police will shut the forum down if we don't post in English, it's in the terms of service.

Anyway for my two pennies worth, times are pretty tough right now with studios trying to find the next direction the designs need to take. Clay mills will take its toll on the amount of modellers needed and with all nationalities hitting the contract scene it all amounts to an excess of labour. That is why rates have floundered over the last 5 years. Maybe when China and India go more mainstream with their design facilities the job situation will improve. There they will be looking for experienced personnel to supplement their own in-experience.

PROBOARDS.COM - TERMS OF SERVICE
CONTENT RESTRICTIONS

Your web site must conform to the following standards to be eligible to utilize this service:


1. User's content must comply in a manner consistent with any and all applicable laws of the State of California and the US Federal Government.
2. User's web site may not contain content promoting the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, nudity, or any other form of adult content, profanity, hate, "spam," fraud, racism, mlm, pyramid schemes, or promote any illegal activity.
3. User's message board and Web site must be in English.

Steve A

[CP3O]

Agencies pay peanuts because they can.

We work for peanuts because we have no choice.

Can anybody out there tell me how to work for
Renault, Citroen, Ford, Opel, Porche, Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, McClaren, without being told by an agent how much Im going to get paid.

These guys are taking 10% plus, (I actually have documents)

I am not being given a choice!!!!!!!!!

An association should be non-profit making, but a yearly subscription could cover costs.
I may be dreaming, and probably am, but could a non-profit making association become the ultimate agency.

Now theres a thought.

[visitor]

China and India! You must be off your rocker.

How many modellers out there at the moment with families are going to want to go to those countries.

What sort of relief will come from the few guys desperate enough to go.

Last time I looked India and China Was not California.
Even Wolfsburg has more appeal.

Unless, are you going Steve?

[returnofthejedi]

Believe it or not - the rate in China is much better than the USA at the moment (if you take the exchange rate into consideration) though I guess the US is still more convenient in terms of language etc. Europe still has the best rates but we all want to be there. Still some modellers want to be near home and some don't mind the travel - depends on the type of person you are. There will always be people willing to be far from home and those who want to live ten minutes from the studio. There are always opportunities for people who want to take a risk.

[stevea]

Boys,

As I remember when contracting took off 20 odd years ago people were leaving permanent jobs on the strength of a 3 month contract and they were family men. The likes of Sweden, Holland, the Czech Republic and even Malaysia were pretty much untouched by contract labour. The people that took the chance on those contracts gained the most because they set the pace for everyone who followed.

I agree it's hard for a family and sure there has been a lot of marriages that have fallen by the wayside but that was the price that was paid. Those early pioneers for lack of a better word, set the tone for a lot of modellers who are out there today.

Maybe China and India are not your Sweden or Germany but it could be the next best thing, do you think the Czech Republic was an established venue for the first guys there?

If you want more security then maybe a permanent job is better suited, contracting is for the adventurous and the go getters. They are the ones who reap the benefits, they are the real contractors.

Steve A

[samstheman]

Hi CP30,

No one could work on a non profit basis. Could you? Companies and agents have overheads and everybody needs to get paid. The big companies you are refering to aka Porsche and all the rest get to choose from the cream of the crop so you'd better make sure your skills warrant top pay, do they?

Sam T