managing plumbers in north jersey is killing me, anyone else?

been running a small plumbing crew out of north jersey for 8 years now, and finding reliable guys who can handle PEX installs without screwing up the SharkBite fittings is damn near impossible. last month i had to fire a helper who botched a whole house repipe job, cost me $2500 in callbacks and pissed off a repeat customer. we're in zone 5 here so the freezes make everything worse if they don't insulate right. saw a thread on r/Plumbing where someone mentioned using the Plumbers United group for hiring tips, but even that didn't help much. my margins are getting eaten alive by these turnover headaches. anyone got a solid way to keep good plumbers without paying through the nose?

pay 'em less and work 'em harder, that's how you build character in the trade.

god i hate this part of the business.

union guys are the way, fight me on that.

no way, unions just add more bs paperwork for residential work.

how do you even vet these guys before hiring?

i'm at $120k this year just from steady crew, worth every penny in training.

screw these lazy apprentices, the whole industry's going to hell.

background checks are key, saved me from a thief last year.

hit 200k last quarter with my three guys, all family referrals.

we're all in this crap together, these kids don't wanna work.

feels like every job site's a revolving door.

the apprentice shortage is BS, everyone's just entitled now.

paid my lead $45/hr and he still ghosts shifts.

i train em up and they jump to the big boys for $2 more.

$150k gross last year, two solid plumbers made it happen.

insurance companies jacking rates cuz of bad hires, we're all screwed.

screw the no-shows, fire fast and move on.

anyone using jobber for scheduling these flakes?

my crew pulled in 180k this summer, incentives work wonders.

guy in the contractors network fb group said apprentices are dying breed.

watched a roger wakefield vid on team building, tried it, still sucks.

same boat, north jersey winters don't help morale.

frustrated as hell with the turnover.

cross train em on electrical too, keeps interest up.

we're getting hosed by these pe rollups stealing talent.

jersey here too, same headache with pex jobs.

hate when they mess up a ridgid seesnake run.

lol my last guy thought sharkbites were permanent.

how much you paying leads anyway?

humor helps, but damn these kids.

solid team got me to 250k, no regrets.

don't hire family, ever. trust me.

fb group plumbers united full of similar rants.

pulled 220k with minimal drama this year.

r/plumbing had a post on this, mixed advice.

chaseMaster8, your pain is real.

cold here, pipes freeze if they slack.

entitled gen z ruining plumbing.

use contracts with non-competes.

$40/hr base plus bonuses, that's my hook.

saw a tommy mello clip on retention, game changer.

my plumber buddy fires weekly, brutal but works.

lead me to 300k revenue, proud af.

background checks or you're asking for theft.

sharktank fittings bs if they can't install right.

haha, my crew's like herding cats.

we're all suffering from this labor crap.

north jersey rates are insane, can't compete.

incentives and beer fridays keep mine happy.

drain clogs from bad hires, nightmare.

r/plumbing echo chamber on hiring woes.

fb contractors network says train your own.

$50k in callbacks from one dud.

solid vetting process saved my ass.

we're getting screwed by the market.

hate the constant rehiring cycle.

jobber integrations help track performance.

same frustration every damn day.

pe firms are the real villains here.

my three guys hit 400k combined.

never trust a resume, test em.

watched essential craftsman on leadership, applied it.

apprentices flaking on pex crimps.

lol, fire them all and solo.

how's your onboarding? weak there kills retention.

humor in the shop keeps it light.

frustrated beyond words with no-shows.

collective bs from these wannabes.

feels your pain, man.

r/plumbing full of hiring horror stories.

$30/hr starting, weeds out the weak.

bad hires cost me a big commercial gig.

use referrals only, that's my rule.

we're all in the trenches together.

insurance hikes from idiot employees, rage.

proud of my loyal crew though.

don't skimp on training, or regret it.

same old story in the trades.

hate when they botch a water heater swap.

helpful tip: weekly check-ins build loyalty.