Hiring roofers in this hot Phoenix market is a damn nightmare

I'm a plumber out here in Phoenix, Arizona, zone 2 where the heat never quits, and I'm trying to expand my crew to handle more full repipes on those old slab homes. Put out ads for experienced roofers - wait, no, damn autocorrect, I meant plumbers who can handle copper sweat and PEX installs without screwing it up, but getting any solid hires is brutal with all the PE firms scooping up talent. Spent $1500 on recruiting last month through local job boards and even hit up a staffing agency, but the few who show up flake or want journeyman pay for apprentice skills. We've got three trucks now, but without reliable help, I'm turning down $10k jobs left and right on water line replacements using Uponor manifolds. Anyone else dealing with this hiring hell in the desert? What's your go-to for finding plumbers who actually show up?

god, same here, can't keep a decent helper for more than a month without them jumping to the next big offer.

it's the PE vultures ruining everything, buying up small shops and paying out the nose for talent while us independents get scraps.

don't hire off craigslist or facebook groups, had a guy show up high on his first day and flood a customer's kitchen during a simple drain cleanout.

try offering sign-on bonuses, I did $500 for certified plumbers and it pulled in two solid guys last quarter.

phoenix hiring pool is shallow cuz everyone's burned out from the 110 degree days crawling under houses.

hit up the local union hall, even non-union guys hang there and you might snag some off-season roofers crossing over to plumbing gigs lol.

frustrated as hell, lost a $7k bid last week cuz my apprentice quit mid-job on a tankless install, had to finish it solo in 105 heat.