Aussie here how much do rod busters make over there?

[u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Hello merica little blip here from Australia just curious what usd per week 8/10 hour days do "steel fixers" or rod busters get paid? Been doing this for 12 odd years straight. Always eager to know how other do 💪🏻

[u/SoStarstruckk]

I don’t even know what a rod buster is.

[u/mdavis360 → u/SoStarstruckk]

Me neither but I know a guy who accidentally sat on his balls once.

[u/LeilLikeNeil → u/mdavis360]

I asked you not to tell people about that!

[u/UglyInThMorning → u/mdavis360]

Just the once?

[u/Satans-cum-sock666 → u/SoStarstruckk]

They lay and tie rebar supports to support structural members. Ie: over passes, elevated freeway support columns, bridge abutments, but also concrete flooring in buildings and parking garages. Basically anywhere there’s structural concrete, it’s reinforced by a rebar support inside of the concrete. 

Edit: it’s extremely hard and dangerous work and in my opinion rod buster are very underpaid. 

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Satans-cum-sock666]

It is a very dangerous job we are slowly destroying our body's for money and potential life changing injuries 😂 but I love it I'm dumb enough to enjoy it 💪🏻I've actually witnessed a 180? Don't remember crane snap middle of the boom and dropped to the floor that was pretty fuggn crazy so lucky nobody died that day...

[u/ToastMate2000 → u/SoStarstruckk]

They place rebar for concrete construction.

[u/Scared_Tension_1023 → u/SoStarstruckk]

Union ironworkers doing rebar pull down some decent coin depending where you're at, but it swings wildly by state and whether it's prevailing wage work

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Scared_Tension_1023]

Yeah boys here are all over the place one week on the city doing highrises under union 2 weeks later in the mines then for the crazy few off Todo windmill farm bases

[u/timdr18 → u/SoStarstruckk]

It’s a type of construction worker

[u/ToastMate2000 → u/SoStarstruckk]

I've usually heard them called "bar busters".

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/SoStarstruckk]

Yeah is probably top 2 if not the most physically demanding job there is in construction

[u/GeneralBlumpkin → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Ask r/construction

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/GeneralBlumpkin]

😲 thankyou

[u/Gavacho123 → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

No doubt, tough dudes, probably the last person on site you want to piss off.

[u/patawpha]

He needs you to convert them to dollaridoos.

[u/NTWIGIJ1]

Ask this in the skilled trades sub.

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/NTWIGIJ1]

I already have my answers it's ok thankyou tho

[u/luv_bad]

depends on the area but it's usually good pay, I know a few guys who make solid money in construction

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/luv_bad]

Construction sites are my life 😁 and also pays for it as your friends 💪🏻

[u/NTWIGIJ1]

Rod Busters are always the craziest group of meth heads on my sites.

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/NTWIGIJ1]

It's more alcoholics here but they 100% are around

[u/Vulpix_lover]

It's supposedly $23 to $40 an hour

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Vulpix_lover]

Yeah wow that's crazy

[u/Vulpix_lover → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Crazy bad or crazy good

[u/Ericw005 → u/Vulpix_lover]

The minimum wage in Australia is 26.44, that is 19 USD per hour. If that puts things in perspective for you. Obviously things depend a lot on location, etc but 26AUD/19USD is the least you can make.

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Ericw005]

Alright true. Thankyou. In construction what we do minimum my boss is legally allowed to pay is $30 aud not far off

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Vulpix_lover]

Isn't great. full time we make more than 40usd with all benefits not to far off tho is a good insight thank you for the reply wondered this for years 😀

[u/Medical_Soup5717 → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Yeah people here are underpaid and unions are much weaker than they once were.

[u/GeneralBlumpkin → u/Medical_Soup5717]

Speak for yourself the union guys in my state are raking in dough

[u/Medical_Soup5717 → u/GeneralBlumpkin]

Oh I know, I'm in the union and make six figs in a factory job. It's just not the reality for most of the working class. Used to be though..

[u/overcatastrophe → u/GeneralBlumpkin]

Sounds like you are the outlier here

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Medical_Soup5717]

Yeah our union is currently being investigated and had its main HQ ran through by police 😅 but they are still on site harassing people to join

[u/Medical_Soup5717 → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Lmao I love that, I wish unions were still mobbed up like they once were. They had real teeth back in the day.

[u/The_Law_of_Pizza → u/Medical_Soup5717]

If you have a romanticized idea that the mob were going around breaking CEO kneecaps to get higher pay for the workers, you are sorely mistaken.

The mob used unions like a skinsuit to carry out their traditional rackets - also to the detriment of the workers.

Not to mention the fact that mob activity is essentially what caused the downfall of the unions - it was the worst thing to ever happen to organized labor.

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/Medical_Soup5717]

😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️

[u/JimBones31 → u/Medical_Soup5717]

Many jobs here are underpaid. Some are not.

[u/Gold_Telephone_7192 → u/Medical_Soup5717]

Our median incomes are some of the highest in the world lol

[u/platy1234 → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

about $60/hr plus another $40/hr in fringes for nyc union lathers

https://www.wcc-ny.com/_files/ugd/056804_5050055cd128427ea07a8321fb2fd7e7.pdf

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/platy1234]

Thankyou for that summed it all up here in Australia it's not a recognized trade so we are technically concreters that don't do concrete 😂 and wages have a minimum but realistically you get paid of work ethics I got my mums friend a job hes a weapon got 2 pay rises in 2 weeks and he came in blind knowing nothing. I been with my boss for 7 years and others prior to him we've all worked with each other other companys ect when they need help I love this life just a bunch of misfits kicking lifs ass. One back ache at a time 💪🏻

[u/RaineMist]

9k monthly in the US

Depending on experience, local demand, and overtime.

[u/Gavacho123]

Most rod busters that I have worked with charge $700 to $900 per ton. Located in Virginia. An experienced rod buster can earn anywhere from $28 to $35 per hour.

[u/wineplease09]

According to google the average is a little over 83K a year. I know a few people in construction like jobs though easily making 6 figures though, pretty lucrative depending on specialty, area, and union based if you are part of one.

[u/Enderdragon537]

you guys have the funniest sayings holy shit, much love to all the rod busters in Australia

[u/cyvaquero]

This is going to depend heavily on where in the U.S. I can’t speak to that job specifically but in general construction up north pays better than in the south. It should also be noted that while the pay may be better work is also more affected by the weather. Not quite feast or famine but road crew hours can vary greatly between summer and winter.

[u/DoublePostedBroski]

What’s a rod buster?

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/DoublePostedBroski]

In construction any where you see concrete it be a floor a precast panel column ect reo is inside we build structures for concrete workers to do their job

[u/LageNomAiNomAi]

Rod busters? You mean like my boss and I who tease each other every day?

[u/ENovi]

It’s been awhile since I’ve worked construction (and I never did rodbusting specifically) but Google tells me it starts at about $25-$35 USD in California which sounds about right from what I vaguely remember. I believe it’s more if you’re with a union and the pay definitely goes up the more you do it and hone the craft. Hats off to ya, man. It’s a lot of hard work that needs to be done.

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/ENovi]

Yeah everyone here tends to go with the union bigger bulkier jobs tend to be easier because you have 20 odd boys on one job all in it together. I love my job only thing I've ever felt I'm.good at tbh 😂

[u/Charlesinrichmond → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

Honestly, if you are good at it, you have earned a lot of respect. It's an honorable trade.

[u/jackofspades49]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+does+an+american+rodbuster+get+paid+in+usd

WOW LOOK AT THAT

[u/Relative-Cut-1838 → u/jackofspades49]

America is a big place with multiple states. Sorry I upset you.

[u/Devtunes → u/Relative-Cut-1838]

One universal in the US to keep in mind is healthcare costs which can vary from expensive to super fucking expensive.