Asking for a raise?

Any advice for how to ask for a raise? Especially from a labor coordinator that's never been a tech.

I'm not sure how much he knows about what we do so I was thinking about naming my strengths, what my rate is at other companies, and without throwing people under the bus giving real examples that show what sets me apart from a average lighting tech. This job was my first lighting company so my rate is really low.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Most Contractors don’t do raises, you either work for them at their rate or don’t.

I’ve also never met a coordinator that wasn’t in some form of a tech at one point in their life.

Best advice I have is ask for better work. ME, LD work and the rate goes up. If you are humping cables you won’t get much wiggle room out of them.
 
Darn... and I've been reluctant to ask for a raise since there's less work. A few weeks ago I had a "make it happen" gig with no real plot for circuits. Had to teach someone who makes more than me how to figure out how many 550VA lights he could put on a circuit and follow behind him because he left his section unfinished unpowered and without data because he didn't know where to plug it in and didn't ask. I believe he deserves his rate and I also feel like I shouldn't be making so much less than him. So it's finally time to ask for a raise.
 
It doesn’t hurt to ask. All they can say is No.
 
I would phrase it as a merit increase, which shows that it is a skills based raise as opposed to just wanting more money.
 
How hard are they up for labor? If they are like me where it is nearly impossible to find people any more who are at all qualified then the ball is in your court. I'd go talk to them, say "hey, my rate at company X is ______, can you match that?" Don't compare yourself to others, that will just upset your supervisor.

The labor market is tight right now. Everyone out there, if you are not asking for or getting a raise right now you probably should go look for one... or start looking for a new job. The stable of stagehands there once was is empty.

Most Contractors don’t do raises, you either work for them at their rate or don’t.

I’ve also never met a coordinator that wasn’t in some form of a tech at one point in their life.

Best advice I have is ask for better work. ME, LD work and the rate goes up. If you are humping cables you won’t get much wiggle room out of them.

I disagree. Most labor company's say they don't do raises, but in actuality they do. Every job is always open to negotiation, even just a box pusher. It all depends how bad they need people and at what level.
 
Well maybe it’s that way in NY.

But wasn’t in Chicago/Milwaukee area and it’s not here in Phoenix.

I’ve had the conversation with many people advanced and new to what we do and it’s all the same rate. Even the traveling LDs I talk to say it’s rough for raises.

Maybe this is just how it is in corporate AV *shrug*.

Here just local I’m fighting for work all the time and if I go asking for a rate change they will laugh at me say no thanks and call the next guy. And that’s with me having almost 15 years under my belt.

My advice is to work hard and show people that you can do the job and the money will roll in. If you start to get braggy and say I can do it better, not that you are just how they might see it, they will stop calling.
 
Maybe it's a lighting/LX thing but I've never lost money raising my day rate in audio. I've lost work and clients but never lost income.

That said, my relationships are directly with the companies retaining my services - not the end client nor an intermediate labor broker or other 3rd party. I'm usually brought in for events that have some degree of either loudspeaker system design challenges or for mixing an event with complex needs. I can't speak to the situation in other parts of the country but for the OP - if you can't get a raise based on performance, certifications or training you're working for the wrong employer; if you're routinely fixing or completing the work of others and can't get a raise - you're working for the wrong employer. If all the employers in your locale are like this, you have a saturated labor market and your primary friend will be attrition - if you have the time.
 

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