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Elkhart in the news (From the WSJ)

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KenA
 KenA
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The Future of America’s Economy Looks a Lot Like Elkhart, Indiana
The Wall Street Journal

The capital of RV manufacturing, which once had the worst unemployment rate in the U.S., is now facing labor shortages and rising home prices and wages. As the U.S. turns the page on a decade of postcrisis underemployment, scenes like this are becoming more common.

Read the full story with an interesting video with Robert Martin, CEO of Thor Industries

Ken & Gizzi
Ford 2015 F350 DRW
--
"My Redwood; Go anywhere and always be at home."
"The trouble with trouble is it starts as fun"

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been" - Wayne Gretzky

 
Posted : April 5, 2018 8:43 PM
Jim
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There is NO excuse why they can't hire enough people to invoke a Quality Control Program...

Some things change...some things stay the same...

 
Posted : April 5, 2018 9:00 PM
Jim
 Jim
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The last I read on their employment problems weren't poeple, BUT finding workers who could pass a mandatory Drug Test.
Maybe that's some of the quality issues we see, workers and inspectors are high.

 
Posted : April 6, 2018 9:45 AM
KenA
 KenA
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OK that's kind of sad 🙁

Ken & Gizzi
Ford 2015 F350 DRW
--
"My Redwood; Go anywhere and always be at home."
"The trouble with trouble is it starts as fun"

"I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been" - Wayne Gretzky

 
Posted : April 6, 2018 10:23 AM
Danny_and_Linda
(@danny_and_linda)
Posts: 884
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The last I read on their employment problems weren't poeple, BUT finding workers who could pass a mandatory Drug Test.
Maybe that's some of the quality issues we see, workers and inspectors are high.

For a couple years after I retired I did contract inspection work for them, the 2nd year they were trying to hire an electrical/instrumentation technician, had 250+ applications & not one of those could pass background or drug tests. The other segment of people only want paydays & days off & work harder at getting out of work than ever will doing the job assigned. I totally agree, what a sad sad messed up population we have today.
Holy Cow! I sound just like my grandparents generation when referring to my generation, "lazy hippies!".

Travelin' Texans
Former '13 FB owner
Currently rvless!!

 
Posted : April 6, 2018 7:33 PM
Jim
 Jim
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Posts: 10846
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The last I read on their employment problems weren't poeple, BUT finding workers who could pass a mandatory Drug Test.
Maybe that's some of the quality issues we see, workers and inspectors are high.

For a couple years after I retired I did contract inspection work for them, the 2nd year they were trying to hire an electrical/instrumentation technician, had 250+ applications & not one of those could pass background or drug tests. The other segment of people only want paydays & days off & work harder at getting out of work than ever will doing the job assigned. I totally agree, what a sad sad messed up population we have today.
Holy Cow! I sound just like my grandparents generation when referring to my generation, "lazy hippies!".

Danny.......unfortunately, finding good people that are willing to work is an issue at almost any level.

I grew up on a dairy/grain farm in Indiana so I had the "opportunities" to learn how to work. The hardest working people I have ever known were my parents. My dad went from farming with horses to seeing man circumnavigate the moon. But, I was always trying to find ways to do things easier or better. So, I was the youngest and the only one in a family of nine that did not go into farming. I got a start in electronics while in the Air Force and eventually went into electronics engineering. The work ethic learned on the farm served me well throughout life. Unfortunately, too many young people never have "opportunities" to have to learn how to work hard and do something constructive with their lives.

The RV industry supposedly has 9000 job openings and no (or maybe qualified) job seekers in the area of Elkhart, IN. The RV industry needs to start putting emphasis on producing quality rather than quantity. That also means they need to train people how to do good quality work.

Sorry for getting carried away on this topic.

Guy

 
Posted : April 7, 2018 8:09 AM
Jim
 Jim
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If you want or know anyone who needs a job...(I shutter at the word)...

Elkhart seems to be THE opportunity:

http://www.rvbusiness.com/
(Move to the bottom of this page)

NEWS IN FOCUS
WSJ: Elkhart Offers Glimpse for Economy’s Future

April 6, 2018 by RVBusiness

The self-proclaimed RV capital of the world gives a glimpse of what the American economy looks like when operating at full tilt.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, high-school students around here skip college for factory jobs that offer great pay and benefits. For-hire signs sprout like roadside weeds. And workers are so flush that car dealers can’t keep new pickups on the lot....

Here is a resource for AVERAGE PAY: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Industry=Recreational_Vehicle_(RV)_Manufacturing/Hourly_Rate

Here is a PAY resource for Keystone RV: https://www.careerbliss.com/keystone-rv/salaries/

 
Posted : April 7, 2018 9:10 AM
Jim
 Jim
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There are even webinars on HOW to find workers:

RV PRO
https://rv-pro.com/news/natda-hold-dealer-webinar-hiring

 
Posted : April 7, 2018 9:34 AM
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