Regulation in the industry

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Sounds to me like you guys ought to quit and live off the government if you can't do a good job and make a living. I love how people feel it is the governments responsability to take care of them. You could get your welfare checks and not worry about competition.

Sounds like you're one of the people who hires illegal workers to go out and make you money. We pay insurance, play by the rules because it's the proper way to do business. There is nothing wrong trying to protect what we are working for by asking the powers that be to enforce rules that we already live by on to those that don't, and cut our throats because they have less overhead and are operating illegally.
Your remark doesn't even touch the topic of disussion. We wern't talking about how good our work is ya dumbass. We are talking about regulation, and enforcement of the commercial business laws that are on the books, and discussing the possibility of how a few more may benefit/work against us.

Next time read the post before you put your seemingly worthless 2 cents in.
 
Like I said, you will always have the hacks and you will always have the people that will pay them to do the work, crack cocaine and heroin are illegal also but that hasn't stopped people for selling and using has it, government regulation is not the answer and fines don't work if someone gets a fine doesn't pay it and goes to jail for a few days as soon as he gets out he'll be right back doing it again....
 
Sounds like you're one of the people who hires illegal workers to go out and make you money.

We pay insurance, play by the rules because it's the proper way to do business. There is nothing wrong trying to protect what we are working for by asking the powers that be to enforce rules that we already live by, on to those that don't, and as a result cut our throats in pricing because they have less overhead and are operating illegally.

Your remark doesn't even touch the topic of disussion. We weren't talking about how good our work is ya dumbass. We are talking about regulation, and enforcement of the commercial business laws that are on the books, and discussing the possibility of how a few more may benefit/work against us.

Next time read the post before you put your seemingly worthless 2 cents in.
 
No, but enforcement of the current laws on the books would be nice. In MA, it's a $500 frist day per person, $200 each additional day per for no workman's comp. That would put pretty much every CL hack out of business overnight, since most don't have a business license, and you need one to get workman's comp in MA. THEN you have to apply to the assigned comp pool, and wait for a compant to pick you up and bind a policy, and you have to pay the entire premium upfront.

Yes, you'll say, then the hack will just ignore, and start again somewhere else. Maybe so, BUT, god help him if he ever gets caught again....
what about the ones that aren't require to carry workers comp....

In NC you aren't required to do so unless you have 3 or more regular employees....
 
I can see where jrr344 is coming from. If you aren't a good enough businessman or a good enough treeman to be able to compete with the "hacks" (who have always been around and are in every market), don't ruin it for the rest of us by inviting in the government. Give them an inch and they take a mile.

Besides, i'm curious how you think government intervention will actually help the small outfits like yourself. I've worked with some big companies over the years and they often look at legitimate outifts who have a single chipper and two guys as hacks. Who do you think is going to be buying off more government officials and lawmakers to swing things their way? You are going to end up clumped right into the "hack" group.
 
Ya know I have pretty much been as legit as I could but one more leach would put rope under. Maybe I would be better off instead of hanging on to a hope that my skill and time spent educating myself will somehow pan out. I say before they do anything, enforcing immigration laws would be a step in a direction I would like the m to take. I am all for legal educated immigrants just not what squeezes through to leach away opportunities from honest citizens. Until I see swift and shock and awe tactics employed I don't feel politicians have the mental fortitude to do whats right for America.
 
Sounds like you're one of the people who hires illegal workers to go out and make you money. We pay insurance, play by the rules because it's the proper way to do business. There is nothing wrong trying to protect what we are working for by asking the powers that be to enforce rules that we already live by on to those that don't, and cut our throats because they have less overhead and are operating illegally.
Your remark doesn't even touch the topic of disussion. We wern't talking about how good our work is ya dumbass. We are talking about regulation, and enforcement of the commercial business laws that are on the books, and discussing the possibility of how a few more may benefit/work against us.

Next time read the post before you put your seemingly worthless 2 cents in.

I'm interested to know how some you guys got started with your business. When things were slow and you didn't have fulltime work, you know before things got rolling. Did you follow all the rules and regulations like workers comp? How did you make things work and still stay within the guildlines?

Maybe this is off topic, just thought i'd ask.
 
I can see where jrr344 is coming from. If you aren't a good enough businessman or a good enough treeman to be able to compete with the "hacks" (who have always been around and are in every market), don't ruin it for the rest of us by inviting in the government. Give them an inch and they take a mile.

Besides, i'm curious how you think government intervention will actually help the small outfits like yourself. I've worked with some big companies over the years and they often look at legitimate outifts who have a single chipper and two guys as hacks. Who do you think is going to be buying off more government officials and lawmakers to swing things their way? You are going to end up clumped right into the "hack" group.

I'm mainly upset that that we follow the rules, and I see the scabs not following the rules in flagrant disregard.

Being a good business man is more important than labor skill level in this biz. And I'm not worried about that. And tha's not what this topic is on, hence my response to jrr344. I wish people would read things before they go off on a tangent about something entirely different...
I would like to see the scabs get hung up more often than they do. Then they will think twice about how money just grows on trees in this industry.
Call me a cry baby if you will, but I stand my ground as far as enforcement goes. I get hired more often than the next guy in my area anyway,
(for the jobs I get called out to bid on) so I'm not as much financially motivated as I am for punishing those who are operating illegaly.
 
I'm interested to know how some you guys got started with your business. When things were slow and you didn't have fulltime work, you know before things got rolling. Did you follow all the rules and regulations like workers comp? How did you make things work and still stay within the guildlines?

Maybe this is off topic, just thought i'd ask.

As some of you guys may know, I used to be a restaurant manager. I've run several succsessful multi million dollar units in and around Boston.
I had to deal with more regulation than most could deal with between fire, liquor, food, occupancy, and the list goes on for miles.
Grabbing up a simple comp and liability policy from the get go for my little service was a no-brainer to me. It's just what you have to do to be legit, so that's what I did. (Also, wait till one of you uninsured guys gets sued by one of your workers after he cuts through the tendons in his hand and cant work again. You'll be wishing you had it, most likely for the rest of your life)

Also, let me make myself clear, I'm targetting the scabs that LIE about having insurance (mostly all the people on CL). I feel slightly less adamant about those who don't claim to have it.

And I still don't have full time/ 365 a year work to keep me busy, but I've been able to make it work, and be legit at the same time since inception. My trucks are all mismatched paint, my chipper is a dog, but it's all paid for and tht helps too.
Big thing is, I don't have any kids, as I wouldn't be able to do it with that financial responsibility.
 
what about the ones that aren't require to carry workers comp....

In NC you aren't required to do so unless you have 3 or more regular employees....

That becomes a homeowner responsibility. I'm really about targeting those maliciously breaking the standing laws. Maybe the thread should be retitled.
 
I think regulation would be fine as long is the minimum is all tree pruning must be under the supervision of a BCMA that holds a Masters Degree in Arboriculture.

Yeah, @ 120 per man hour.. How's the market where you are?
 
I think regulation would be fine as long is the minimum is all tree pruning must be under the supervision of a BCMA that holds a Masters Degree in Arboriculture.

now come on that a little overboard!

Maybe have the BCMA with a Masters In Arboriculture give the cert. to each applicant who plans on pruning trees for profit.
A standardized test with so many questions plus a hands on in the tree test. This way its guanteed the guys got "skills in the tree," before he goes out hacking on them.
 
I agree on the illegal immigrant part, in which you did not mention in your first post, but if I want to hire some moron to cut a tree down for little to nothing I should be able to do that and in turn if that idiot destroys my house or property it should be my problem to fix. The government can't do anything right you would be ignorant to want their regulation and I work in a highly regulated field.
 
I can see it already, another goverment agency that can impose it's will on us. The property owner is not dumb. They know how to do their duediligance. They can ask if we are licenced and insured and we can advertise that we are licenced and insured. I know if I'm Licenced (certified) and insured I'll get more work. The property owner knows if I'm licenced and insured they are coverd. If they chose to hire someone who is not it's on them. I guess the bottom line is as a property owner I do'nt want the goverment telling me what trees I can cut down and how to cut them down. And as a business owner I know that if I do'nt do these thing I won't be in business long.
 

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