Technician Wages

["David" <daknutsen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello everyone. I am  an installation supervisor for a large midwest
security company and I have some question.s First, are there any other
managers or supervisors here that are having problems hiring experienced
techs? If there are, is it due mostly to wages?
 The reason I ask is I have been looking to add technicians to my staff but
I am stymied by the wage scale that my company has put together. They tell
me that it is compaetitive but when I make an offer to a prospective tech,
they either decline or quite often, just don't respond. I have been hiring
tech assistants in hopes that someday they will become more but I need some
techs that can hit the ground running.
That having been said, I am going into an operations managers meeting next
Tuesday and although I have compiled statistics from the Bureau of Labor as
well as others, I could use some real hard evidence that we are in fact not
competitve. What I would like to know is how long you have been in the
busines, where you are located and what you make an hour. According to my
bosses, we are in line with other SNA partners.
I made a promise to the other techs when I was promoted to this posistion
that I would not forget where I came from and would fight for them to my
fullest capacity. I am asking for your help, not for me, but for my
technicians and their families.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
David Knutsen