[mulligan]

A few years back, when I was working in Naples, FL, I spoke with a man who was allegedly the #1 crane operator in town. He was making $12.50/hr. He was among the highest paid construction people in town. Most of the people in the construction business are working on piecework, and are (mis)classified as subcontractors(no benefits and no tax witholdings). Add to that the number of illegal and transient workers, and the lack of union bargaining power, and you have the recipe for oppressive wage rates. IMHO