carpenter

by Joshua Gordon
(San Francisco,CA)

I came to CA from NY State because CA has such a strong solar initiative. After 3 months of looking for work with solar companies
( I have more than 25 years in the trades) in the San Francisco area, I discovered is that that they are only interested in hiring people who will work for 9-12 dollars an hour, AND that lead installers make less than $25/hr. Unless you are sharing an apartment with too many people, it is impossible to afford to get your foot in the door here. The concept that there are "green collar" jobs being generated in urban areas for youth, is true. But, just as any industry, they pay these "underprivileged" (read desperate) people less than a living wage for skilled work. Solar companies may look green on the outside, but it is business as usual on the inside.