Reply #22: Some roofers do make half that... they're called "laborers"...

[Ghost in the Machine]

Why would a roofer have to own his own company after a few years? He could work himself up from a roofing laborer to a lead man to a roofing mechanic or carpenter and up to a foreman or supervisor/superintendant.. just like I did.

"Remember, roofing is one of those illegal immigrant jobs that Americans won't do."

:rofl:

Although I will state, from experience, that a LOT of construction crews have been hurt by the presence of illegals/undocumented workers on jobsites. I've seen them myself. They'll roll up into a sub-division going up and the big boss will talk to the general contractor and pretty much lowball prices. The GC will give them a house to build and they'll show up with 12 to 15 guys and frame a house up in 3 days. The next thing you know, they have 5 crews in there like that and are taking slabs that were supposed to be yours. Of course, 'El Jefe' is making big bucks because he's paying his crew members $40-$50/day each and they work daylight to dark...

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the workers are exploited by their own in the construction and agricultural work more than they are by corporations or American bosses. (Yeah, I worked in the produce industrry in South Florida for a while too, spent many a day out in the bean, squash & tomato fields, but that's a different story...)