Well Jason if you're in the north-central part of the continent, I'm afraid that $12/hr is going to be hard to rise above, at least until the status quo changes...If you're in urban areas like Detroit or Mineapolis the chances of a better wage are there, but that would have
union affiliations attached in many cases...I've rarely seen a 3-year painter make much more than $12...
...A few years ago I was considering putting on a couple of crews and had decided that if I were to do so I didn't want a bunch of slop-monkeys that I'd have to babysit all day, every day...So I figured that I'd
start my guys at $14-15/hr, hence attracting better painters from established companies (doesn't WalMart do that?)...My loving bride the accountant showed me the financial errors of my ways, that though an employed painter may well be
worth that much (or more), my business could not support it without a major hike in rates...Not to mention that
status quo I mentioned earlier...There's an unspoken (or perhaps spoken, depending on who you pal around with) rule that you don't compete
upwards with wages across the board. There are always other variables, but it boils down to this; Don't expect to make better wages working for someone else without proving that you're worth it to them, and then don't expect it anyway...