The Covid effect.

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Dave Taylor said:
You’re right. It sucks mentally not being there all week. This isn’t a forever thing. Once the wife gets the job she wants I’ll be Audi 5000. NJ sounds great on paper but in reality it’s such an inconvenience to get to all the conveniences. People are here for the money. I lived in a very nice area in flemington for 3 years. The problem? Everyone drove an hour to work and didn’t have time or energy to go outside and go for a walk after work. I never saw the neighbors outside.
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you must be a blast at parties
 
stb222 said:
He just comes here for the money, duh.

Dave sorta forgets there are a f-ton of jobs that pay a lot here. Otherwise couldnt he just drive to Baltimore,
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Sure, but the package is no where near what I get in local 825. Also, I said before, I got a good bonus to come back, company vehicle, phone etc. I didn’t finish college so unlike most white collar hobs blue collar jobs do not move laterally as far as pay when you go from state to state.
 
Dave Taylor said:
Sure, but the package is no where near what I get in local 825. Also, I said before, I got a good bonus to come back, company vehicle, phone etc. I didn’t finish college so unlike most white collar hobs blue collar jobs do not move laterally as far as pay when you go from state to state.
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But your local 825 doesnt have work?

13.5 hours plus not being with your fam…
 
Pearl said:
This is one of the things I miss the most about leaving NJ. Sure we have local trails to us but they all feel the same and maybe 7-10 miles each at the most.
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It's weird to say, but I miss the NJ trails. My trails here are amazing, but NJ does have great riding. I miss rocks and slow technical.

None of my local trails have made me bleed.
 
stb222 said:
But your local 825 doesnt have work?

13.5 hours plus not being with your fam…
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If you aren’t in a union you wouldn’t understand. I’m just curious how much everyone pays for health insurance. When I moved to Maryland and worked for a nonunion caterpillar dealer, I took about a 25% pay cut, which was in line with real estate that is approximately 25% less. What I underestimated was how much Health benefits would cost. And local 825 I do not pay a dime for health benefits. In Maryland I was paying 630 to 650 a month. My retirement package through the union is three times what I was getting through the caterpillar dealer. The amount that the union company contributes is tremendous. What I realized once I moved out of a “union state “was how much the employee is taken advantage of companies. Sure, there are some things that are not great about unions, but for blue-collar workers, they really help. $100 for a phone is a pretty big deal. Not paying for a commuter vehicle, vehicle insurance, vehicle maintenance, and fuel is also very big so rather than a 25% lateral difference from New Jersey to Maryland. It’s more like a 50% difference in the overall pay package .
 
Santapez said:
It's weird to say, but I miss the NJ trails. My trails here are amazing, but NJ does have great riding. I miss rocks and slow technical.

None of my local trails have made me bleed.
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Where did you move to? I really enjoyed the diversity of New Jersey trails as well, but there are other states that have that diversity as well. What I did not like after Covid was going to Hartshorn and having to stop for a bazillion hikers.
 
A few things people don't take into consideration when they leave a higher paying state like NJ.

-Housing/Taxes may be cheaper but most staples are the same price. Cars, food, gas, etc. It's only cheaper for those things if you're coming from an expensive city like NYC
-Higher salary means higher retirement. A larger % goes into Social Security and a 401k. This adds up over time.

Dave Taylor said:
Where did you move to? I really enjoyed the diversity of New Jersey trails as well, but there are other states that have that diversity as well. What I did not like after Covid was going to Hartshorn and having to stop for a bazillion hikers.
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As @thegock said, I live near Pisgah, 15 minutes to Dupont. Don't cry for me on missing NJ trails. While I may not have NJ trails here, NJ doesn't have these trails.
 
Santapez said:
It's weird to say, but I miss the NJ trails. My trails here are amazing, but NJ does have great riding. I miss rocks and slow technical.

None of my local trails have made me bleed.
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ha, its funny to hear you say that as well fellow transplant
 
Dave Taylor said:
If you aren’t in a union you wouldn’t understand. I’m just curious how much everyone pays for health insurance. When I moved to Maryland and worked for a nonunion caterpillar dealer, I took about a 25% pay cut, which was in line with real estate that is approximately 25% less. What I underestimated was how much Health benefits would cost. And local 825 I do not pay a dime for health benefits. In Maryland I was paying 630 to 650 a month. My retirement package through the union is three times what I was getting through the caterpillar dealer. The amount that the union company contributes is tremendous. What I realized once I moved out of a “union state “was how much the employee is taken advantage of companies. Sure, there are some things that are not great about unions, but for blue-collar workers, they really help. $100 for a phone is a pretty big deal. Not paying for a commuter vehicle, vehicle insurance, vehicle maintenance, and fuel is also very big so rather than a 25% lateral difference from New Jersey to Maryland. It’s more like a 50% difference in the overall pay package .
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Ok, so the union dues are free?


Trailforks for your area:

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Same Zoom area for NJ
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Yeah the taxes suck, and the traffic sucks, but every other place has those things. NJ has a lot of opportunities already discussed so I don't see myself leaving. But each to their own, whatever works for you!
 
rlb said:
Yeah the taxes suck, and the traffic sucks, but every other place has those things. NJ has a lot of opportunities already discussed so I don't see myself leaving. But each to their own, whatever works for you!
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I want to say that New Jersey was just about perfect around 10 through 15 years ago. It’s completely overpopulated and overbuilt now. One example, we lived about 8 miles from the Atlantic Highlands. We moved there in 2012. We knew not to go to the restaurants on the water on the weekends but you could always do it during the week. Once Covid hit that completely changed. It’s a nightmare to try to eat at any decent restaurants in the shore area. Pretty much year-round now.
 
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