Where are the general labor and warehouse jobs in Baytown?

Most of Baytown's general labor and warehouse work sits on the east side of town, in the distribution centers and logistics yards along Interstate 10, FM 1405 and Cedar Port Parkway, and much of it is filled through staffing agencies before it is filled directly. In the Houston area the typical pay for these jobs runs from about $15 to $22 an hour, with laborers and freight movers at a median of $18.27, stockers and order fillers at $17.74 and forklift operators at $22.11. A first job here usually means a staffing agency on Alexander Drive or Garth Road, a drug screen, a pair of safety boots and an early start.

Where the warehouses are

Baytown sits between the Port of Houston's terminals and Interstate 10, and the big buildings follow the trucks. The ones in our listings cluster in two places.

• East along FM 1405 and Cedar Port Parkway. The Home Depot Distribution Center is at 6115 FM 1405 and the Floor & Decor Distribution Center at 5120 Cedar Port Parkway. East Coast Warehouse is at 9200 FM 1405. These are big distribution buildings, and they hire for shifts around the clock in season.
• Along Interstate 10. Goose Creek Logistics Center is at 3715 East Interstate 10, and Port 10 Logistics - Old World Industries is at 2650 East Interstate 10.

Most of these buildings post openings on their own corporate career sites rather than on a sign out front, and during peak seasons they lean on staffing agencies to fill the floor.

What the jobs pay

These are Houston-area medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for all workers in each job, not starting rates. A first-week wage through an agency is usually below them.

• Laborers and freight movers, the classic "general labor" listing, earn a median of $18.27 an hour.
• Stockers and order fillers, the warehouse pick-and-pack job, earn $17.74.
• Industrial truck and tractor operators, which means forklifts and reach trucks, earn $22.11. That is the raise most warehouse workers chase first.
• Construction laborers earn $19.88, for the general labor ads that are really site work.
• Janitors and cleaners earn $14.74, for the night cleaning crews at the same buildings.

How people actually get hired

Staffing agencies. Magnum Staffing Services Inc., at 2705 North Alexander Drive, and Finish Line Staffing, at 1500 Santavy Street, place workers in local warehouse and labor jobs. Expect an application, a photo ID and proof you can work, a drug screen and sometimes a background check. Agencies pay weekly, and a good attendance record is how a temporary placement becomes a permanent hire. The staffing agencies page explains how the quick-pay side works.

Workforce Solutions. Workforce Solutions-Baytown, at 4308 Garth Road, is the free public job center. It has a computer for the online applications, help with a resume, and training money for some people who qualify, including the forklift and commercial driver courses that move a laborer into a better-paying seat.

Forklift certification. Federal safety rules require the employer to train and evaluate every forklift operator on the equipment they will use. A certificate from a course helps you get hired, but the warehouse will still train and sign you off on its own trucks.

Moving up from the floor

The pay ladder in a warehouse is short and visible. The general labor or picker job is the bottom rung. The forklift seat is the first raise, worth about four dollars an hour at the Houston-area median. After that come the jobs that mean responsibility for other people's work, such as lead, inventory control and shipping and receiving, and those go to the people who showed up every day for a season. Outside the building, a commercial driver license is the other common step up, and it is one of the courses Workforce Solutions can sometimes pay for.

Two habits move people up faster than any certificate: perfect attendance through peak season, and learning the warehouse system the building runs, whether that is a handheld scanner or a pick-to-light line. Ask on day one who decides which temporary workers are hired on, and make sure that person knows your name.

What the first weeks look like

Shifts often start at 6 a.m. or run overnight, and peak season runs from fall through the holidays. Wear steel-toe or composite-toe boots, because many buildings won't let you on the floor without them, and bring water in summer, because the docks are not air-conditioned. The no-experience jobs page and the part-time jobs page cover the other ways in, and the work hub covers the plant jobs that pay more and ask more. The plants and their contractors also hire laborers, but those jobs usually require a safety council card and a background check first, and the turnaround day guide explains how that side works.

A first job here usually means a staffing agency on Alexander Drive or Garth Road, a drug screen, a pair of safety boots and an early start.

Before you go

• Bring a photo ID and your Social Security card or other work papers, because agencies check them on the first visit.
• Expect a drug screen, and ask whether the placement is temporary or temp-to-hire before you accept.
• Buy safety-toe boots before your first shift, since most warehouse floors require them.
• Ask Workforce Solutions about training money before you pay for a forklift course yourself.
• Check how you will get there, because most of the big buildings are out on FM 1405 and the interstate, with no bus at shift change.

En español

Casi todo el trabajo de almacén y labor general en Baytown está en el este, en los centros de distribución sobre la Interestatal 10, la FM 1405 y Cedar Port Parkway, como el de Home Depot (6115 FM 1405) y el de Floor & Decor (5120 Cedar Port Parkway). Muchas veces se entra por una agencia: Magnum Staffing Services en 2705 North Alexander Drive o Finish Line Staffing en 1500 Santavy Street. En el área de Houston, la mediana es de $18.27 por hora para cargadores, $17.74 para surtidores y $22.11 para operadores de montacargas. Workforce Solutions-Baytown, en 4308 Garth Road, ayuda gratis con solicitudes y a veces paga la capacitación. Lleve identificación, botas de seguridad y espere una prueba de drogas.