So in your original reply you seem to be back tracking. The...

So in your original reply you seem to be back tracking. The original post was a clearly intended that brick layer crews are getting desperate rather than the builders that need to engage them.

Then you are suggesting its only the volume builders who are desperate.

2 points / questions:

1. So you are saying, if a bricklayer (or team) has a choice between between going with a volume builder who is paying rates higher than a "non-volume" builder they will go with the non-volume builder. Here is my observation (that is 30+ years of work), whilst there my be some degree of loyalty especially when things are tough, there is a point when the $$ offerred means it too good to pass up even if the trade does not particularly like working for the contractor. This is where we are at now especially in WA.
2. Price increase simply passed onto the customer. That is fine except where you have a legally binding fixed price contract with a client. So you could have a cost + contract with a client, but this would not be the majority of building contracts. There may be some flexibility in contracts but there typically comes a time where the contract affords no more ability to recover increasing costs especially in times like this where the desperate hunt for bricklayers is a relatively new problem that has occurred after building contracts where signed 6+ months ago.

So I think you need to clarify further. You have dug yourself a hole with an initial flippant remark and your explanations don't cut it.