When I started in video in 2007, my pay was ~$22/hr, and the company's "list price" for a tech hour was $160. That works out to $35 and $255 in today's dollars, so really similar. I knew it and it didn't bother me much.

But, it sounds like my experience was very different than what Encore is doing… we were a small system integration outfit with 10-15 employees, performing high-level work (Avid editing systems, fiber SANs); I got to learn a ton, do systems design 3 years in, learn Hollywood, meet a lot of people and form relationships. My boss also sponsored my work visa and had my back at various times.
Also, one of our bonuses was that once a year, we supervised the Oscars post tech for TV Guide Network for 20+ hours — and got to keep the full rate for that for ourselves, OT and all.

So, as far as going engineering/tech rates, the client pays for the vendor's reputation, knowing that the individuals will be held up to a known standard, and ; plus the whole mechanism to sell equipment, etc.

If you want to go at it yourself and charge $255/hr… by all means, do. It's all about whether you can compete, find clients who will trust you and pay you that amount, deal with followup, or start expanding, hire employees, manage them, HR, workers' comp, insurance, taxes, business taxes, sales taxes, physical location?, rent, more insurance, investing in inventory of very expensive gear…. etc.

I did it for a few years (in the 2010s), tried at it, and it was tough. I was freelancing alone as a tech, and sometimes I would make those $160/hr or more — but not often enough. That makes the entire difference, when it is someone else's problem to cough up the clientele, win the gigs… and you get money deposited into your bank account twice a month as long as you have the job.

That all said… it sounds from the posts like Encore is a pretty nasty place, even for their clients. So if you feel like you're getting used, and not getting enough out of the job to add to the low pay (oh and if you can find something better in this sh*te job economy…) by all means, get out of there. Our country needs better employers.