Trying to hire and they are all "Drawing"

[Reverend Blair]

When I needed money in the past I did just about any honest work I could find because there was no form of welfare for me. I pay my UI premiums and in a few cases have had to lay people off and was glad it was there for them. In all cases these were employable people who did not ride out their UI to the end.

My brother's Union had an option to take a pay cut (making $25) or close the local General Tire factory. They voted to close it and learned many of the other factories were only pay high school grads $10-$12 per hour and fewer benefits.

If one is truly worth $25 per hour and take a $10 per hour job doing the same thing they will not stay at $10. Many have an eye out for the under employed because they are looking for quality people.

Character flaws that hold back an employee really upset management teams looking for talent.

You don't say what business you are in, Gail, but have you noticed that older self-made people are more willing to pay good workers a decent wage than these business school grads who follow corporate models etc.?

I first caught onto that when I was hauling firewood...the business school types were always sure they were being ripped off and always wanted something extra (usually stacking the wood, which I simply wouldn't do) and generally treated me like a servant, but the older self-made types would just give me the cash and help me toss the wood off the truck.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

You don't say what business you are in, Gail, but have you noticed that older self-made people are more willing to pay good workers a decent wage than these business school grads who follow corporate models etc.?

I first caught onto that when I was hauling firewood...the business school types were always sure they were being ripped off and always wanted something extra (usually stacking the wood, which I simply wouldn't do) and generally treated me like a servant, but the older self-made types would just give me the cash and help me toss the wood off the truck.

We create/provide software solutions for estimating for contractors/insurance adjusters and insurance to value tools so agents do not grossly over/under insure clients for property insurance.

I do know what you are talking about. My leadership team all knew how to work before they left high school. They tend to do what is needed if we have a customer service problem or the commode is overflowing but I do lead by example.

College messes up the minds of many in this area. Some thing they are going to come out of college making six figures locally because one class make got that kind of starting pay in some huge city 2000 miles away.

Most all of my key company building people had fathers that are/were CAN DO people. The farm girls have been awesome and rose to management level quickly.

I think one thing you may be seeing is people who feel comfortable with themselves and people who are not. Many with only a business school background know they are controlled by the staff that knows the business from ground up. Some truly do not know when they are getting a good deal or when they are being ripped off due to the lack of self trust.

 

[Sigarms]

My sister in law got divorced a couple of years ago. Two kids, no husband, and in the marriage she was a full time mom who hadn't worked in eight years. We've helped her, but she also utilized the welfare system for assistance.

I use to talk like a lot of you bashing the system because their isn't a paycheck I received that wasn't gotten by working (except two times, back surgery and being in the burn unit, but that's why I had insurance, but some don't even have that, and then what?)

My sister in law went back for her license, is juggling work around the kids, and slowly is starting to make it on her own again. She would of been worse off without help from the family, but that's what family is for. That said, it would of been much worse without help from the government. Kind of funny how you can view something different when you see it happen to you or the ones you love.

Yes, people abuse the system. How many tried to collect on false claims on 9/11? What about the oil spill in the gulf? Sad fact, as mentioned, some people will always abuse what they think they can get for free.

Full time is what I am looking for. I have a 69 yr old that is retiring in May and I need someone to be in training to take his place. Ken Sweet

I've got to ask, what does the job pay an hour, and what kind of benefits?

 

[Reverend Blair]

We create/provide software solutions for estimating for contractors/insurance adjusters and insurance to value tools so agents do not grossly over/under insure clients for property insurance.

I do know what you are talking about. My leadership team all knew how to work before they left high school. They tend to do what is needed if we have a customer service problem or the commode is overflowing but I do lead by example.

College messes up the minds of many in this area. Some thing they are going to come out of college making six figures locally because one class make got that kind of starting pay in some huge city 2000 miles away.

Most all of my key company building people had fathers that are/were CAN DO people. The farm girls have been awesome and rose to management level quickly.

I think one thing you may be seeing is people who feel comfortable with themselves and people who are not. Many with only a business school background know they are controlled by the staff that knows the business from ground up. Some truly do not know when they are getting a good deal or when they are being ripped off due to the lack of self trust.

I wouldn't blame college in general...I've worked with a philosophy major who was golden and do work for more than few Liberal Arts types who are more than happy to pay for good work. I see it as being specific to those who take business/economics/accounting etc. All they really care about is the net profit and seem to feel one way of achieving that is screwing over their employees or contractors.

The small farm people are an excellent source of both good labour and good clients though. They don't mind paying for the work, and if they are the ones doing it they always do extra. Something we've seen around here is that as farms get bigger and bigger, that goes away though.

 

[77transam]

To the folks saying the luxury of getting 1000$ a month to stay at home on your butt, I don't understand? Unless your house is paid for, and you live in a very rural area, 12,000$ a year won't go far.

A cheap apartment here is 700$/month, 50$/month lights, 200$/month min for food, leaves 50$ to wash, cab fare etc. You can't get sick because you can't afford it. You can't afford cable or beer...

I agree, most hard-working,honest individuals w/families and a mortgage could not survive on that. But a slacker living in a run-down trailer in Starke,Fl did it just fine!:laughing: Killed me 'cause I offered to get him a job ($10 an hour to start) but that meant he would have to get up at 5:30 am and tote lumber in the hot Fl. sun! :confused2:

$10 an hr/40 hrs a week equals about $300 a week take home after taxes, which equals $1200 a month take home. He was getting roughly $1170 in UE and FS to do nothing 'cept walk to the mailbox. Live-in Girlfriend did have a part-time job, along with 2 kids by different daddys. I believe she got around $400+ a month in FS, medicaid cards for herself/kids, rent-utility subsidies...:laughing: Course the state didn't know they were shackin' up...:confused2:

Most hard-workin', honest people cringe when they hear this, but lazy, unmotivated individuals lookin' for a free ride ask "Where do I sign up?"

 

[ultrarunner]

To the folks saying the luxury of getting 1000$ a month to stay at home on your butt, I don't understand? Unless your house is paid for, and you live in a very rural area, 12,000$ a year won't go far.

A cheap apartment here is 700$/month, 50$/month lights, 200$/month min for food, leaves 50$ to wash, cab fare etc. You can't get sick because you can't afford it. You can't afford cable or beer...

I can only speak for CA...

Unemployment unlocks the door to many services... everything from Housing Assistance, Utility Discounts, Food Stamps, WIC, General Assistance, Health Care, School Lunch, State Auto Insurance, etc...

A few weeks ago, the local newspaper ran the numbers and found a family of 4 on assistance would need 50K in income to equal the available services.

A family of 4 with a $1000 a month income qualifies for a $1500 housing voucher with out of pocket rent of $200 +/-

 

[Reverend Blair]

I agree, most hard-working,honest individuals w/families and a mortgage could not survive on that. But a slacker living in a run-down trailer in Starke,Fl did it just fine!:laughing: Killed me 'cause I offered to get him a job ($10 an hour to start) but that meant he would have to get up at 5:30 am and tote lumber in the hot Fl. sun! :confused2:

$10 an hr/40 hrs a week equals about $300 a week take home after taxes, which equals $1200 a month take home. He was getting roughly $1170 in UE and FS to do nothing 'cept walk to the mailbox. Live-in Girlfriend did have a part-time job, along with 2 kids by different daddys. I believe she got around $400+ a month in FS, medicaid cards for herself/kids, rent-utility subsidies...:laughing: Course the state didn't know they were shackin' up...:confused2:

Most hard-workin', honest people cringe when they hear this, but lazy, unmotivated individuals lookin' for a free ride ask "Where do I sign up?"

You know, I wouldn't do that job for that wage either, even without being able to draw UI. I've worked on framing crews and even a guy who does nothing but carry lumber and help lift walls has to be worth at least $12.00/hr. If he can work at heights and owns his own hammer, he's gotta be worth $15.00/hr. If he can cut a straight line, he's worth more than that. If he has even a clue about rafters, he's worth his weight in gold.

When people agree to work for too little, they help push wages down.

Keep in mind that those wages are all something that goes back into the local economy. Somebody making $15.00 or $20.00 an hour isn't buying Mercedes and Italian yachts, he's buying a used pick-up truck and maybe a starter house. He's also buying work boots, tools, parts for his truck and material his house. He's buying food and toys for his kids. He's frequenting local businesses. He's taking his wife/girlfriend out to dinner.

Pay him $10.00/hr and he's taking the bus, living in a trailer, and buying cheap made in China garbage from some super-retailer because it's all he can afford. His contribution to the local economy is nil.

It all comes around in the end. Underpaying workers is nothing but a race to the bottom. The millionaires end up with more millions and the rest of us starve.

 

[johnrex62]

You know, I wouldn't do that job for that wage either, even without being able to draw UI. I've worked on framing crews and even a guy who does nothing but carry lumber and help lift walls has to be worth at least $12.00/hr. If he can work at heights and owns his own hammer, he's gotta be worth $15.00/hr. If he can cut a straight line, he's worth more than that. If he has even a clue about rafters, he's worth his weight in gold.

Shux, I like you Rev. I could do all that and all I got was cussed by my daddy to work faster! You sound like a cream puff! :laughing:



'course I don't like walking on anything more that a 6/12 pitch roof and a 4/12 is much nicer.

 

[300UGUY]

Wow, 80% drop is unreal! Picked up by "investors paying cash" is the key phrase here.

Prices on foreclosed homes here are definitely rock-bottom compared with original retail, but the problem is the banks aren't lending money anymore. Unless you've got a perfect credit score,have been at your current job 5+ years, have a low debt-to-income ratio, and 20% down...

New construction prices are down too, but by maybe 10-20%, not 80. I can't imagine any business that could survive very long taking an 80% loss.

What is a "livable" wage? How do you go about determining what it is? My father worked for 25 years, never missed a day, was always punctual, for a steel company that pulled the rug out from under it's employees, laid off 75% of it's work force and gutted their profit-sharing. He then had to try to support himself and an invalid wife while paying a 2nd mortgage taken to put my sister through college. What is a livable wage for him? I'll fight any man who says he hasn't earned it. Yet when he applied for similar positions at other companies, he faced a pay cut of 50 to 75% of what he was earning.

NC Employment Security Commission has postings for CNC machinists/ $11.00 an hr, Welders $12.00 an hr. Carpenters $10.00 an hr. Are those fair wages for skilled workers?

The truth of the situation is we do not pay our fair share for goods and services in this country. Gas prices here are far below the rest of the world. Any farmer will tell you that there's no guaranteed profit in agricultural farming, and if America paid comparable prices for fuel that others pay, a huge portion of farmers and related industries (trucking,shipping,packing,refrigeration,grain-supported industries) would fold relatively overnight. Then you would see $20 cheeseburgers in McDonalds. You would see $5 to $8 a gallon fuel prices and then anything supplied by fuel-driven industry would see exponential price increases due to cost increases being passed to the consumer. $1000 a month power bill, $10 pepsi and $10 loaf of bread. What would be a livable wage then?

Just don't know how lucky we are.

One of my neighbor's manages a small auto supplier. 10 years ago, he was $15 per hour for production workers. Now he is paying $8. If he pays more, the work goes to Mexico. He calls it M or M. Mininum wage or Mexico. I think we are winning the race to the bottom.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Shux, I like you Rev. I could do all that and all I got was cussed by my daddy to work faster! You sound like a cream puff! :laughing:



'course I don't like walking on anything more that a 6/12 pitch roof and a 4/12 is much nicer.

It's possible that our father's were clones, johnrex.

I'm no cream puff though, not afraid of working in the least. I just think people who work should be able to earn a decent living.

I have leg problems now, so ladders are hard and roof work is just plain dangerous for me. I do landscape carpentry because it keeps me on the ground.