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kelpies4me

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I can sometimes be a bit of a wimp, but... I recently put an ad for farm help (fence work, barn clean up tree work, you name it) pay $10.00 an hour and weekend work required. I got some responses that were a bit well, we won't go there, but I got several from 50+ year old men, experience/professionals, some loggers, some farmers, some electricians, plumbers, you name it.. they all are desperate for this job. I just can't believe where we are now... the last time I hired, things were not so bad in this economy, now, well... Anyway, my heart goes out to everyone who has it bad... and I hope whomever I hire can at least pay for groceries with what they earn from me.
 
It is like that in a lot of places. The main reason people will not work is they can not find much of it!
 
What is minimum wage is the states?Nobody up here would even work for $10 a hour,and if you mentioned manual labour,they would quit before you could even hire them.
 
3words said:
What is minimum wage is the states?Nobody up here would even work for $10 a hour,and if you mentioned manual labour,they would quit before you could even hire them.
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Local Tim Hortons pays $12 to start. $20 might get you temporary farm labor here but I doubt it. $10 wouldn't get a high school kid on the weekend.

I would hire the 50 year old and them pay him a decent return.
 
That's just it, I stated the pay per hour. This is not a full time job. The point is, I can't believe how many are interested. I was planning to go with the older guy(s) as I believe their experience is worth it.
 
If a guy has a family to feed, $10 an hour looks pretty good. It may take 3 jobs to pay the bills, but if folks dont like ten bucks an hour, they must not be too hungry. I hope you find someone who works out for ya. :D
 
There aren't enough hours in a day for $10 to feed his family and for him to actually see his family. I think it is our responsibility as employers to not take advantage of the fact we can get away with $10 and step up to an appropriate wage.
 
Thanks Leanin H, I can barely afford to keep me afloat, so this is work I can't do myself, and have to hire out, and I do the best I can. I have had 30 responses to the ad, and hopefully someone works out. Last guy I had do tree work ended up working all summer for me, and I ended up paying him more as he was a tree guy in a previous life. Worked his butt off and did not mind paying him more.
 
per said:
There aren't enough hours in a day for $10 to feed his family and for him to actually see his family. I think it is our responsibility as employers to not take advantage of the fact we can get away with $10 and step up to an appropriate wage.
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My point is if the alternative is ZERO bucks an hour 10 looks pretty good. Its a part time job as a laborer. Kelpies isnt "taking advantage" of anyone. They are offering a job and if someone WANTS it and meet the qualifications, they may hire them. Nobody ever put a gun to my head and forced me to take a job. Too many people in America right now WONT work. I still maintain they must not be very hungry.

That being said Per, if you are hiring i require $78 per hour which i feel is a very appropriate wage and would allow me to have afternoons off to golf with the boss. :wink: :D
 
The problem in not to many people have a good work ethic any more. We have tried to hire several people in the last few years. The most we ever had one last was two months. We pay well, but we do work hard. It's not like we have them scrubbing the shop floor with a toothbrush or something. I never ask anyone to do anything that I wouldn't want to do, and I always do the crappiest jobs myself. Especially these younger kids they would rather sit on their but and be on wic and unemployment and such than make an honest living. It's good you got that many responses. We are pretty remote, so we have a hard time finding people.
 
per said:
There aren't enough hours in a day for $10 to feed his family and for him to actually see his family. I think it is our responsibility as employers to not take advantage of the fact we can get away with $10 and step up to an appropriate wage.
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I know people who are trying - and I mean trying - to do just that (on 10 bucks an hour) and it is all but impossible.

But I also know that if I had to pay someone what it would take to keep them decently cared for, I couldn't do it out of our little farm and business.

On the other hand, what drives me mad is seeing some very wealthy businessman hire people and keep them on starvation wages just to keep them on the string. To me, that is the epitome of evil and what gives capitalism a bad name.

But Kelpies, that is a very significant story that you tell.
 
Things are different across the country. $10 an hour here is a pretty darn good wage . Many folks working every day for far less. But, we are in a very rural, fairly poor county.
 
... and I hope whomever I hire can at least pay for groceries with what they earn from me.

This is the big problem for beef producers. The former "middle class" isn't grilling steak on Friday night any more. More likely wiener water soup.
 
I hear all of your points, just wanted to get out the one of paying a fair price for fair work. Just because someone is desperate for a job doesn't make paying them less than they are worth right Now if $10 is a fair wage or simply all that you can afford that is another matter. H, there are a few here making more than $78. I have gone full circle personally on this and have come to the conclusion that being generous gets more done and doesn't cost more in the end.
 
Fair wage, living wage...........what do those terms really mean? And how should they be determined, and by whom?

What about value returned to the business by the worker and the work he/she does? How can those be determined?

It seems doubtful to me that most people and organizations demanding those 'fair or living' wages have little to no experience related to producing anything and trying to make a living doing so.

I've read recently that for a family of four to have as good an 'income' or 'living' as they can on government assistance, it requires a $60,000.00 annual salary/wage. That includes those working low paying jobs, with the indication that many take those low paying/lower hours jobs so they can 'have a life' and draw the subsidies available to make the living relatively comfortable.

It seems nearly impossible to sort it all out......fact from propaganda on all sides!

Best of luck with getting someone for your chores, and both of you being happy with the effort!

mrj

Just seeing on TV that the true jobless rate is over 14%. Didn't get the reasoning. Also heard on radio early this morning that over 150,000 jobs were created last month, BUT 260,000 people were accepted for disability payments......most common cause: "backache".

Darn! I've been disabled all my adult life (due to some of lifes' bumps and falls) and didn't know it qualified as a 'job'.
 
Just a comment.

We sold our ranch 5 years ago. The buyer agreed to keep both employees at their current wage, They were paid at about the highest rate of any in the area along with a nice house, utilities paid except for phone. They also got a $100,000 life insurancy policy and health insurance. They also each got a beef a year.

A few months later, the new owner said they were too expensive and cut their wages. Then he made them contract employees so he didn't have to pay half of FICA.

At one time, I paid them as contract employees and gave them the employers share of FICA. When I found that one of them was claiming self-employment losses and keeping the FICA money, I put them on a payroll - which greatly benefitted them upon retirement,

After a year or so, the oldest retired. The owner never said goodbye. When I left, I paid each of them about 3 months wages as a goodwill gesture. I gave each of their wives a US gold coin for their incidental help over the years (Also a bunch of excellent meals.)

Now, one of the employees is running the ranch alone along with a neighboring ranch the new owner bought.


There are some employeesyou can't pay too much, others you wouldn't want even if they were free. The same goes for employers.
 
per said:
I hear all of your points, just wanted to get out the one of paying a fair price for fair work. Just because someone is desperate for a job doesn't make paying them less than they are worth right Now if $10 is a fair wage or simply all that you can afford that is another matter. H, there are a few here making more than $78. I have gone full circle personally on this and have come to the conclusion that being generous gets more done and doesn't cost more in the end.
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I agree with ya. :D When i had my own business, i tried to keep good guys and pay them enough that they were happy. But i couldnt go broke doing it. Ended up having to get a job myself when the economy went south and there wasnt enough work. Such is life. I spent a summer making $10 an hour fencing and was glad to have it. Seems like today, lots and lots of folks won't work if the wage is low. Guess i am saying i am thankful my parents taught me to work hard and take pride in doing it, regardless of wages. But the main reason any of us work is to draw wages and money is the best way to show employees they are appreciated.
 
MO STOCKER said:
Things are different across the country. $10 an hour here is a pretty darn good wage . Many folks working every day for far less. But, we are in a very rural, fairly poor county.
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x2
 
There are some employeesyou can't pay too much, others you wouldn't want even if they were free. The same goes for employers.
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Reminds me of the story about a useless guy that left his job to chase something better. The former boss wasn't at all sorry to see him go.

The place where he applied to work called his former employer to ask for a reference.

The former employer had this to say - "You will be lucky if you can get this man to work for you."
 
I suspect that $10 an hour is a living wage in the U.S. but not in Canada
 

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