Americans don't want Low Skilled Jobs?

Adventure-Dude

Join Date 07/2004

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Americans don't want Low Skilled Jobs?

I am hearing many politicians as well as those that for the immigration bill (that would essentially give free permanent residency with a renewable Z-Visa) stating that they do the job that American's don't WANT to do.

The irony is that they are correct however I find their notion to be very misleading.

The reality IS that very Americans would want to spend their summer out in the HOT sun picking lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peppers, or whatever else anyone cares to name. Here's the job scenario:

You work long hours 8-10 hrs a day, 6 days a week.
You don't get paid sick days.
You don't get paid or work on rainy days.
You don't get health insurance.
You don't get paid vacations.
You work under the HOT summer sun.
You pick such things like onions where your hands smell like onions for days afterwards or tomatoes where your hands are green for a few days after.
There isn't much future in working up the corporate ladder.
Some on the job training (need to make sure they pick items when they are ripe).
It is a seasonal job.
And you don't make much more than minimum wage.

Is there ANYONE our there that would WANT this job?

This to me is just an excuse rather than a reason to deceive Americans in allowing an Amnesty bill to pass. There are many jobs that I didn't WANT to do but did them in order to pay my bills. How many kids do you hear saying, "when I grow up I wanna be an onion topper" or "when I grow up I wanna be a janitor (sanitation engineer)?"

Everyone wants to be chief but how many want to be indians?

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But Gid as LW indirectly mentioned. If you need work to produce (ie construction, etc) as an employer you may have to add moving incentives if you can't find local labor.

A-D,

I know firsthand of no employers that offer that as a rule.

Ironically, though, in the meat packing plant in Cactus, TX (a job Americans allegedly don't want), the illegals were offered free housing until their first paycheck came in. Coupled with $11.90/hour salary. I know of few honest out of work Americans who wouldn't take that if the same incentives were offered. Sure, the welfare bums will pass, but they'll pass on anything.

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I don't feel sorry for speeders when they get a ticket, and I certainly don't feel sorry for illegals when they get deported. We all make choices in life, and many choose to take calculated risks. If you play the odds and lose, however, you should have the grace to accept your fate without complaint. That goes for the businesses AND the illegal labor they employ.

I fully agree.

Ironically, though, in the meat packing plant in Cactus, TX (a job Americans allegedly don't want), the illegals were offered free housing until their first paycheck came in. Coupled with $11.90/hour salary. I know of few honest out of work Americans who wouldn't take that if the same incentives were offered.

Gid, that is the point I am getting at. No one is really offering that to the Americans but they will for the illegals?

You are right bums will be bums.

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Amanda thanks for your insight. Can you give us more regarding to your perspective of what you see? Do you find/feel that you are competing against the retired age? Do you find/feel that you are competing against the illegals? Let us know.

I don't really feel like I'm competing against one certain group like elderly, illegal immigrants, blacks, men, or anything like that. I feel like I'm competing against people who aren't going to college. Every employer I've talked to has told me they won't hire someone for just the summer, even though I've told them I can work anytime on weekends including Sundays and I'm willing to work holidays. Granted, I don't live anywhere near Mexico nor am I looking at farming jobs, so it may be different for people living in the south.

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Maybe I should say I'm looking for part time and then just quit at the end of the summer....that just seems kinda underhanded.

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that just seems kinda underhanded.

I agree. Keep searching!

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that just seems kinda underhanded.

I disagree...here's why:

In most states employment is "at will"...meaning your employer can dump you because you looked at them funny. They are obligated only to pay you a set rate and within certain time limits. Beyond that they have no loyalty to you whatsoever.

You're not signing a contract with them, you are simply agreeing to work. As long as you give your two weeks' notice at the end of the summer, you are doing everything an employer should reasonably expect of you.

Good luck!

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In most states employment is "at will"...meaning your employer can dump you because you looked at them funny. They are obligated only to pay you a set rate and within certain time limits. Beyond that they have no loyalty to you whatsoever.

You're not signing a contract with them, you are simply agreeing to work. As long as you give your two weeks' notice at the end of the summer, you are doing everything an employer should reasonably expect of you.

Very true. But then she still has to live with herself.

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Very true. But then she still has to live with herself.

Exactly. What ever happened to the day where your word meant something?

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So lie! You gotta have a job, so lie through your white little teeth.

In this world it seems that's the best option at times when it comes to survival.

Maybe I should say I'm looking for part time and then just quit at the end of the summer....that just seems kinda underhanded.

Understandable, but I have learned that while I like being nice and doing the right thing onhas to realize that not everyone will return the favor and you sometimes have to deal with breaking your own rules if you want to survive.

I agree. Keep searching!

Again, understandable. But if eventually the search yields no results, would you then recommend her to break her own rules, kinda the way LW said? If so, then why waste time looking and not getting paid for looking if you gonna eventually be forced to lie to get a job?

amandapearl2

I suggest you do your best to stay true to yourself but when push comes to shove you will have to bend a few rules, even your own, if you wanna get ahead in life. Take it from me, a guy that would do everything by the book, and would feel bad to leave a company stranded for what ever reason while they have to deal with a rookie (it has happened to me 3 times in the past 4 years), You just have to do what you gotta do, the company will survive so long as you do what Gideon MacLeish detailed so nicely above:

As long as you give your two weeks' notice at the end of the summer, you are doing everything an employer should reasonably expect of you.

Oh yea and good luck.

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Exactly. What ever happened to the day where your word meant something?

I cry myself to sleep every night knowing they have disappeared for good.

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Hey thanks guys, I'm calling a couple places today, maybe something good will happen! I did seem to charm the manager of one store....I'll just have to use my good looks and magnetic personality lol.

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Exactly. What ever happened to the day where your word meant something?

How is it breaking your word to work through the summer AND GIVE YOUR TWO WEEKS AT THE END? I'm frankly appalled that EITHER of you would imply a lack of integrity at the suggestion that she omit the fact that she's "only" looking for summer work.

Who walks to ANY employer, let alone a minimum wage employer, expecting to indenture themselves to that employer for the rest of their lives? Employment is almost never "permanent" in this country and any employer that expects it to be so better pay a WHOLE LOT more than they're paying.

I'm at a job I happen to love right now. But I will eventually leave it. Why? Because the town I live in doesn't have a 4 year college, much less a law school. Does that make me some kind of sleazy individual? No, I am giving my employer exactly what I promised them by showing up every day when I'm scheduled while I am here. And I will give them 2 weeks' notice at the end.

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Why would she have a problem living with herself unless she's sworn an oath to work at this particular job (whatever it may be) until the day she retires or dies?

LW, I think we took your suggestion a little too literally than what you intended.

Don't volunteer anything might be a better way to put it, don't tell them you're only looking for summer work unless they specifically ask. It they DO ask, she could say that she may need to adjust her schedule later in the year, but that she'd give them plenty of notice in the event that happens.

This has always been my approach. I was asked during an interview, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I told them I don't know where I see myself specifically. If things worked out well here I would probably still be here if not I would move on and be persuing something else. I believe we can still be honest. If I didn't get that job then that's fine. I knew I was realistic and honest with them.

The weirdest question however I received in an interview was, "What type of animal do you associate yourself with and why?"

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The only way to get summer work is thru temp agencies these days.

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The only way to get summer work is thru temp agencies these days.

That is the worst way.

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Not necessarily. Many temp agencies pay pretty well in order to attract quality help, and often offer benefits that wouldn't be available to anyone working less than 40 hour weeks. It's a good way to try your hand at many different things, with little long-term penalty for job-hopping.

The most promising job I ever had in my life was offered to me by Kaiser Engineering after I had worked on one of their projects (a nuclear plant under construction) for several months as a Manpower employee.

I agree with whoman and LW here. During college I worked one summer with Adecco (temp agency) and got paid pretty well. Alot better than I started out as a cashier at a car wash.

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so unless amanda is VOLUNTEERING this information, "Hi, I'm looking for a summer job" it may never even come up.

It's not that I'm volunteering information, I have to indicated how many hours I'd like to be working and if i'm interested in full time, part time, or seasonal. I don't want to lie on my application, so I check the seasonal box instead of part time.

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That is the worst way.

Not necessarily Doc. I got this job thru an agency. Sure, it doesn't apy $20 or 30 an hour but it pays the bills and I am now a permanent employee with chances of advancements.

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Not necessarily Doc. I got this job thru an agency. Sure, it doesn't apy $20 or 30 an hour but it pays the bills and I am now a permanent employee with chances of advancements.

The only challenge with some of these agencies is they sometimes don't let you go if you try to become permenant.

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The only challenge with some of these agencies is they sometimes don't let you go if you try to become permenant.

Actually, A-D, many of these agencies have a fixed term contract with the employers. They have you for the first six months or so, then the employer is free to hire you on a permanent basis. At any rate, there are ways around everything.

Temp agencies provide great opportunities, not only for kids, but for transitioning workers who are between jobs, and for college students.

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Let me ask you this, do you know for SURE that you only want seasonal work? I mean, what if you find something you really enjoy and they're willing to cut your hours back to one day a week or something once school starts again. You might at that point be willing to stay on, right?

fair enough, if I was going to a school close to home, which I'm not. My school is in a tiny town too, so I couldn't be transferred to another branch. However, if my school was more local I would definitely want to keep on working into the school year. Oh well, guess I'm gonna just be poor until I graduate

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The only challenge with some of these agencies is they sometimes don't let you go if you try to become permenant.

I have heard of those but the ones I use are temp to perm agencies. They specialize in finding jobs with intentions of being hired permanently, though it may not always be the case.

Mine was an indefinite temporary position. In other words they may or may not have hired me but they could have kept me as a temp for as long as they wanted or if I stayed. I worked hard and managed to convince them to hire me and once an oportunity presented itself my boses spoke to the big people and got me in permanently

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Actually, A-D, many of these agencies have a fixed term contract with the employers.

Gid, we are saying the same thing here. I am saying some agencies don't want to let you out. Most do though as you pointed out.

Glad your's worked out that way. For me I started out and it was great. I started out testing phone lines for them and later they found me some computer work at which I finished the job before my contract ended. I found the next computer position opening within the company but the temp wouldn't let me go.

Amanda, Have you tried the temp agency in your area?

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manda, Have you tried the temp agency in your area?

One of my friends from high school told me to try it, but no I haven't really looked into it. But now my summer class has started up and it looks like it's gonna be rough, so I'm thinking that my job time is gonna turn into homework time.

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You could always strip. J/K. Don't take me serious please.

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