INC NEWS - other workers wages

Mon May 22 13:18:51 EDT 2006

I don't know all the details about this situation, but as a casual observer, I see a lot of analysis and criticism related to the compensation 'system'.  Those criticisms may be valid, but I don't see much analysis of the actual compensation, and whether it's a suitable living wage.

In my opinion, garbage workers provide a valuable service to the community, and should have the same opportunity as anybody else to live the American Dream.  I just don't see how you can pay for a mortgage, healthcare, raise a family, etc, while making around $30,000/year.  Perhaps that is a legitimate living wage, but I can't really talk, because I make more money than that, and I would find my life to be much more difficult with that annual salary.

I would love to hear some testimonials on how you can live the American Dream on $30,000/year.  It would be personally enlightening to me, and would provide a legitimate foundation for criticizing the garbage workers' compensation.  Until the living wage issue is dealt with, the criticism of the compensation 'system' just looks like class warfare to me.

- Chris Sevick

=====================
From: RW Pickle <randy at 27beverly.com>
Date: Sat May 20 13:29:13 CDT 2006
To: Colin Crossman <lists at crc32.com>
Cc: inc-list at durhaminc.org
Subject: Re: INC NEWS - other workers wages

Colin has hit the nail on the head as far as getting the job done, working
the hours paid for, and holding the administration accountable for getting
rid of the troublemakers and replacing them with grateful employees. Just
add to the workload in order to get the work done on time. It may mean
switching some customers pickup day, but that a simple request to make. If
we don't get this figured out fairly quick, if the budget is approved and
we roll out city-wide yard waste pickup, what's going to happen then? the
yard waste crews are on the same plan as the green can crews. But for some
unknown reason (maybe just the volume), yard waste never missed a beat
last week. And neither did recycling which seems to be a one-man operation
(at least in our neighborhood). Often, the recycling gets done very late
in the afternoon. But it gets done. I assume their loads vary just as yard
waste and green can wastes do. So somedays may take longer than others.
But he is always the last one through and is ofter very late in the day.
In the winter months, it may be dark when he gets it all.

You may have read (like I did) in the N&O Durham addition today where in
the not to distant past, solid waste pickup did not occur in a three week
consecutive time span. This was during a bad ice storm. As pointed out,
the roads were clear long before pickup resumed. Like Barry and I both
suggested, we could miss a week or two and never be in a bind. But the
point to me was, so what if we miss a pickup scheduled for a particular
day. If it's fixing a problem, there are bound to be some rocky roads (no
pun intended on our streets). Iron out the issues as they crop up, replace
holes left in the wake and move on with the better plan. Having plan B is
always nice. But sooner or later you have to get back to plan A.

I understand there is another plan in the works to fill in the "temp
workers" with others who are already city employees. I can't see where
this solves the issue. They must be working in some other capacity already
and this will leave a void by them doing solid waste duty one day a week.
Or maybe these city workers are already on the plan most of the country
works by; an hours pay for an hours work. Regardless, we are still paying
to get the job done twice if we continue to pay workers for time they are
not working.

RWP
27 Beverly

> As Melissa has noted, the breakdown in the compensation of Durham's
> solid waste collectors is not necessarily in the way they are paid, but
> the way the specific payments are calculated.  In many industries,
> hourly wages are the best way to compensate the worker.  Randy has given
> us a very good overview of why that is.  In other cases, piecework, or a
> task-based system, is the best way, as Ken has described.  In the
> Furniture industry, both methods are used, depending on the particular
> job being done: outsiders generally are piecework, whereas shippers are
> on hourly.
>
> The fundamental problem with Solid Waste is that it is a public service,
> not the way the work is accounted.  Because it is publicly provided, the
> performance incentive is divorced from the compensation.  Public
> services also possess the well-known problem of increasing, over time,
> the difficulty of terminating poorly performing employees.
> Additionally, because of the way the public services are organized, the
> service is essentially provided by a collection of serially dependant
> monopolies.
>
> So, the breakdown here is not in the way the workers are compensated,
> both the hourly and the task system have significant failures that are
> exacerbated by the fact that the services are provided through the
> public sector.  The solution is to address the failures in whatever
> system is used.  For example, one simple way to fix the task system is
> to recognize that the workers are able to clear the work unit in less
> time than assigned, so simply assign more work to the work unit.  This
> must necessarily be coupled with a strengthened capability of the
> administration to terminate troublemaking workers (as anyone would gripe
> at doing more work for the same pay), and heightened accountability of
> the administration, such as by budget targets.
>
> These are just some examples, and are not intended as policy proposals
> in their current form.
>
> -Colin Crossman
> Walltown
>
>
> Melissa Rooney wrote:
>
>>Why not just increase the jobs/streets that the
>>regular guys have to do each day, and still allow them
>>to leave when they get the work done...with the
>>further incentive that if they step up to the plate
>>with this increased workload, such that the cost of
>>extra/overtime employment is drastically reduced,
>>they'll get a raise (or at least a bonus)? No doubt
>>Durham will still save a lot of money, and the workers
>>will be happy.
>>
>>Melissa Rooney
>>
>>--- Ken Gasch <ken.gasch at hldproductions.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Randy,
>>>
>>>I think you and I are on the same page with this
>>>whole thing except for one
>>>little point.
>>>
>>>I think paying by the hour is an old way of
>>>thinking.  If you want a job
>>>done, pay for the job.  On trash day, I have a
>>>little guy that simply has to
>>>go outside and watch the hydraulic lifters empty the
>>>cans into the backs of
>>>the trucks.  Every Friday, these guys are running as
>>>they go along house to
>>>house.  As I hold the little guy up so he can get a
>>>better look, they always
>>>rock the hydraulic lever and make the cans dance.
>>>He giggles like you
>>>wouldn't believe.
>>>
>>>Anyway, the point of the story is that I have the
>>>opportunity to watch these
>>>guys work week after week and let me tell you, they
>>>are "moving".  In the
>>>biz, this is referred to as great American hustle.
>>>It makes men proud of
>>>their work.  It lifts morale.  This is because the
>>>get paid by the job.
>>>When they complete their route, they are done.  Pay
>>>them by the hour and you
>>>will not get a better deal.  They will slow down.  I
>>>would slow down as
>>>well.
>>>
>>>I used to own a yard service when I was a young lad
>>>growing up in Dallas.
>>>My company took care of about 40 yards a week.
>>>Paying by the hour will kill
>>>you every time.  You will be running and your helper
>>>will be walking.  Pay
>>>by the yard and you are both running.
>>>
>>>Besides, paying by the job always give you better
>>>control over your variable
>>>costs and eases headaches when it comes to
>>>budgeting.
>>>
>>>Ken Gasch
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "RW Pickle" <randy at 27beverly.com>
>>>To: <inc-list at durhaminc.org>
>>>Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 4:38 PM
>>>Subject: INC NEWS - other workers wages
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Just to see what some other workers make, I did a
>>>>
>>>>
>>>random survey. I
>>>
>>>
>>>>contacted 2 businesses that use CDL drivers and 2
>>>>
>>>>
>>>that were in the
>>>
>>>
>>>>construction business. The going rate for
>>>>
>>>>
>>>semi-skilled construction labor
>>>
>>>
>>>>(large construction firms here locally) is around
>>>>
>>>>
>>>$8/hr. The going rate
>>>
>>>
>>>>for CDL drivers (major concrete company and major
>>>>
>>>>
>>>bus service in the area
>>>
>>>
>>>>as well) is $11.49-13/hr. So I'd have to believe
>>>>
>>>>
>>>the wages for solid waste
>>>
>>>
>>>>workers is in line with other industries. I told
>>>>
>>>>
>>>those who I ask the
>>>
>>>
>>>>questions of that I would not mention their
>>>>
>>>>
>>>company name. So that is why I
>>>
>>>
>>>>have generalized by industry. But you're welcome
>>>>
>>>>
>>>to call around for
>>>
>>>
>>>>yourself and see. No company paid its employees
>>>>
>>>>
>>>for time they didn't work
>>>
>>>
>>>>unless it was vacation time.
>>>>
>>>>I also stopped and asked 6 grounds maintenance
>>>>
>>>>
>>>workers doing work in a
>>>
>>>
>>>>large neighborhood here in Durham. Grounds
>>>>
>>>>
>>>maintenance is part of living
>>>
>>>
>>>>there. All but 2 of these individuals made less
>>>>
>>>>
>>>than $10/hr. The crew boss
>>>
>>>
>>>>made more and one of the six made $10.25. He had
>>>>
>>>>
>>>been there 5 years.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Just FYI for those who wonder.
>>>>
>>>>RWP
>>>>27 Beverly
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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