"Our guy stopped showing up"

[Groomer]

the turf in my area has reached the point in many locations where you would be doing serious crown damage by putting equipment on it,(hell, even walking on it!) If you showed up for my "weekly contractual agreement" your lack of common sense warning light would be flashing bright and clear! Hope you all get rain.

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by clydebusa

^^^^ they will be back, believe me and some customers will go with them.

They are hard workers but yes they drive down the prices. The ones with papers do not like illegals cause ti depresses their wages too.

many of them around here are legal but they still have family in Mexico. Some want to live and stay here, others are buying farms. Sadly, I have recently been told, those with farms are getting ripped off, cow's missing, the milk money is gone and so forth.

Having said that, they work here 9 to 10 month and go to mexico for 2 months in the "winter" when there is little to no work.

[HomesteadPrep]

I was born and raised here in Texas. I have lived around, among, and with both sides of the argument on the Spanish Workers. I know that those who wait in the immigration lines and become new citizens are the hardest working, most devoted, and patriotic people I have ever met. And I have met the people who are willing to break our laws, abuse the social services, squat out kids like a factory as anchor babies and paychecks, and overflow our health departments.

I have heard from the lazy independent business owners that prefer to "hire" illegals because they are hard workers, dependable, and loyal employee's. They mostly expound on the humanitarian reasons for "giving these people an opportunity to earn a good wage ($5-$10 an hour) and provide for their families". They overlook the fact, and avoid the reasoning, that a person who is in this country illegally doesn't put any of the money they are paid back into the economy, cripple the local health departments, social services, and don't have any vested interest in this country. What's even more fitting is that those illegals will quit after a year from taking your measly money, buy their own equipment, and take your customers from you at a lower rate. I applaud those who want to help someone, but there are more and more Americans that are out of work that could benefit from a hard earned paycheck.

If you are the person who reads this and the first thing that pops into your head is "Most Americans are spoiled, lazy, and undependable workers" then congrats... you have swallowed the media's biggest BS pill. Look around your local area. Do you have not have out of work veterans? Do you not speak to your neighbors, church members, or family about people who recently lost their jobs? If you know the folks that are out of work won't do the job for $5 an hour, then it's not the person... it's the wage.

[Duekster]

I do not hire illegals. However I can tell you that it is hard to find people willing to work in this industry.

All of my crew are first generation immigrants with papers. I pay then and treat them as well as I can but the market is such that people do not want to pay much more. I carry WC and GL, I pay matching Employement taxes, I give paid holidays, 3 Personal days and 5 vacation days.

I post jobs on TWC and not one responce

My margins are pretty bad. I do not blame the illegals, I blame Government. Hopefully the ICE requirement for e-verify will help but it will take more than that too.

It is also about personal responcibility, if people did not buy stolen goods then the thieves would have no motivation, if people would not buy drugs, dealers would have no motivation, same with hiring illegals.

I do not blame them for wanting a better life.

[Patriot Services]

Originally Posted by HomesteadPrep

If you are the person who reads this and the first thing that pops into your head is "Most Americans are spoiled, lazy, and undependable workers" then congrats... you have swallowed the media's biggest BS pill. Look around your local area. Do you have not have out of work veterans? Do you not speak to your neighbors, church members, or family about people who recently lost their jobs? If you know the folks that are out of work won't do the job for $5 an hour, then it's not the person... it's the wage.

Horsefeathers! I have gone through dozens of applicants. Half want to dictate when and how they work. The other half want to be paid in cash so they can still collect UE benefits. The worst were the ones that claimed they owned an LCO before and couldn't even make it through the first day. One guy even admitted he really didn't want a job but his probation officer is making him apply for jobs. Americans have become soft and the pussification of this country continues to drag it down. Too much sense of entitlement and no work ethic. I will pay for quality, but they just don't seem to be out there.

[herler]

Well, I has news...

The fact that the economy today doesn't appear to be in any better shape than it was four years ago, the fact that unemployment and foreclosures and bankruptcy is going on just as nice as it was back when... I honestly don't think these hard times have let up any, we're faced with droughts and wildfires and people are dieing of hunger and thirst because they can't make ends meet, I have literally had customers who hung on to our services until one day they told us they didn't have a dime left to their name and they were walking away from the house...

It hurts to say these things, when I hear someone tell me that they supported me because of whatever reason, but now they must go...
It just don't get no worse than when it came right down to the bitter end, that brings tears to my eyes and it doesn't make what is going on right but it does simmer down my normally boiling temper a lot.

We've been lowering our prices.
Across the board, we ain't sparing much.

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by herler

Well, I has news...

The fact that the economy today doesn't appear to be in any better shape than it was four years ago, the fact that unemployment and foreclosures and bankruptcy is going on just as nice as it was back when... I honestly don't think these hard times have let up any, we're faced with droughts and wildfires and people are dieing of hunger and thirst because they can't make ends meet, I have literally had customers who hung on to our services until one day they told us they didn't have a dime left to their name and they were walking away from the house...

It hurts to say these things, when I hear someone tell me that they supported me because of whatever reason, but now they must go...
It just don't get no worse than when it came right down to the bitter end, that brings tears to my eyes and it doesn't make what is going on right but it does simmer down my normally boiling temper a lot.

We've been lowering our prices.
Across the board, we ain't sparing much.

Yes it is as bad as we have seen it in our life time. It still is the USA
We are still strong but people are hurting.

Today, I had a guy ask me if I could put in a disposal. I said yes but that is not what I do. I thanking him for asking but declined.

Bottom line is if you have some basic mechanical skills and willing to work, you will have work.

[Orrdc]

Originally Posted by Duekster

Yes it is as bad as we have seen it in our life time. It still is the USA
We are still strong but people are hurting.

Today, I had a guy ask me if I could put in a disposal. I said yes but that is not what I do. I thanking him for asking but declined.

Bottom line is if you have some basic mechanical skills and willing to work, you will have work.

Every other day I get asked to install something, no matter how wacky or far from the green business it may be. I always try to give the work to those I know