The three stages thing is wild, unpaid for weeks, then minimum wage until you finally get an actual salary? The slave contract is wild and horrible as well, but actually not unheard of. My wife...
The three stages thing is wild, unpaid for weeks, then minimum wage until you finally get an actual salary?
The slave contract is wild and horrible as well, but actually not unheard of. My wife has a NIH grant with a clause that she has to repay her salary if she leaves the industry before the 2 year grant period.
Fun fact: This is exactly how (US) trucking works. Never go into trucking unless you have the money up-front to pay your own way through an independent CDL school. It's expensive, but the...
Fun fact: This is exactly how (US) trucking works.
Never go into trucking unless you have the money up-front to pay your own way through an independent CDL school. It's expensive, but the alternative is the companies hiring new drivers will train you for CDL themselves on company credit for whatever price they want to charge, which you'll then be on the hook to pay back to them through a portion of your wages. Quit before your minimum time with them is up? Lump sum's due.
I don't know exact stats, but based on what I observed about a decade ago, the majority of new drivers are in debt to the company they're driving for for at least their first year or two.
And then there are the predatory lease programs where you "own your own business" a.k.a. assume all of the company's risk and operating expenses for the promise of higher pay, except the company controls what jobs you can take and it would be great if you happened to default on your lease toward the end of it so they can take their equipment back and lease it to the next person. In a class of about 20 incoming drivers I was literally the only one who refused the lease--they pushed it so hard it was like a cult.
Some of these businesses are absurdly predatory and extremely creative.
This is pretty much how carnies work, too. If you ever decide to run away and join the traveling carnival that sets up in empty mall parking lots, theres usually like idk. a handful of people at...
This is pretty much how carnies work, too. If you ever decide to run away and join the circus traveling carnival that sets up in empty mall parking lots, theres usually like idk. a handful of people at the top of the heap who actually own the rides and concession stands and stuff, and you work for one of those folks. They'll make you work for a couple weeks with no pay, but they'll give you food and a place to sleep, and then they'll take the money you "owe" them for the couple weeks of food and shelter out of your pay once you start getting it, but most of that still goes right back into their pockets since you still gotta rent your space in the camper and pay for the shared food, and on minimum wage or below it functionally turns into indentured servitude, and good luck saving up anything to get out. On the plus side its all very under the table most of the time so theres that.
absolutely wild and unhinged that commercial trucking can essentially use the same tactics as a travelling carnival and nobody bats an eyelash.
eta: holy crap ok i read the article after i posted and wow. minus having to actually sign agreements this is literally how my time at the carnival went. they dangle more pay and better hours in exchange for even more work and if you fuck off before "repaying" everything they're gonna come chase you down with baseball bats unless you sneak out like a thief in the night make you pay back all that money they so generously spent on you. yikes.
As someone who was laid off from a small IT firm (and later hired back on), this is true. Whether you have a good relationship with the owner/manager or HR randomly puts a meeting on your calendar...
As someone who was laid off from a small IT firm (and later hired back on), this is true. Whether you have a good relationship with the owner/manager or HR randomly puts a meeting on your calendar while at a Fortune XYZ company.
Granted, for me personally, it was easier to take it as a business decision vs personal due to the small size of the company. However, I realized at the end of the day, it all comes down to the balance sheet. (Also, rarely does an owner actually go through and explain their books with you as you’re being let go)
The three stages thing is wild, unpaid for weeks, then minimum wage until you finally get an actual salary?
The slave contract is wild and horrible as well, but actually not unheard of. My wife has a NIH grant with a clause that she has to repay her salary if she leaves the industry before the 2 year grant period.
I'm mostly just amazed that they actually call the contracts T.R.A.P.S.
Yeah. Looks like they really don't care..
Fun fact: This is exactly how (US) trucking works.
Never go into trucking unless you have the money up-front to pay your own way through an independent CDL school. It's expensive, but the alternative is the companies hiring new drivers will train you for CDL themselves on company credit for whatever price they want to charge, which you'll then be on the hook to pay back to them through a portion of your wages. Quit before your minimum time with them is up? Lump sum's due.
I don't know exact stats, but based on what I observed about a decade ago, the majority of new drivers are in debt to the company they're driving for for at least their first year or two.
And then there are the predatory lease programs where you "own your own business" a.k.a. assume all of the company's risk and operating expenses for the promise of higher pay, except the company controls what jobs you can take and it would be great if you happened to default on your lease toward the end of it so they can take their equipment back and lease it to the next person. In a class of about 20 incoming drivers I was literally the only one who refused the lease--they pushed it so hard it was like a cult.
Some of these businesses are absurdly predatory and extremely creative.
This is pretty much how carnies work, too. If you ever decide to run away and join the
circustraveling carnival that sets up in empty mall parking lots, theres usually like idk. a handful of people at the top of the heap who actually own the rides and concession stands and stuff, and you work for one of those folks. They'll make you work for a couple weeks with no pay, but they'll give you food and a place to sleep, and then they'll take the money you "owe" them for the couple weeks of food and shelter out of your pay once you start getting it, but most of that still goes right back into their pockets since you still gotta rent your space in the camper and pay for the shared food, and on minimum wage or below it functionally turns into indentured servitude, and good luck saving up anything to get out. On the plus side its all very under the table most of the time so theres that.absolutely wild and unhinged that commercial trucking can essentially use the same tactics as a travelling carnival and nobody bats an eyelash.
eta: holy crap ok i read the article after i posted and wow. minus having to actually sign agreements this is literally how my time at the carnival went. they dangle more pay and better hours in exchange for even more work and if you fuck off before "repaying" everything they're gonna come
chase you down with baseball bats unless you sneak out like a thief in the nightmake you pay back all that money they so generously spent on you. yikes.The famous "we want loyalty from you, but we don't owe you any loyalty"
As someone who was laid off from a small IT firm (and later hired back on), this is true. Whether you have a good relationship with the owner/manager or HR randomly puts a meeting on your calendar while at a Fortune XYZ company.
Granted, for me personally, it was easier to take it as a business decision vs personal due to the small size of the company. However, I realized at the end of the day, it all comes down to the balance sheet. (Also, rarely does an owner actually go through and explain their books with you as you’re being let go)