Teenager spotted walking 10 MILES in the snow to interview for $7-an-hour job is given work

[dipsydoodle]

Teenager spotted walking 10 MILES in the snow to interview for $7-an-hour job is given work on the spot by restaurant owner - who doubled his pay

A teen's luck appears to have changed after a chance encounter with an Indiana restaurant owner during a 10-mile trek through ice and snow for a minimum wage job interview.

It all started on Friday, when Art Bouvier, the proprietor of Papa Roux, a Cajun restaurant in Indianapolis, was laying rock salt outside the establishment after an ice storm earlier that morning. He said he was approached by a teen who asked him how far it was to 10th and Sherman.

Mr Bouvier told WLFI-TV: 'And I'm thinking we're at 10th and Post. I said, "Buddy that's probably six, seven miles." I said, "You'd be better off on a bus especially in this weather." He just said, "Okay, thank you." And he kept going.'

Later, as Mr Bouvier was driving with his wife to a coffee shop, he was surprised to find the same person, still walking. They pulled over, and asked him if he needed a ride.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284542/Art-Bouvier-Man-spots-Jhaqueil-Reagan-walking-10-miles-job-interview-gives-job.html

[Skidmore]

1. The business sector could step up like this man did and

duplicate this situation over and over again. The goodwill alone engendered by acts of responsible citizenship and fairness would come back to them many times in support for their products or services.

[TomClash]

28. Few seem to think this way

But you are absolutely right.

[Schema Thing]

43. I think

you are full of shit.

[white_wolf]

44. I second the statement that you are full of shit.

But I doubt we will have to deal with you long. People spouting your libertarian nonsense don't last here too long, at least the ones that don't hide it well.

[badhair77]

2. Skidmore makes a good point.

Businesses need to look at treating employees well, too, instead of sucking the life out of them.

dipsydoodle, thanks for posting this. It's a good way to start the morning on a positive note.

[pitbullgirl1965]

11. Email the Job Creators Alliance

http://jobcreatorsalliance.org/question_submit_thank_you

Christ it's a who's who of douchbags! I saw 1 woman, the rest are men, white men. The CEO of Home Depot created it. He called the Occupy protesters "imbeciles". I know it's wrong, but a small part of me that would have enjoyed seeing them dragged out to the guillotine.

[geardaddy]

30. It's got WholePaycheck's douche CEO in there too. n/t

[ellisonz]

49. +1

[Baitball Blogger]

3. God bless that man.

[deutsey]

5. Sounds like this kind of generosity isn't new with him

From a 2010 article: "They just recently gave jobs to a brother and sister from Alabama who would have otherwise been doing some summer shrimping had there not been a devastating oil crisis in the gulf..."

http://doingindy.com/2010/06/03/po-boys-and-stew-at-papa-roux/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. I hope he has a great loyal staff working for him and with him. He deserves great staff. nt

[tavalon]

56. Wow, that guy really has a big case of humanity!

Would that we could clone him a million times over.

[Autumn]

4. There's got to be a special place in Heaven for that Boss.

Thanks for posting this.

[tridim]

8. I bet he doesn't lie to his employees about Obamacare either.

[Autumn]

12. I agree, the man seem to understand the value of people.

Doubling the wage like he did is a wonderful thing to do.

[xchrom]

6. du rec. nt

[Brickbat]

7. Too bad something like this is news.

[peace frog]

46. Yes indeed

but I'm glad to know it nevertheless.

[TwilightGardener]

9. What a nice story!

That's what work ethic looks like.

[fasttense]

59. Really! You have to walk 10 miles in the snow to show a work ethic?

What happened to the good old days when just showing up for a less-than-minimum-wage job pretty well guaranteed you would get the job? I mean it's great the kid got a job, and it's great the boss doubled his salary and the kid doesn't have to work for less than minimum wage. But does everyone have to walk 10 miles in the snow for a less-than-minimum-wage job to be able to work for someone?

Let's face it, a job does not give you anything unless you work. All a job does is say you'll get a pay check, if you show up on time and work hard. A person with a job is NOT getting anything for free and he's certainly working for a whole lot less than he is probably making for his boss. And if he doesn't show up on time and work hard he'll probably lose the same job.

What an absolutely insane economic system we have when it takes heroics to get a chance to work hard for pay that is less than the value of the work.

[Botany]

10. I'll try to make it a point to go the man's restaurant

http://www.paparouxindy.com/

Po-boys and Red Beans and Rice

what a great story

<In addition, Fox 59 reported that IndyGo, the Indianapolis' public transportation authority, has stepped up and given Jhaqueil a year's supply of bus passes.>

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284542/Art-Bouvier-Man-spots-Jhaqueil-Reagan-walking-10-miles-job-interview-gives-job.html#ixzz2M0yxkfmt

[Autumn]

15. My favorite food in the world. Red Beans and Rice.

Lucky you.

[Botany]

16. The restaurant is about 3 hours from my house in Ohio but sometimes I have to ...

.... drive through Indy and so I'll make it point to go there.

BTW Black Beans and Rice and Dirty Rice are tasty too.

[KamaAina]

40. If I'm ever there, I'll go, too

unlikely as that is, and even though Cajun* food served outside Louisiana is seldom all that.

[OriginalGeek]

45. Me too

My wife and have a trip to Indy planned in July. I'm putting this guy's place on the itinerary right now.

I hope I get to shake his hand.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. He was then immediately also given grandchildren to brag about his accomplishments. nt

[steve2470]

14. great man that owner is, and good for the young man !

Read the comments section. Are the comments mostly pretty right wing, UK DU'ers ?

[dipsydoodle]

22. Locations of those who comment are shown.

I only looked at current ones and only two are from the UK itself - both are complimentary. This must be on the world online edition.

[OKNancy]

25. maybe because it was reported on Glenn Beck's site

I noticed in the article it said:

Mr Bouvier told him that even if he was offered the Dairy Queen gig, he would double his salary if he came to work for him at Papa Roux instead, TheBlaze reported.

[steve2470]

31. that would definitely increase the RW percentage nt

[SunSeeker]

17. K&R

[Myrina]

18. Art's a good guy

And his shop makes some GOOOOOOOOOD food!

[barbtries]

20. this fucking country

is mean. this made me cry. it's people who fuck it all up, and people who redeem it.

[aikoaiko]

21. Good for him for identifying a motivated worker and bringing him into his business.

[davidthegnome]

23. This is a great story, but..

Walking ten miles in the snow to interview for a 7 dollar an hour job? It makes me think of that old line, usually something like, "Well, back in my day kiddo, we had no shoes. We had to walk five miles in a blizzard (uphill both ways) to get to school. Today's youth is so lazy!"

It would be funny, if it wasn't so damn tragic. Ten miles to get to a job that likely wouldn't enable one to pay rent, let alone thrive. While this is a great story and the people in it are fantastic, think of how many like this teenager are out there looking for work, struggling to get it and then ending up making 7 dollars an hour. Seven an hour, damn hard to find benefits, union jobs definitely not widely available....

Bouvier - and this teen are definitely worthy of our admiration and respect. Yet, so are millions of people working really hard for a whole lot less. Perhaps this is a cynical take on this story, that I focus on those who didn't get this kind of recognition or reward. Perhaps I'm jealous, too.

Anyhow... people like this restaurant owner are few and far between, we could sure use more like them.

[marions ghost]

26. I get your point

--yes it's a great story but it makes you think of all those who will not be this lucky, because that restaurant owner is extremely rare. We all KNOW just how rare. And on the flip side we all know that not all small business people are in a position to be a good Samaritan, even if they wanted to. Many small businesses operate on a shoestring, or seriously in debt.

So as heartwarming as this is, it's not reality. But if it gives anyone hope-- then the story is worth something. If it makes any skinflints think about how they could free up a little extra for their employees (who they know are not fairly compensated)--then it is worth something. If it keeps us who are better off aware of (& helping any way we can) the millions who are not, then the story is worth something.

A little too much Tiny Tim in the telling of it. I share that cynicism. Cynicism comes from anger. A healthy anger. A sensitivity to injustice. An understanding of the theft and greed at the bottom of it.




WHY SHOULD THIS RICH COUNTRY FEEL LIKE LIVING IN THE (Bloody) WORLD OF CHARLES DICKENS? !!!!!!

[SoCalDem]

29. From 1986 to 1988, I drove 57 miles each way for a $5.86 hr job

Why?

It was a UNION job, and I knew that once I was "in", I could improve my position...and I did

In 1996 when I left the job (for a move), I was making $16.63 an hour..

I now have a (small but welcome) pension from that 10 year stint in the union

Sometimes you have to suffer at first and to put yourself out there in order to succeed in the end.

[annabanana]

34. Exactly my initial reaction... Kind of like the woman

talking to Bush, telling him she had 3 part-time jobs... and his clueless response.."That's what makes America great"...

[roxy1234]

37. My advise to this kid

if he is still pursing an education is to focus real hard on his/her school work. $7hr isnt much but if he lives with his/her parents and still under their health insurance, the $7 is just enough to pay for his/her living expenses. All he has to do now is get good grades so he can be hired immediately he gets out of school.

Also Mr Bouvier should be very careful because a total asshole coworker can bring up an fair payment lawsuit against him and run him out of business.

[lovelyrita]

42. It says in the article that he had to drop out of school after the death of his mother two years ago

That he was looking for a job to help support his siblings. Sadly, education is not an option for everyone.

[marions ghost]

60. thank you

these days education is a luxury not always available. Or, the person starts a program and then something happens on the home or family front to force the student to drop out. This guy apparently doesn't even have a car. How does he work a full time job and go to school without a car? (hypothetical--but many have a serious transportation issue).

People who have never had to live this way can't possibly imagine it.

[eridani]

58. Reminds me of all the wonderful people who adopt rescued pets

A great thing, to be sure. But I still can't stop thinking of all the unrescued animals that just get gassed.

[firenewt]

24. Interesting that the Daily Mail has a more informatative article on this young man than the

Indianapolis Star. Sad

[lpbk2713]

27. The famous BushCo legacy.

Kudos to those involved but what a sad fuggen commentary.

[Brigid]

32. Papa Roux. 10th and Post.

I'll be eating there soon. Bravo, Mr. Bouvier!

[Left2Tackle]

36. Same here

Good to know there are still people like this out there.

[mimi85]

51. True

This should be the norm, not the exception. The fact that it made news is a statement in itself. (Using my old cane voice), I remember walking to work pushing my daughter in her stroller for about 3 miles to a job watching the "job creators" brats at a beauty club of some sort for $1.65 an hour - minimum wage at the time.

I had to wear a white dress, kind of like the old nurse dresses. This was in Long Beach, CA and only took the job because I could bring my daughter - and because we needed the dinero of course. My husband had a crappy job delivering tropical fish to LAX in the middle of the night. Of course, he made a bit more, being a man. Some things never change.

I had to go through a rather sketchy neighborhood to get there. I'll never forget some of the creeps that would pull over to see if I needed a ride. Must have been that short (for the time) white dress. You would think those rich bitches would tip a buck or two for changing their kid's shitty diapers and cleaning up spit up, but noooooo.

[mountain grammy]

33. Good for Mr. Bouvier! He'll soon be hiring for the increased business from this story..

There are actually people out here who give a damn how employers treat employees, and try to spend our money accordingly.

[raouldukelives]

35. I'm glad we stil have some small business owners out there.

They are what this country stands for, or used to stand for I should say. Poor Richard is dead. Long live Rich Richard.
Fuck Wall St.

[Populist_Prole]

38. I can just hear angry conservatives snarling and scoffing about this

You'd think they'd admire his "bootstrappy" behavior but they'd be madder he ended up being paid more than he's "worth" ( since only starch-shirted paper-pushing MBA's who don't produce anything of value have a right to a living wage )

[marions ghost]

62. Right

that's how they think. This guy doesn't "deserve" that much money. Why, he might be able to join that noisy dissatisfied middle class they are trying to keep in line.

Slavery is back.

[SQUEE]

65. You'd be wrong

My fiances boss on FB was the first I saw this, and he is a conservative/libertarian.
He extolled the young mans stick to-itness, AND also the idea of the owner paying for better work. He always pays above the areas standards because he believes better pay equals better employees, and a larger pool of talent to draw from. Many on his little thread have liked, shared and commented in the positive, across the political / idealogical spectrum, this one small story has bridged and connected with many, on both sides.

This is what our country needs, positive and open discourse about how we help each other and ourselves by lifting people up.

[valerief]

39. All I can think of is when that woman told Dubya how she worked 3 jobs and he said it was great.

[840high]

47. This gives me hope

for our future.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

48. Love it! Good for Mr Bouvier, good for young Jhaqueil, for for IndyGo, good for

all the people who are dropping off bus passes, good for all of those people who will see this story and drop on over to Papa Roux to say hi to Mr Bouvier and Jhaqueil and have a meal at the restaurant.

I really, relly love this story. And if I am ever in Indianapolis I will be sure to spend some of my money at Papa Roux. My wishes for their greatest successes.

[Liberal_in_LA]

50. wow. just wow

[one_voice]

52. What a great human being...

Mr. Bouvier is. I'm glad he was able to do that.

On another note, how sad is it that someone had to go to these extremes for a 7.25/hr job. Isn't this supposed to be the greatest country on earth? What's so great about that?

[BrotherIvan]

53. That's why it's so important to support small local businesses

Mr. Bouvier is a true job creator as is every small business owner. We employ American workers. And as a consumer, anyone who refuses to buy from chains, and megacorps and foreign-made goods is a job creator too!

[pengillian101]

54. +1!

n/t

[marions ghost]

61. Am with you there

Small businesses tend to respond to the specific needs of a community or neighborhood. And many have been hard hit. We need to value them as community assets, not just think in terms of commodities. But how do you do that in our state of recession, when everyone is cutting costs?

Keep talkin it BrotherIvan

[BrotherIvan]

63. Thanks marions ghost!

I may sound like a broken record...

But I'll say it again, consumers need to be taught about cost vs VALUE. Sure, I can go to a chain restaurant (I don't) but you can be sure it's not real food and is not actually prepared by a cook or a chef. It's prepackaged and powdered and loaded with chemicals to taste consistent in all chains. It's dreck.

Local businesses have to pay more for real produce, meat, etc. and they have to cook it on the premises. A small restaurant must be good to stay in business. Though I will agree there are many who aren't the best cooking I've ever tasted, in order for a small business with high overhead and the inability to benefit from economies of scale, it will go under if it doesn't get its act together.

I am developing a product right now for sale to add to our line. We are sourcing and testing the best materials because we have realized that making the absolute best product you can buy is worth it. We can't afford returns or negative reviews as we are a small company. Customers who buy our product are paying more than Walmart crap made in China, and I do understand that not everyone has room in their budget for expensive items. But if they could just see that buying less quantity of amazing quality, they are getting incredible value. Plus I know that when this product comes to market, I will be able to sit in front of any buyer or speak with any customer and confidently say this is the absolute best you can buy. Made by employees who are treated well and paid an excellent wage. That's my business model and I'm sticking to it.

[marions ghost]

66. And I am sticking to buying local and American

where ever I can. Always check to see if there's an American manufacturer of __whatever. You name it. I even have a computer desk made in America.

We have to get back to your quality first ethic as much as possible.

[Kennah]

55. Art Bouvier ROCKS!

[sunwyn]

57. Nice to hear this... I have been walking and hitching to job interviews for

two years with no luck. And a couple times I saw my interviewing pass me while I was walking. They let me know they would not hire me because clearly I had no transportation. At least there is a boss with a heart somewhere.

[ellisonz]

64. That's rough

I wish you good luck - something will give eventually