$15 an Hour CAN WORK for small business- Non Profit hiring halls!
Most temp agencies rip off the people who work for them. Typically a temp service will charge the employer double of whatever they pay the employee.
People in some cities have started local not for profit hiring halls. There isn't much overhead required for a temp service - a business land line, computer service, and a few people with experience running such an agency. Good people shouldn't be hard to find -temp services have fired quite a few managers for being to honest and testifying against them in employee lawsuits.
This, imo, falls right in line with the thinking of Occupy. If we wait for the intentionally deadlocked federal government to help the working poor, we will be waiting forever. With these peoples hiring halls, the profit to the temp agency is eliminated and the employer and employees benefit, helping end homelessness, poverty, and building a better community.
Here is an example of one such hall...
"Please note: Demand for our services occasionally exceeds our capacity to provide the requested assistance to everyone who would be eligible. At this time, Primavera Works is currently closed for enrollment. Please check back at a later time to find out if we are accepting new applicants.
Primavera Works provides ethical day-labor opportunities. We provide above-minimum wage, temporary employment options and temp-to-hire opportunities for people who are homeless and unemployed or under-employed.
Many of the jobs are considered manual labor, which means that you may have the opportunity to work in the following fields:
•Janitorial
•Light manufacturing
•General labor
•Receptionist
•Restaurant work
•Assembly
•Construction
•Housekeeping
•Data entry
•Landscaping
•Buffel grass removal
We provide a variety of support, including:
•Referrals to Housing
•Assistance with job searching
•Referrals to needed services such as food, clothing, substance abuse and mental health counseling
•Bus passes
You will earn wages starting at $7.75 an hour.
"
http://www.primavera.org/html/stability/jobtrainingwork.html
The only problem I see with this particular service is they seem to have fallen into a typical trap - they seem to have closed themselves off to the man on the street and serve only people enrolled in their d&a rehab program. To really reach and help those who need it most, it needs to be a completely open, walk in off the street service.
A breathalyzer could be a requirement before sending people to assignments, this is an admission requirement for many shelters and isn't difficult. If drug use is suspected, a simple field sobriety test could be required.
Those who fail the tests could be referred to d&a services.
It is up to the people to start working to fix this broken economy, from the bottom up.
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