Quote: (01-03-2014 04:50 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:
I'll give you my personal anecdote:
Dishwashers are hard to find. It's insane. Even Mexicans are over it. It's rare that I get a Mexican dishwasher that speaks fluent English. If they can speak English, they've got a better job somewhere else. So I only get guys from dusty little northern towns in Sonora or Chihuahua that speak zero to little English. If and when these guys leave, I've got a job opening. I know with 100% of my heart that job will be filled by another non-English speaking Mexican, Central American, or Filipino.
I have a similar anecdote. I once had an interesting experience one summer while out of school to run a cafe owned by a Turkish guy on Capitol Hill. I was on my bike hitting up various bars in DC looking for bartending work at night. I walked into this wellness store and cafe and the Turkish lady who was working there took a liking to me and made me a ridiculous offer. She said she was going to Istanbul in a few days to meet her son, which is where her and her husband send him to live with her parents every summer. He was in grade school and instead of staying home in the summer they figured he would have a better experience living in Istanbul and learning their culture firsthand. She said she hadn't been able to find someone to run the store for the month and a half she'll be gone and that I seemed like a trustworthy guy so she wanted me to meet her husband. They had just opened a Mediterranean resto (their second business) in another part of DC and he was spending most of his time there to get it up and running. So she asked for my number and I agreed to return to meet her husband. We met and he felt comfortable enough to let me handle the responsibility. Never been in a situation like that with total strangers.
So I ran the store for a good part of the summer. The guy would come in every now and then to check the books and make sure I wasn't stealing money and, of course, everything checked out so he really was grateful to me. I was in a LTR at that time so I would just chill at the store, arrange orders and deliveries, and speak to customers and have my girl come hang out sometimes. The customers were the best part because I was right near the Capitol. I met a bunch of politicians (Jesse Jackson Jr.), lobbyists, and lawyers. The business a few doors down was run by a Harvard-trained lawyer who managed political campaigns, including one for Arnold Schwarznegger. Anytime him or his employees came through to get lunch, we never charged them because that guy helped out with a loan once that helped the business during hard times.
I managed one employee, who was a Mexican lady that cooked all the meals and opened/closed the store. The business made healthy smoothies, salads, and sandwiches for customers. I can't even tell you how important that lady was to the business. She was an incredibly hard worker. Didn't speak good English but it was cool since I spoke Spanish well enough to communicate with her. I'm mostly sure she was paid under the table, as was I. Not 100% sure about her because the owner kept certain financial info concealed from me. Don't see how the business could have afforded paying someone legally to do the job due to taxes, while maintaining the same level of service and productivity. I think you'd have to hire TWO Americans at higher wages to get the same productivity. Not even maybe. I know I wouldn't have done her job at her pay under the table. Not even two of MEs could match her relentless work ethic. Not sure what her status was but I would guess it was illegal.
It was an eye-opening experience though.