Amusement park workers exempt from minimum wage increase in Ohio

This is interesting. Healthcare workers. My girlfriends a nurse and worked in the home healthcare industry. She made like 25 and hour plus gas/mileage. Are they joking with this one?

There's a few wineries, agricultural small-ops that will be affected by this. Even Petiti's (sp?) is considered a small operation, highering legal, mostly hispanic laborers because teens won't work those types of jobs in various suburbs.

Lifeguards are underpaid. I married a lifeguard in the 80's and she made a massive 2.50 an hour in Parma Hts Ohio. granted it was a summer job, but minimum then was 3.10.

I remember the last Minimum increase and how people said it would increase the cost of everything. It didn't happen. Plenty of people said it would ruin the fastfood industry. How did they respond to this? Wendy's responded with a .99 menu. Several others followed suit. and they seem to be doing just fine.

Hey-Ho, way to go

Oooo-hi-o!

*** This post was edited by FLYINGSCOOTER 1/3/2007 11:01:27 PM ***

Granted the majority of businesses won't increase their prices by a large margin to make up for the increase in their workers min. wage. As for the Amusement parks, they would have had to increase their prices, because of the fact that their season falls within a 3 to 4 month period. We've seen this in unjust taxes from municipalities, who attempt to place a parking tax on amusement parks that fall with in their limits. Amusement parks have turned around and raised the parking rates, to off set the additional money they have to pay to the govt. I'm against the raise in min. wage. These jobs are geared for high school and colleg kids. I was there at one time, I worked for 3 years at six flags in the 80's making $3.35 an hour. It wasn't going to make me rich but, I liked the job and it was my spending money for the summer. If your making a career out of min. wage jobs, that's not my problem, go live in a trailer park.

Gemini and SLFAKE's posts summarize why I'm against any increase in the minimum wage even though generally speaking I lean towards the left politically.

Any increase in the minimum wage only affects a small population of wage earners to begin with. Then factor in that the businesses employing those wage-earners have to fit in that increase into their budgets somewhere -- either they cut hours (potentially by eliminating positions altogether), or raise prices. Either way, that HURTS some portion of the already small population the minimum wage increase was supposed to help -- now you're helping an even smaller group.

"Any increase in the minimum wage only affects a small population of wage earners to begin with."

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I disagree. Someone who is making a little more than the "new and improved" minimum wage ,8 bucks for example, is still making 8 bucks. They don't get a raise, but they see an increase in prices of the goods and services that they have to buy. They used to make a few dollars more than minimum but now they make a few cents more.

And so starts my rant. About CF/CP...I agree 100% with Wahoo. For as hard as a ride host at CP works, they should be getting more money. The pay is already a slap in the face, and now knowing that one will be making less than someone who makes minimum wage will be a punch in the nose.

The "employee experience", as Wahoo so eloquently put it, needs to be updated. Working there last year left me very disappointed. They require so much from an employee and give as little as they can get away with in return. Employee services are severely cut at times, sometimes without warning, showing a problem with the budgeting of such services. I know making a profit is the most important thing to a business, but something is wrong here. Cedar Point tells the seasonal employees that they are pivotal to the success of the park and the park wouldn't run without them, but their actions speak louder than words.

I'll not go into detail of the food workers not getting any breaks, ever...or the cleaning supplies not being replaced when they are worn out...or the parks unwillingness to give days off that were contracted...or how if you call in sick, you must come in to the park to visit first aid because they have a policy of not just taking your word for it...and I could go on and on.

Sorry for the negativity. It would take a lot more than just a raise to get me to work another season there.

I thought I was being pretty clear that I was talking about the people who actually GET the minimum wage, and then I went on to explain how the increase even has a negative effect on THEM. Yes, you're right that it hurts people earning just a bit above the minimum, but I wasn't even referring to them (although it's a good point).

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As a result, they are traveling the world looking for employees from overseas to fill the vacancies. For the past 10 years or so that has helped fill the void. But, sooner or later, that well is going to dry up.

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Why is that? Are other countries going to disappear?

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Dick needs to open the purse strings and spend some money on the employee experience.

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I will agree with you there. Countless people simply take one look at the living spaces and go home shortly after arriving. Give them something a little newer, cleaner, with air conditioning, and give them Internet access. They'd be happy to work for any rate at that point.

The reality is that the *real* minimum wage, at least here in Central Ohio, is around $7/hour, and has been for a couple of years now. That's what the market says is the minimum wage, and the minimum wage for a full-time non-dependent wage earner is actually higher than that. For the most part, Ohio's economy won't see any real effect to the minimum wage increase in the first year; it won't be until the automatic increases start kicking in that the real impact will be felt.

The reality is that most of the people earning minimum wage are dependents earning extra pocket money, and these people are going to either lose hours or lose jobs. I work for an institution which does pay minimum wage to many workers, and we do that for a very specific reason: we are a University, and we pay minimum wage to student workers. The amount we pay to any particular student is fixed, and is determined by the financial aid award. Even worse, the money that we use to pay students comes from (are you ready for this?) tuition payments. So an increase in the minimum wage means that students just burn through their work study funds that much faster, we don't get as much help, and to pay for any additional labor, we have to raise tuition. That's right, our minimum wage workers *are paying themselves*. All the increase in the minimum wage means is that these few students we can afford to keep end up doing more work in fewer man-hours, which means less time for "study" during a typical campus work-study job.

There is a place in the economy for low wage, low skill workers, and the market will provide a living wage for those who need it. Imposing a minimum wage and trying to make that a living wage just redistributes money that should be going to the low-end primary workers and sends it to the unskilled secondary workers who don't need it nearly as much.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Other countries aren't going to dry up but I think the reputation of Cedar Point as a place to work during the BUNAC program is likely tested each year. I believe last year they expanded the foreign recruitment to South America as they were pretty much in Europe prior to that. Why did they need to go to farther reaches?

I say it every year: It is a disgrace that they still house people in the Gold dorms and Cedars (the red building behind Wildcat). There is no other way to put it. And yes, I can personally attest to the kids who got as far as their doorway and turned around, got in the car, and left.

When I recruited I downplayed the housing BIG time because I didn't want folks to have a false impression of what they were getting into...but that didn't always work. Cedar Point used to say, "gee...it is no different than living in a college dorm."

To that I say, "Dick...you need to go check out today's college dorms." I doubt there are many colleges around that don't have internet (and likely high speed) for their students in dorm rooms. And, the rooms themselves are being upgraded around the country to compete with off-campus options and so forth. The very worst room I had in college was far superior to what Cedar Point offers in on-Point accommodations. And, that was almost 20 years ago for crying out loud.

What could be one of Cedar Point's greatest assets for recruiting in the midwest (living on-site) is one of it's greatest weaknesses. There is no excuse for that. Particularly when the problem has been evident for the past dozen years or more.

Case Western Reserve just built a new student village last year that is beautiful. Looks as nice or nicer than the Breakers Hotel. Complete with a Starbucks. Internet access is a given, both wired and wireless. Helps recruit students big time.

Cedar Point needs to check that place out and build something similar for employees. The Gold Dorms and Cedars look like tenement slums by comparison, I'm surprised CP isn't so embarrassed of them that they didn't knock them down long ago.

Let's not get too carried away. There is a pretty significant difference between students paying big $ to attend Case Western and CP paying employees to work at the Point. But, I think there is room to compromise a bit and the blame here goes straight to the top. It isn't a priority for Mr. Kinzel. In fact, he has been known to say, "well, it was good enough for me". Sure, and that was HOW LONG ago?

Oh about 30-35 years ago, and it was a disgrace then...........

But when Kinzel was a kid, he had to walk uphill, BOTH ways, in waist-deep snow, just to get to school.

I'm confused why people are distressed by substandard housing but not by substandard wages...but I guess I'm easily confused... :)

I won't go so far as to say the wages are sub-standard. $6.85 plus the bonus isn't too bad for what is fairly simple work. Now, the problem is that the McDonald's, Holiday Inn's and so forth of the world have found that they are having trouble staffing at lower levels and they are raising their wages to compensate and attract better (relative) help.

So, you can make $7 or so an hour flipping burgers, working in a gift shop, etc at the Point or make that and more staying at home. At home, you have access to all the comforts, no roommates, etc. Of course, there are some jobs the Point generally doesn't have trouble filling such as rides or games. But, fast food is fast food whether you are at an amusement park or in a mall.

So, why go to the Point? At this point you have to sell an experience and the experience ain't all that when it comes to housing...that is for sure.

I worked on the Disney College Program. I think I made about $5.30 an hour and I paid something like $70 per week for housing. The housing was, in essence, a condominium. Full kitchen, cable tv, (no internet back then but they have it now), tennis courts, several large pools, volleyball courts, free access to the parks, discounts for Pleasure Island (a far cry from Louie's), comfortable transportation back and forth to work, etc.

Again, I don't expect Cedar Point to be Disney but there is a middle ground between Gold and Cedars (and even some of the off Point housing is seriously aging) and what Disney provides.

When I went to work at the Point I had been warned about housing. I was a bit older than the average employee and had been hired in Accommodations. I didn't make any demands but I strongly asked to be housed somewhere other than the dorms and I was put in the hotel. That room wasn't exactly lovely (not a hotel room like it sounds) but it was functional. Had I been shown a room at Cedars I would have turned around and left...and would have had to drive all the way to Florida to get home. I'm not being snotty about it...but that is how ridiculous it is to believe they still put people there. How those buildings pass today's fire codes is beyond me.

My greatest fear about bad news I could hear from the Point has nothing to do with ride accidents, drownings, or anything like that. My greatest fear is that there is an emergency in one of those facilities. Frankly, I think it is a miracle it hasn't happened yet.

Cool little MSN feature today, explaining all the joys of poverty...

http://tinyurl.com/ygw2yw

wahoo skipper said...

My greatest fear about bad news I could hear from the Point has nothing to do with ride accidents, drownings, or anything like that. My greatest fear is that there is an emergency in one of those facilities.

Sadly, it'd probably take something happening before anything would be done.

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Cool little MSN feature today, explaining all the joys of poverty...

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She did it to herself, Bill.

She lost her job, moved to PA and got a similar job (and I assume similar pay) but refused to part with her dogs. It was either the dogs or the job - she made her decision.

Then she went back to Montana where she admits it's hard to find a good job with benefits, but she had friends and her home. Again, she made the choice - house and friends over job opportunities.

And worse yet, she still complains about finding the money to feed her dogs.

Sheesh!

The only thing in that whole story I can get behind is the final lines:

"I no longer define myself by what I do for a living. On the flip side, I won't base my identity on my income."

Well good. What kind of shallow douchebags do that anyway?

*** This post was edited by Lord Gonchar 1/5/2007 12:08:35 AM ***

Well I typed out a very long response and look what happened. That's frustrating.

Here's the very short version...I've been in her shoes. I understand. It hurts. I am bettering myself.

I guess my only real response is that a buck an hour would make a HECK of a lot of difference to her...but honestly wouldn't do much to change things for most of us...

True, she could have made better choices (even going to one dog probably would have helped her housing situation, I have a friend here in town who insisted for a long time on keeping five dogs - in an apartment!).....but I guess to me it's not entirely unlike jails, I prefer to rehabilitate (or habilitate in the first place) rather than punish..."case-by-case" and "where applicable" obviously apply ... ;)

Oh, and just in case you begin to think I'm too "soft-hearted" (ROFL)....if she SHOULD get ill...she HAS no health insurance. So that comes back around again. We're going to always need burger-flippers and the like. I just can't help but think that we're ALL better off if they're able to live *decent* lives....

For instance....Tina is in Applachia...would society be better off if Tina decided the best way to supplement her income was by dealing meth? Probably not...

I'd REALLY like to see a breakdown by age and gender of those working for minimum wage...can't help but think there's a LOT more to that picture than teenagers living at home with mom and dad.

P.S. Obviously, I'm NOT a qualified employment counselor... ;)

I tell you what, I'd much rather make minimum wage in the Montana than here in San Diego. ;)

Anyway, although raising the minimum wage may raise inflation, I'd recon that ridiculous CEO wages do more to raise inflation. Why take from the consumer? Take from the top.

Granted, some CEOs deserve what they get because they actually have something to do with their companies' making more money...