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MindPilot

(12,693 posts)

84. I worked at a place like that

Mon Sep 3, 2012, 12:49 PM

Sep 2012

This was a little factory/fabrication shop that made "low cost" replacement parts for small airplanes--Cessna, Piper--and I believe minimum wage at the time was $1.60. (After 90 days I was advanced to $1.75!) I had to have my own hand tools, and the owner/manager was an abusive prick who wasn't capable of speaking to anyone about anything in a civil tone. The incident most deeply seared into my memory is when the owner physically attacked one of the floor supervisors and literally torn the UAW patch off the jacket the guy happened to be wearing that day. That would have been maybe 1973...

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What is the toughest minimum wage job you have had? [View all] Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 OP

Waitressing. 3 summers of it during my late high school/early college years. tanyev Sep 2012 #1

That's a rough gig! Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #9

Yep, mine would have been early 80s, too. tanyev Sep 2012 #13

Try picking walnuts @ .50 cents a sack for 8-10 hrs a day. Thats what I done in the summers, demosincebirth Sep 2012 #109

I was lucky. CrispyQ Sep 2012 #15

There is still a Dog-n-Suds drive in Grayslake, IL Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #55

~lol CrispyQ Sep 2012 #73

indeed justabob Sep 2012 #48

Working in a chicken and pizza joint JustABozoOnThisBus Sep 2012 #2

Lots of fast food work when I was a teen but LittlestStar Sep 2012 #3

I moved furniture but it wasn't minimum wage. hunter Sep 2012 #37

Probably all of it trashed your knees! LittlestStar Sep 2012 #59

I hated moving furniture too cheezmaka Sep 2012 #98

Harvested hay for 50 cents an hour back in the 60's, I think doc03 Sep 2012 #4

We called it 'bucking bales". I used to have to do that every summer on "vacation". It was only brewens Sep 2012 #153

Re-tarring roofs. Scuba Sep 2012 #5

Doesn't get much worse than that. raouldukelives Sep 2012 #22

Well, it does get worse, but I haven't had to go there.... Scuba Sep 2012 #34

One of the harvesting methods is to burn the whole field down. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #67

#1 answer cheezmaka Sep 2012 #93

It was hard, it was hot and it was filthier than filthy. Scuba Sep 2012 #96

I also set trap at a gun club. Trap boys in the bunkers put the clay pigeons brewens Sep 2012 #156

I've set trap. I've also set pins in an old semi-manual bowling alley. Noisy back there. Scuba Sep 2012 #158

I went from delivering newspapers 7 days a week to washing dishes 3-4 nights a week. Motown_Johnny Sep 2012 #6

Worked in a clothing factory Freddie Sep 2012 #7

OMG, that just reminded me of a temp job I had for a couple days. tanyev Sep 2012 #11

Cleaning at night in a butchers shop. Bonhomme Richard Sep 2012 #8

I never worked for minimum wage :p darkangel218 Sep 2012 #10

Me neither...not even my summer job out of high school. dkf Sep 2012 #12

All my bad summer/part time jobs paid a little bit more Nikia Sep 2012 #24

Me neither. I thank the unions for that. hunter Sep 2012 #44

Nor have I. quiller4 Sep 2012 #122

Being a Pin Boy in a pre-pin setting machines COLGATE4 Sep 2012 #14

U.S. Army, msedano Sep 2012 #16

$.50/hr. babysitting. Ugh. One couple was supposed to be back at midnight mnhtnbb Sep 2012 #17

I babysat in the late 70's for $1/hr. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #43

Same here. Le Taz Hot Sep 2012 #142

That is unbelievable. I was hesitant to call my parents--didn't want to wake them up-- mnhtnbb Sep 2012 #145

Changing shit tanks at a travel-trailer sales/service shop. HopeHoops Sep 2012 #18

Kitchen help at a banquet hotel Atman Sep 2012 #19

Soldier, US Army Brother Buzz Sep 2012 #20

hotel chambermaid. Coexist Sep 2012 #21

Night shift in a nursing home. Not quite minimum wage, but close. TwilightGardener Sep 2012 #23

A couple of factory jobs Mz Pip Sep 2012 #25

cleaning in a casino BanzaiBonnie Sep 2012 #26

did you ever find any money on the floor? darkangel218 Sep 2012 #36

Pack rice cakes into bags, put on twist tie, repeat. NYC_SKP Sep 2012 #27

Dishwasher. Iggo Sep 2012 #28

Bused tables in a 3-story restaurant Ship of Fools Sep 2012 #29

stairs in a restaurant are a really bad idea justabob Sep 2012 #46

I'm with you there. This place was an old, historic inn. Ship of Fools Sep 2012 #58

oh geez justabob Sep 2012 #75

Helping the school janitors with summer cleaning. Odin2005 Sep 2012 #30

Scrubbing pots in a university cafeteria slackmaster Sep 2012 #31

Mixing concrete for a mason. Tierra_y_Libertad Sep 2012 #32

I've been a mason for forty years and can tell you that being a "hoddie" (hod carrier) panader0 Sep 2012 #45

I was fresh out of the marines and needed work. Tierra_y_Libertad Sep 2012 #68

Mopping Blood off the floor fredamae Sep 2012 #33

Curtain factory former-republican Sep 2012 #35

General hand on egg producing/processing farm TexasProgresive Sep 2012 #38

Acid washing aluminum semi trailers. Ellipsis Sep 2012 #39

Assembling swimming pool filters. Betsy Ross Sep 2012 #40

Janitor edhopper Sep 2012 #41

Oh jeez. Marinedem Sep 2012 #42

taco bell if you're talking about salaried jobs alc Sep 2012 #47

Working in a commercial laundry. Greybnk48 Sep 2012 #49

I was a waitress in the 70s lunatica Sep 2012 #50

Pizza delivery boy in 1963. nt Speck Tater Sep 2012 #51

working on an assembly line in a decrepit factory in Southie cali Sep 2012 #52

I worked at a place like that MindPilot Sep 2012 #84

chopping tomatos at taco bell proud patriot Sep 2012 #53

Busgirl/waitress laundry_queen Sep 2012 #54

I always hated the closer shift as it meant you'd be there until 12:30-1:00am cleaning up. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #64

I hated opening more. laundry_queen Sep 2012 #101

Why did your high school have busboys? jberryhill Sep 2012 #56

Should have written "while I was a highschool student". lolz Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #69

"I was a corporate owned chain restaurant" jberryhill Sep 2012 #76

doh! cain't speel Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #79

OHHH! Okay, so... jberryhill Sep 2012 #86

I have distant memories of a summer job cleaning out a neighbor's coalition_unwilling Sep 2012 #57

Loading trailers for UPS. I only lasted a couple of weeks. nt patrice Sep 2012 #60

A friend of mine used to drive for UPS. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #70

I did that. Iggo Sep 2012 #72

Un-airconditioned warehouse, hundreds of conveyor belts running constantly coming from every patrice Sep 2012 #89

I loaded trailers for RPS(now FedEx Ground) cheezmaka Sep 2012 #99

I worked at a private preschool for minimum wage. senseandsensibility Sep 2012 #61

I don't know if it was minimum wage TlalocW Sep 2012 #62

Why is no one reccing this? senseandsensibility Sep 2012 #63

Right? How 'bout a little love for the Snarkster? Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #74

Hauling hay tularetom Sep 2012 #65

12 hour nightshifts at a skanky 7-11. I quit and my replacement was murdered a few nights later DonRedwood Sep 2012 #66

Supervising visits between foster kids and their biological families and typing reports on their LeftyMom Sep 2012 #71

Nurse Aid, Nursing home. DearAbby Sep 2012 #77

My sister is an RN and I was horrified to hear about how LPN's would Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #88

Pet store worker back in high school bigwillq Sep 2012 #78

Hash slinger. lonestarnot Sep 2012 #80

I had to laugh when I looked up my starting Army pay and minimum wage at the time pinboy3niner Sep 2012 #81

Picking Cotton and Hanging Tobacco rbrnmw Sep 2012 #82

Graveyard shift in a convenience store in a very rough neighborhood aint_no_life_nowhere Sep 2012 #83

Putting springs in little plastic Pez containers on night shift flamingdem Sep 2012 #85

Waiting tables at a steakhouse in the early 80's. The Midway Rebel Sep 2012 #87

Fast food. Opening and/or closing staff. 1monster Sep 2012 #90

Working in a recycling plant bailing leakers. RC Sep 2012 #91

That is bad cheezmaka Sep 2012 #97

picking strawberries, summer of '64... alterfurz Sep 2012 #92

Sandwich shop kitchen Lucy Goosey Sep 2012 #94

Cleaned dog kennels. Delivered phone books. Cleaned houses. n/t progressivebydesign Sep 2012 #95

Sorting tomatoes on a moving line down in Naples, Florida. Zorra Sep 2012 #100

Cleaning factory office space and workers changing rooms. intaglio Sep 2012 #102

Harvesting Potatoes, slopping pigs, busboy. All when I was in my teens. Agnosticsherbet Sep 2012 #103

Irrigating cucumber fields. We had to unhook, pack and reassemble the pipes. brewens Sep 2012 #104

I packed printed Hula Popper Sep 2012 #105

Stripping paint off the walls of a mansion while on a scaffolding. Gregorian Sep 2012 #106

$6.75 an hour in 1966 just out of HS HockeyMom Sep 2012 #107

Telephone solicitor! What a thankless job! jillan Sep 2012 #108

Working in a cafeteria, when I was in college. Cleita Sep 2012 #110

Flipping burgers at McDonald's ... NNN0LHI Sep 2012 #111

Waitressing during college and the year after - not even close to minimum wage. yardwork Sep 2012 #112

Uniform shop HeeBGBz Sep 2012 #113

worked mostly farm labor littlewolf Sep 2012 #114

Front counter order taker and closer at McDonald's Politicub Sep 2012 #115

what's up with that cat? Liberal_in_LA Sep 2012 #116

The cat is what's up with the cat. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #129

Got to experience the vibe people give to "the maid" as a hotel housekeeper Liberal_in_LA Sep 2012 #117

Furniture delivery for local mall store rustydog Sep 2012 #118

Day labor for a roofing contractor demwing Sep 2012 #119

Detassling here too Burma Jones Sep 2012 #120

Yep, that was a brutal gig. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #130

self delete slampoet Sep 2012 #121

I cleaned a rich person's... one_voice Sep 2012 #123

when i was deployed to Afghanistan I did the math.... WooWooWoo Sep 2012 #124

Ding...ding...ding...we've got a winner! Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #132

I worked as a janitor's assistant for a summer in high school. Alduin Sep 2012 #125

Dishwasher, when I was 16. muntrv Sep 2012 #126

I pulled the fire alarm in school 1971 8th grade . orpupilofnature57 Sep 2012 #127

Landscaping in Phoenix in the summer.... n/t Still Sensible Sep 2012 #128

Picking bad potato chips off a conveyor belt Neurotica Sep 2012 #131

Technically, I've never had minimum wage jobs. aikoaiko Sep 2012 #133

Dishwasher at a country club Odd Won Out Sep 2012 #134

When I worked for AmFam, my douchnozzle of a boss was a member of a Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #136

The country club I worked at was Stevens Point Country Club Odd Won Out Sep 2012 #138

Almost forgot...Welcome to DU. Snarkoleptic Sep 2012 #137

I didn't make Min. Wage but my toughest Job was "Rent a Teen" Heather MC Sep 2012 #135

24 cents mshasta Sep 2012 #139

Working 3rd shift as the night auditer for a flea and flee motel on Eastern Blvd., Fay., NC nc4bo Sep 2012 #140

Cleaning test tubes full of blood Navl Sep 2012 #141

Baker's assistant at a grocery store, nt Broken_Hero Sep 2012 #143

"Lab Assistant" was the title, but the job was killing pinkies and sterilizing rat cages. Egalitarian Thug Sep 2012 #144

The only job I had that was close to minimum wage MadrasT Sep 2012 #146

Unloading UPS trailers. nt hack89 Sep 2012 #147

Cleaning houses easttexaslefty Sep 2012 #148

Waiting tables in Beverly Hills. a la izquierda Sep 2012 #149

Flipped burgers at a couple fast food joints. backscatter712 Sep 2012 #150

Well, it was subminimum, actually. Jackpine Radical Sep 2012 #151

Working in a cardboard box factory... KansDem Sep 2012 #152

Dishwasher in a busy restaurant. GodlessBiker Sep 2012 #154

Worked for dry cleaners marlakay Sep 2012 #155

Cleaning Filthy Old Kitchen Stoves For Re-Sale. Paladin Sep 2012 #157

Housewoman for a hotel JustAnotherGen Sep 2012 #159

Give this thread a rest. nt ladjf Sep 2012 #160

I helped our neighbour with his livestock and green-break young horses for about three years. polly7 Sep 2012 #161

I worked a part-time retail job... kjackson227 Sep 2012 #162