i think i became a slave for 2 hours

[Abedeus]

Set fire to his field.

No. Set him on fire.

 

[The Anhk24]

it isn't techincally slavery because you can leave whenever and no one gonna really care, more just of they were to cheap to pay minimum wage.

 

[Starnerf]

The obvious solution was to pick faster. Or go work at McDonalds.

 

[brodie21]

what? there are plenty of places that charge you by the amount of product that you make/collect. last summer i made 35 dollars per rafting trip, not per hour

 

[dietpeachsnapple]

No, but you did get caught in a shoddy sit.

Once you are paid a wage, and have the right to leave per your own discretion, you are not a slave.

Slavery is defined as forced labor. By any means, his situation isn't slavery but "forced" can be debated. For example, if you're only choice is work or starve and be poor, then I would consider it slavery in practice, if not in name.

I think the best approach would be to go back under the guise of working again, ask the workers what their situation is, and then report them if the workers don't have a choice. If the workers do have another option, such as a temporary welfare program or a public works program, then I would tell them about it. However, if they refuse to any programs available and aren't facing poverty if they quit, I'd leave it alone.

As a matter of viscerality, I agree, and bemoan the flawed tenets of society. However, your argument is painfully tangential to my point. It seems to ignore the fact that I was answering his question without qualms as to the semantic reinterpretations of slavery, which, if I read your response correctly, you agreed it was not, if defined literally.

To reply to your comment. No, he does not have a leg to stand on even if the workers face poverty were they to decide not to work there. I would really like the answer to be "Yes, exploiting someone's financial circumstances is something that should result in litigation." An employer who is obeying piece-rate regulations, however, has no obligation to guarantee the well being of their employees beyond safe work conditions.

The amount of money per hour is artificially lowered because our friend here is not a professional fruit picker. People who do this for years can fill crates at a faster pace, and thus earn more money per hour. The primary distinction here is that this was, in fact, piece-rate work and thus a "per hour" comparison is not accurately applied.

 

[ReincarnatedFTP]

No, but you did get caught in a shoddy sit.

Once you are paid a wage, and have the right to leave per your own discretion, you are not a slave.

Slavery is defined as forced labor. By any means, his situation isn't slavery but "forced" can be debated. For example, if you're only choice is work or starve and be poor, then I would consider it slavery in practice, if not in name.

I think the best approach would be to go back under the guise of working again, ask the workers what their situation is, and then report them if the workers don't have a choice. If the workers do have another option, such as a temporary welfare program or a public works program, then I would tell them about it. However, if they refuse to any programs available and aren't facing poverty if they quit, I'd leave it alone.

As a matter of viscerality, I agree, and bemoan the flawed tenets of society. However, your argument is painfully tangential to my point. It seems to ignore the fact that I was answering his question without qualms as to the semantic reinterpretations of slavery, which, if I read your response correctly, you agreed it was not, if defined literally.

To reply to your comment. No, he does not have a leg to stand on even if the workers face poverty were they to decide not to work there. I would really like the answer to be "Yes, exploiting someone's financial circumstances is something that should result in litigation." An employer who is obeying piece-rate regulations, however, has no obligation to guarantee the well being of their employees beyond safe work conditions.

The amount of money per hour is artificially lowered because our friend here is not a professional fruit picker. People who do this for years can fill crates at a faster pace, and thus earn more money per hour. The primary distinction here is that this was, in fact, piece-rate work and thus a "per hour" comparison is not accurate.

Well then, thank you for elaborating. My mistake.

 

[SAccharing10]

Do you know how much a KG is? And do you know how much one strawberry weighs? Not alot.

 

[heyheysg]

Minimum wage is socialist btw, so if you're against the health care bill, don't complain

 

[open trap]

Finde out if hey are breaking any labor laws and if they are then report them, or ask a lawyer just to be sure.

 

[Mekado]

I use to pick strawberries and apples around here when i was like 12, they did pay 2$ per crate though (keep in mind it was almost 20 years ago), which is decent (for a job any monkey can do, no hassle, you can talk and do pretty much whatever you want) also they took anybody (case in point, i was 12-yo) It was easy to pick 2-3 crates an hour, working moderately, so it made decent money for a 12-yo...

There's no way in hell they're going to pay hourly for that, these places don't make a lot of money anyways and they'd go under in 2 years if they did that.

 

[Jinx_Dragon]

Report, compensation is good.

Seconded....

I worked farms before, and at a hourly rate at that, so it is possible. This was a tiny 'family' farm at that, and still had more the enough income to pay the half a dozen shed hands (I was one) a hourly rate and hire a company (friend worked on contract, making massive amounts of money per hour) to do the actual picking.

Sure it was a crap rate of pay compared to other jobs, and it was hell in those sheds as I'm a small guy, I was lifting bunches heavier then I am constantly with bad shoulders, but of all the things I felt ripped off over it wasn't being paid a low hourly rate. I was more pissed the long travel time to get out to the farm, unpaid, and the fact we had unpaid lunch breaks. Those two things meant I was on that farm longer then I was at home each day while still only getting 7 hours or so actually paid for.

Still, it did what it was meant to do... get me out of the house before I snapped and killed someone. Also made me appreciate my factory job a little more, sure standing around a console for 8 hours isn't as easy as sitting in a cubical but at least I wasn't lifting my own weight above my head any more.

So those saying 'they have to do it this way' are full of crap and likely never set foot on a farm let alone realised how many thousands of dollars even the small ones make every day. There is no excuse for ripping your workers off like that. Even if your going to pay commission.

 

[Daveman]

yeah, fruit pickers get paid fuck all because they're usually illegal immigrants and can't complain about not getting minimum wage, it's not real work.

 

[Aitruis]

I had a job like this. I was bagging logs for fires. And these were pretty hefty sized bags and I was getting paid 10p per bag or £15 for 100 bags. I worked non stop for 5 hours for £15, and that was only because my dad came and help when he came to pick me up.

Needless to say, I did not go back, but my friend works at the same place doing a different job and his pay is less than minimum and he doesn't have safety equipment for the machinery he is using. But we can't report them. They are a family friend after all.

But, yeah... that's my experience. You can and should report the people (if what they are doing is legally wrong).

So.....you're supporting thievery, and supporting an employer that intentionally keeps your friend working in dangerous working conditions? But you don't want to report them, because they're a family friend.....

While not wishing to be confrontational.....

Stop being a sheep and get better friends. I don't know if you're in the US, but even if you're not, most other countries have work safety laws. They're there to keep you employed safely, with all your digits attached. There is no reason either you or your friend should be risking your safety, just so your family friend employer can save a few bucks by not having proper safety equipment installed.

 

[Zildjin81]

i would report if it was an official business because it shouldn't if there not paying minimum wage

It's tricky though. See, if they had picked strawberries at a super human rate (instead of what might have been kind of slow) they could make far over minimum wage. They're actually getting paid for the quality of their work, not how much time they are putting in to it.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

*Massages his painful eyes.*

Well bud, that just sucks. Don't know what I can tell you.

 

[Mekado]

So those saying 'they have to do it this way' are full of crap and likely never set foot on a farm let alone realised how many thousands of dollars even the small ones make every day. There is no excuse for ripping your workers off like that. Even if your going to pay commission.

Yeah, that must be why there's less and less farms, because every single one of them make such good money.I'll return the "full of crap" comment right back at you sir.

 

[Steel Ronin]

let me tell you a story and what happend to me

one day after spending a night at a friends place my mum came to pick me up and she said she had found a job for me. As the holidays here have been long and kinda boring a job would have been nice keep myself busy and get some money. She told me that i will pick strawberry's at a nearby farm. as i thought to myself that would be pretty cool picking strawberry's and starting at 6AM would just be a part of the work. so i called another friend who was also looking for work and told him that they needed 2 people to work there so i invited him to my place to stay for the night so that we can go together in the morning.
the next day we woke up at 4:45am had something to drink and eat and then my mother drove us to the strawberry farm to start work we got there exactly at 6 but nobody was there. We waited for 15 minuets then we saw a car come and it was one of the workers we asked where the boss was as we were supposed to register so that we can get taxed (this is a official bussiness). the worker said that the boss is probably at home but a co suppervisor was to suppose to be here soon. So we waited for another 45 minuets and then the co suppervisor showed up ,we both got 2 crates which we were to fill then return and grab another crate seemed simple enough.

After working for about 2 hours making many jokes like farming levels in Runescape we asked one of the other workers who was working next to us how much we get paid in a hour aperantly we dont get paid by the hour but by the KG's of strawberry's we pick after getting about 4 crates each done in the 2 hours we thought that each crate weighs about 3-Kg's we asked how much we get paid and the nice women said that we get paid $0.50 per KG WHAT THE HELL that is slavery in 2 hours we gathered about 12Kg's in total giving us only $6 that is less then half what is required by law to be paid in a hour so me and my friend we just walked away.

so what i am kind of telling here is that do you think what i did is right and that i should mabye report this to the government or just keep it as a funny story for the future.

Edit yea we never went back its just there is a difference between work and slavery all that was missing was a guy sitting on a horse using a whip on me.

Kinda reminds me of Napoleon Dynimite when they were working in that farm.Good movie.But a really shit job.