I've been working as a housekeeper since 2020, and as of last week I made 14 dollars an hour. I work part time, but this can be anywhere from 3 hours a week, to 5 hours a week, to 15 or 20 or 25 hours a week. Usually I average about 12 to 14 hours a week. Sometimes less.
I'm on call basically all of the time, and there have been times where they tell me I have off, I make plans, and then something changes and I have to work. I have no set schedule. There are three housekeepers including me. They have set schedules, and one of them refuses to do anything in my station, because “the rooms are too big”, but I have to help her and sometimes fill in for her. (She has seniority, has been there for 20 years, so I get she gets what she wants).
Now, before I tell you this story, let me just say: I worked for these people while sick, I worked for these people when family was visiting (for a day and a half — my mother will come up and we have finite time together before she has to leave). I'm fast, I'm honest, I'm detailed, and I'm hard working. No complaints.
Well last week I asked for a raise. Now I don't have a car, and driving distance is maybe about 7 or 8 minutes away. To walk there might take fifty minutes. They pick me up in the morning and drop me off when I'm finished. This has been the arrangement since I worked there. Sometimes they have other employees pick me up — so far two. One is a maintenance/construction guy who's there 5 to 6 days a week, another one was a female employee who did everything. Bussing tables (they have a breakfast restaurant), stocking closets, gardening, cleaning/making beds, making cleaning mixtures, etc etc. She did it all, and she ended up leaving because she was doing too much (at least that's what I understood).
Now they've been picking me up since 2020, since I began working there. So I ask for this raise… part of the reason was because of inflation, another part was because I did a job interview for another cleaning job, and they were going to pay me 17. (I'm taking this job, they ARE going to pay me 17). Basically everyone in this town is making 15 or better when it comes to cleaning. Everyone except me.
So I ask for this raise. My boss agrees to give me a dollar more. So 15. I'm leaving 2 dollars on the table, but that's alright, I like this job and I have one big perk that made me want to stay: I get to start a little later in the day. Which means more time with my S/O at night who works til about 11PM and has a complete opposite schedule.
But then she tells me… starting November I will need to find my own ride. That they bit off too much for them to chew with agreeing to pick me up. And that the mornings are crazy for them. I asked how long have they felt this way? She said since May. We're in August, but she's felt this way since May, and she's just now telling me now. After I asked for this raise.
She then told me when they're picking me up in the morning, to see if I see any cars that are driving in that direction every morning and maybe see if anyone could take me. That was insane to me. Then she said maybe her mother's retired friends could pick me up — that they do nothing all day anyway. I thought that was nervy.
But the most EGREGIOUS thing of all was… she said the guy doing construction couldn't pick me up, because he would have to stop what he was doing, lose momentum, and then CLOCK OUT, and then come get me. She was making these people clock out?! What the hell!
So I offered her one solution: there is a car service here. If you're going to work it's 10 dollars. So I said when I worked in a hospital as a CNA, there was a girl who used to take uber to go to work and come home, and the hospital paid half. If they were willing to put up 5 dollars, I could put up the other 5. She said no because then it would have to come out of the hotels pocket.
THEY CHARGE LIKE 200+ A NIGHT FOR SOME OF THESE ROOMS! I couldn't believe how cheap they were.
So the next day I resigned to take the other job, but she asked me to stay until A) they find someone else, or B) November when they shut down for a few weeks until the busy season. I agreed, and so did the other job.
But I really wanted to tell this story because I thought it was complete bullshit and really think them doing this has a lot to do with this raise I asked for. I don't believe in coincidences like that, do you?
Also one thing: we're not supposed to discuss salaries, so we don't. But last year I peaked at the woman's cheque who worked there for 20 years. I thought she had to be making at least 17.
Nope. She was making 15. 20 years at a job, and she was only making a dollar more than me. I couldn't believe it. These people, the bosses, the family who owns the hotel are raking in the dough, and they're paying us pennies. Another girl who works there, who has been working there for years and who works in the kitchen, is only making 13 (I only happen to know that because I picked up her cheque by accident because our name starts with the same letter and is equally long)
One other thing: when I was asking for this raise my boss happened to tell me that she doesn't have a 401k. That's great. You only own a bunch of property, cars, john deere equipment, and are set to inherit a lot more. Just give me my raise, I'm poor.
Anyway long story short I'm taking the other job. Thanks for hearing my rant.
In short: FUCK WORK AND BOSSES