Been reflecting more on my most recent venture, and I still feel uneasy. Thought I'd pass it by Reddit to check myself.
So here's some context.
I work as a furniture finisher nowadays. I take pre-fabricated furniture, fix up the surface, and color it based on what the order is. If the stain comes out weird, or the topcoat goes tits up, very likely that I gotta invest even more time into undoing the work so far. In general, it's a lengthy task that demands either accurate execution or a lot of repetition.
And now onto my worries.
Furniture Store employs my services as a 1099 paid contractor. Originally advertised as a “full time position”. Everything is paid by piece, and upon delivery to the customer (of Furniture Store, delivery can be massively delayed).
Furniture Store sets the price of finishing and determines the cost of supplies needed. If there's a “sale” or “promotional” on custom finishes, our services (and pay) get marked down accordingly. The contractors have no direct interaction with the customer, even our paychecks come from the business. To top that off, a 30% “finders fee” is taken from any portion of labor charge (1000 becomes 700 that I have to fully pay taxes out of).
Furniture Store is requiring I work on-site, though there are no set hours beyond “while we're open”. I was informed of a dress code day one (caught wearing a tank in a warehouse with no a/c). Paint, stain, brushes, sandpaper, sanders, cleaning agents — you name it, they provide it (outside of PPE).
Lately, owners have been going beyond quality-checking projects. They really wanna make sure contractors are doing it “the way Store has done it for years”. Initially, I understood this to be in-regard to the finished product, not the specific methods to get there. I was mistaken, and that's got me a tad concerned in regards to bigger picture stuff.
The crazy 30% finders fee, unpredictable delivery schedule (one guy has 4 jobs undelivered, unpaid for the last 2 months despite putting in the work), no written work contract, no negotiable pay, low fees for my service to begin with. That's the stuff that makes the job feel bad.
There's a dress code, most of the supply costs are paid for by the employer, the service is a core piece of the business, contractors can't negotiate their costs, and the specifics of how the work is done is dictated. That's the stuff that makes me feel more like an employee than a contractor.
I think I work in a sweatshop (hyperbole). The charge to stain and topcoat a simple desk is $250 — $50 is charged as materials (ignoring overhead cost, closer to $10), $200 in labor ($140 after finders' fee is my cut). $140 for roughly 15 hours of work. I try to maintain 2 small jobs (one per week) like that while doing a large job…
…and at the end of a 50hr week, it still feels like a joke. ~1100 a week, still needs tax taken, too. I feel completely misclassified in role (w2 v 1099).
I'm so desperate. I can't count the amount of applications I put out out lately. I need any degree of money right now, any income is a positive. But this place feels shady, and I feel I'm being “used” more-so than every employment opportunity I've had so far. Really hoping to find hourly work again, soon.
I've used the word “feel” so damn much in the writing. I acknowledge my perspective is biased. Please understand that I don't want to accuse anyone of anything. I just want some logical feedback cause I'm a tad too emotional on the subject. I've been out from Furniture Store for a week thanks to a better gig. But it's just a gig, and I'm kind of dreading going back to well-below-minimum-wage job.
Don't know what to do next. Thought of proposing a written contract. Though I've yet to attempt, other tries at negotiating from other contractors have been met with “my way or the high way” kind of responses (taken the highway lately, might not be worth the trouble). Would love some advice, though.
AMA I guess, cause I'll never post this if I take the time to type absolutely everything.