I have a dairy farm. A few years ago I asked my employees if we should add a third shift and do 8 hours instead of 12. They work hard, is seemed like a reasonable idea.
They hated that I even brought it up. They want money and they want to work. I was specifically told by one of my leads that if we were to go to 8 hours, they would work a shift and a half. I'm paying over the average rate for dairy work, and everyone gets vacation days based on tenure. And 90 percent of my employees will work their vacation days and take the paycheck. They don't want less hours. They have bills to pay and family to support and shorter hours are less money. Same as most Americans I know. I get it.
I'm not saying it is everyone, but the guys I work with have incredible work ethic and a priority to make money and get ahead in life. And I'm all for that.
What I'm tired of is my people being scared of American politics and the potential for their work and investment in this country to get ripped away on the whim of some scared Karens and the policies maga has enabled. I hate it.
My lead feeder makes 75k a year. That's more than I take home for myself. I personally sponsored him to get a visa, as I have for over 20 of my other employees over the past five years.
The lower positions take home 160 a day to start. But there is a pay scale based on time employed, and vacation days accrue and improve based on tenure.
These are my employees, but they are also my neighbors and my friends. I go to their birthday parties and their kids graduations. The quincienetas and baby showers.
I know whose hard work and sweat makes my money, and I work along side them every day. I appreciate and try to return that in kind. We are all in this world together.