Dismal salary picture painted for Tucson

[jdcnosse]

Originally Posted by Bummer

By no means am I defending our local government, however . . .

After relocating to Tucson in 1997 and accepting an "entry level" position with a very large company, I firmly believe much of the blame should be directed towards the arrogance and lousy attitude of our work force.

For over seven years I experienced the absolute worst behavior by a large percentage of my co-workers. Lousy attendance. Lousy work habits. Constant and feeble excuses to the point of being ridiculous. I could write a book on the BS I witnessed on a daily basis and yet they were ready and willing to complain about their low salary and/or Gestapo working conditions.

It was shameful and I understand fully why so many companies have left the area.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH.

This is fairly true of where I work as well. Large corporation and some of my co-workers don't do a dang thing but still get paid and no one seems to care

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[Returning2USA]

I plan to relocate to Tucson either this Spring or next November (2014). I'm aware that Tucson is a low-wage town.

I am single and have no debt.

I'll have to buy a good value car, but my FICO is 811, so that should not be a problem.

If I live simple, and rent a studio I am assuming I can do OK to start.

Brief background:

Early 40s but look younger.
BA
Sales and teaching experience (not in an American public school, not licenses and don't want to teach in Tucson/AZ.

I hope I can land somewhere to get started. Of course I pay for a studio up front for a couple months or 3 months if that will work. I'll have savings and references.

Am I on the right track.

[qwertyasdf]

Originally Posted by Bummer

By no means am I defending our local government, however . . .

After relocating to Tucson in 1997 and accepting an "entry level" position with a very large company, I firmly believe much of the blame should be directed towards the arrogance and lousy attitude of our work force.

For over seven years I experienced the absolute worst behavior by a large percentage of my co-workers. Lousy attendance. Lousy work habits. Constant and feeble excuses to the point of being ridiculous. I could write a book on the BS I witnessed on a daily basis and yet they were ready and willing to complain about their low salary and/or Gestapo working conditions.

It was shameful and I understand fully why so many companies have left the area.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH.

If you're gonna have low wage jobs, you're gonna get low wage workers. You get what you pay for.

The companies that pay those low wage salaries ain't got no reason to complain about the quality of workers they get. I have no sympathy for those low wage companies that could very well afford to pay a decent wage.

[2farsouth]

I agree with qwertyasdf, many offer few benefits, low wages and with no unions to worry about they aren't all that worried at how they treat their employees. The ironic thing is, the same companies will complain about worker loyalty, the lack of company pride by their workforce and poor work ethic. You get the attitude you give to your people. Treat them well and with respect and most will repay your efforts. A happy worker is a productive worker and you save money in the long run by having a workforce who is content with their job, instead of one who spends their break time telling each other about better jobs elsewhere. Having a Happy, loyal and "EXPERIENCED" workforce is far more likely to make a profitable company than spending all the time and resources training new employees. That also greatly improves safety records and attendances.

[ohnonothimagain]

Tucson also has the reputation of some people working under the table. Most people won't talk about it-but that's yet another reason that wages are depressed in Tucson. It was difficult to look for a job when you knew you'd never get paid what you were worth. Not when someone else would work for much less. My neighbors next to me had 10 people living in one apartment because they all worked sub-paying jobs. It may not be the case as much as it was when I lived there, but 98% of employers(mostly private) EXPECTED a potential employee to be bi-lingual. It was a "requirement" that kept many Anglo's from getting jobs that would go to Hispanic and Latino job seekers. Is it still practiced today? I don't know. I worked HARD for a Arizona Health Insurance company that only paid $9.00hr back in the 90's. And the sad thing was I was happy to get $9.00hr when others were only starting out at $7.00 an hr or so. It was a "survivable" wage, but not a "thriving" wage by any means. Tucson has a lot of service jobs, and most pay accordingly. Is there a lot of Illegals in Arizona depressing the wage structure overall? Does that still happen in Arizona? I know there's a lot of reasons why salaries are less in Tucson, but as long as employers don't have to pay a livable wage-they won't. There seems to be a movement in America where people in service positions are DEMANDING a starting wage of $12-15 dollars an hour. I can't see that happening in Tucson, because if wages go up- so do prices for consumers. Never an easy answer.

[Bummer]

To justify arrogance and poor work ethics by blaming the company is absolutely outrageous.

Merely by being a conscientious. efficient employee (read: SHOW UP ON TIME and WORK), after a year or two I was making double, if not more than double, what those lazy "po me" employees were making.

Once again, to blame the company rather than the lazy a$$, arrogant employee is outrageous. Rather than solving the problem those excuses are only amplifying the problem.