| Earn more at Wal-Mart |
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This particular article has nothing to do with corrections, however the President of C.O.A.D. found it very interesting. He was very upset at the fact that a person can earn more working at Wal-mart, than risking your life in corrections.
Here is the article. October 30, 2003 Smyrna Wal-Mart center to pay $29K a year Applications lag at distribution site By Bill Potter, Delaware State News SMYRNA - Wages at a new Wal-Mart distribution center in Smyrna will start at $13.30 an hour, a company official said Thursday. In early September, distribution center regional manager Arthur Ashe said starting pay would be no less than $9 an hour at the 1.2 million-square-foot, $50 million facility that will serve as a distribution center for Wal-Mart stores within a radius of 100 to 200 miles. He said the final pay would be determined by a comprehensive study of the area's pay scale. The rate announced Thursday is the result of the study, he said. "We wanted to be competitive with other distribution centers in the area," Mr. Ashe said Thursday morning. "We felt $13.30 was a good starting rate." Workers will get automatic raises totaling $1.50 if they stay with the firm for one year. "Workers get a 50-cent raise after 90 days of being hired," Mr. Ashe said. "Another 50 cents 90 days after that and another 50 cents after the first year." Someone working a normal 40-hour a week would earn almost $29,000 the first year and be on track to make more than $30,000 the second year. One would think that kind of pay would have Downstate residents flooding Wal-Mart with job applications. That's not the case. In September Mr. Ashe said he was hoping to get close to 10,000 applicants. So far he has only received half that many, he said. "We are looking for good people," Mr. Ashe said. "We don't require any type of schooling or special training. "People just need to be able to account for any gaps in their job history." While starting wages top $13 for material handlers - the common coding for distribution center workers - facilities maintenance personnel will start at $15 an hour. Mechanics and truck drivers can start at more than $20 an hour. Ron Lebeau, general manger of transportation at the distribution center, said he hoped the wages would increase the pool of applicants for driver positions. "We are not near where we need to be," he said. "We only have 75 applications and we need 400 to 500." Mr. Lebeau said the biggest problem is finding qualified applicants. "It can take up to 10 applications to find one qualified driver," he said. To fill his 55 driver positions he is looking for people with a commercial driver's license and a hazardous materials endorsement, he said. The Wal-Mart distribution center is taking applications through the state Department of Labor's Kent County office in Carroll's Plaza at 1114 S. DuPont Highway in Dover. Lori L. Brandner, a job placement specialist with the department, said people can fill out applications by attending Wal-Mart orientations at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Kent County office. The office has extended its weekend hours for two more weeks and will take applications from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 8. Interviews are set to begin Nov. 10 and continue for at least 10 days, Ms. Brandner said. Mr. Ashe said the company hopes to open the facility in January. Staff writer Bill Potter can be reached at 741-8225 or wpotter@newszap.com |