What a slap in the face!

[Wild and Free]

As everyone knows North Dakaotas economy is booming in a big way in many areas, most noteably is the oil boom in western ND. Well here is a story to chew on. Menards a huge home improvement supply store that competes with the likes of Home depot and Lowes chain based out of Wisconsin has several stores accross ND. Well in Minot ND which is in the center of the oil Boom has had problems finding enough workers to fill vacancies opened up due to the explosion of high paying oil related jobs. Instead of offering to pay slightly higher wages they decide to just pay to fly employees into Minot from out of state to work for subpar wages. How underhanded and dirty is that and why would any employee with any kind of principle want to support this kind of business practice?:banghead::mad: Here is a link to a local stroy talking about it. http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/menards-employees-commuting-to-north-dakota-via-airplane/ http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front_page/article_72685882-36c6-11e2-a8af-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm And then in Williston they bribed Menards into the town and expect the tax payers to cover the burden of this. I suppose they will fly in more people from around the country into Boom town where wages at Mcdonalds is $15 / hour and pay them 9 bucks an hour. Won't take long for word to pass and folks either stay and go to work for some place else or just quit after realizing how cheap the company is rather than just offering a higher salary for say 2-3 years only until the boom settles down and everything like cost of living in the area equalizes again and then adjust from there. That is how a lot of other companies have handled it. Instead of loosing employees they gave all employees substantial raises good for 2 years and then reevaluate from there. http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/city-of-williston-giving-menards-a-5-7-million-bribe/

[JAG1]

Some businesses so cheap they don't know how to save. I've seen this before. Not exactly the same situation ,but similar. Imagine Menerds employees having to fly each day, probably no travel time, and have to have taxes taken out of a 9 dollar an hour check.Promise not to give Menerds any biz either. I mostly buy from the local family owned operations around here. They are much more helpful and they are nice folks.I know Home Depot pulled some stunts on me. I don't know about now..... I just don't go there anymore. Do you know how much a lead carpenter is getting up there? Even a guesstimate is okay

[MnTom]

I would not go to Menards if it was the last place on earth. My garage is one of their 'package' deals they advertize. Turns out what they sell DOES NOT meet code and long story short they tried to blame me and it wound up costing me almost another $5000 to make it conform to code. They shorted me a bunch of material too. I told them they need to get a contract with Cirrus Design (small plane mfgr here local). They asked why and I told them "Your lumber is so twisted it would make great propellers". They failed to see the humor in that statement and I was completely serious.You want to try something? Find a telephone number for their corporate office........

[dorkweed]

I've logged in 3+ times now since I've read your thread. I still do not understand your position at all. How does what Menards does administratively, affect you???? If you don't like/care for/believe in their practices, take your business elsewhere!!Plain and simple.............yah hey??!!!!!!

[Wild and Free]

Its not my position, I don't give them much of anything.

The issue I have been dealing with is trying to understand why would people want to work for "Or empower this business practice by participating" a company who would rather spend money to fly people into an area and house them to work in a location knowing they are too cheap to pay a semi livable salary to people in the area.

It is more of a rant rather than a stand on an issue, just throwing this out there so people can see what companies are doing to not have to pay a competitive salary in certain areas.

The local news had a story on it again a couple nights ago trying to avoid the real reason for flying in the people by trying to Brag up the area and make it out to be the low unemployment rate of the state that is creating this situation rahter than a lack of people who would work for less than 10 bucks an hour.

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Do you know how much a lead carpenter is getting up there? Even a guesstimate is okay

I am Not up on construction workers salaries but a guess for any skilled worker would be around $20/ hour average if working for someone up to $30+ for independants from talking with the contractor that did my kitchem remodel a year ago.

I do know dirt moving construction or truck driving in the area in and around the oil patch ect averages $25/hour and up. In the coal fired electric generating energy industry most wages are $35/hr+ range no matter what end you are on be it mining or on the generation end. Oil refineries and ethanol plant and other related jobs are still 30+/hour.

[JAG1]

Wild and Free, I do appreciate your sense of ethics and putting out the news about this company and their practices. It's good to know.