Anyone in our region who is working at a factory paying less than $13 an hour should start looking for a new job now. In the past three years, the number of jobs available along the rural portion of Interstate 88 from DeKalb to Rochelle to Dixon and then to Sterling/Rock Falls has increased significantly. Right now is absolutely a worker's market -- not an employer market.
With the increase in the number of jobs has come an increase in the number of factories with starting pay over 14 dollars an hour. Companies are bringing in more profit than ever before. The shareholders are getting rich; members of the board are getting rich; the CEO is getting rich! However, the employees who are doing all the work to produce the products that are making all these companies wealthier are not getting rich.
Now is the time to look for a job at a factory that values you more because they pay you more. Factories in our region still paying their workers less than $13 an hour are ripping their workers off. These are the factories that do not value their employees. Also, if I were in the job market right now looking for a factory job, I would absolutely avoid any factory that only uses temp agencies for their hiring process. Temp agencies take money earned by the workers from every single pay check.
So, those of you being paid a disrespectful amount of 13 bucks or less should start looking elsewhere. With the number of job listings so high, it’s a time where the chance of finding employment paying over 14 an hour is great. Remember to never quit your current job until you have secured a new one.
I’m Phillip LeFevre and that’s my perspective.
