I am not sure that I have written about this incident before, but I was looking though the Tales From The Day Program posts and thought I would add this to the collection.
When DC first started attending his day program, he split his time between two departments - 2 days working in the greenhouse and 3 days in the "recreation/piecework" program.
After about a year (maybe less), I was told by the head of that program that there wasn't really enough in the piecework program (mostly making dog biscuits) to keep him busy. He was quick at making the dog biscuits and had a lot of down-time every day. She thought it would better suit him to just work in the green house 5 days a week.
So, he was transitioned over to the greenhouse 5 days a week, year round.
The pay he received in the piecework program was not an hourly rate, but "piecework rate". The rate of pay for him in the greenhouse was hourly, subminimum wage.
(I have written about this - These were jobs created for the clients who can not go out into the mainstream workforce and hold a mainstream job. They were not taking jobs away from people who can earn minimum wage. If the job was not created for him, he would not have a job)
In layman's terms his hourly rate was determined by what they call time studies where they gauge his productiveness against someone doing the same job out in the mainstream and adjust accordingly.
Time Studies are mandatory and done, I believe, twice per year.
As I said, DC worked in the greenhouse 5 days a week, year-round . At some point, and for reasons I do not remember right now (but I do believe it was a budget thing to save money) - they decided to move all of the greenhouse workers into the Dog Biscuit department for the winter every year, which meant he would go back to his piecework rate for the winter. I did question this, being I was told a few years back that there was not enough for him to do there, but I was told it was busier than it had been back them.
Right before they were ready to move into the dog biscuit room in October, DC has a time study done in the greenhouse.
A letter came home that DC's rate would be increased from 4.25 per hour to something like 6.00 per hour (I am making up these amounts because I don't remember them exactly, but I do remember, it being a bigger jump than usual and about that much).
Then they moved all or most of the Greenhouse workers into the dog biscuit making room and to the piecework rate - so he never really got to earn that increased rate before the move.
In April, they all transitioned back to the greenhouse. By that time, DC was due for another time study - even though he hadn't been in the greenhouse for 6 months.
As you may have guessed, his productivity was not where it has been in October after not being there for 6 months and his rate was reduced to close to (or maybe even below) what he was making before the October time study.
So, on paper for whoever they need to report these things to (I'm guessing the state) they have him and possibly others getting pretty decent rate increases, without ever actually being paid that hourly wage.
(DC MAY have gotten that rate for a week - I'm not sure he did, but if so, it was only one week)
Yes, we certainly met about this and yes, they are perfectly aware that I thought this was pretty shady. They agreed to adjust the timing of the time studies to more suit the times he was actually working in the Greenhouse but it was funny that his rate never increased that much again.
Listen ... this is not about the money. He earned very little each month, but it IS about not taking advantage of the people they are supposed to be serving.
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