Boomtown #2 – A Different Work Ethic

Day labor is a way of living for some people. While in Minot and Williston, North Dakota I talked one morning with some good people who manage Command Center Staffing. They dispatch around 100 people a day to a variety of service and labor positions where employers need a worker or more for a day or more, but not permanently.

 

These people work when they want to or need to. Some want a permanent job and some don’t. Some get permanent jobs. Some don’t. Some have the characteristics of a solid permanent employee. Some don’t.

I heard the story of an 11 year old girl who showed up at the staffing counter one morning. The counter was at about eye level for her as she stood on her toes. She asked for a job.  Some of the regulars, the adults who are day workers live in the woods – year round, in North Dakota.

Some of the workers are regulars who have built a solid reputation as day workers with Command Center and have been working this way for years. Others come and go. All pass drug screening and have safety training.

The passion that the Command Center people have for putting people to work is palpable. The office is an every morning fire-drill of energy and action. Then, some time between 7 and 8am the office is down to a few people still hoping for a days work, a late request or some other situation to emerge that will allow them to earn some money. No one is looking for a handout.

I was cautioned to not judge. I was told that this is the way some people prefer to live. Day-to-day commitments. No Mortgage. No car payment. No commitment other than good work for honest pay – today.

 

The best thing about being an outsider is the people met, places seen and lessons learned. I’m the Outsider and that’s what I think.