"Bill thinks he could drive a pedi-car and I saw a job opening in a tourist shop with paid vacation and full benefits package."
It's amazing the number of stories I have heard over the years about people who come here for a vacation and then decide not to return back home. They found a new home. They looked and found a new job. They found where they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.
I
have written before about how I have quit a couple of jobs. I have a
low tolerance level for jerks. Me, I let it fester until I could not
take it any longer and then abruptly left. People with cash or an
alternate source of income can do things like that. Some people can just suck it up better than others.
I
moved here to open and operate the Eaton Lodge Guest House which was
located just off Duval Street on Eaton. The place was foreclosed upon by
the SBA. I purchased it at a public auction in October 1993. I took
possession Christmas week that year. I placed a couple of HELP WANTED
ads in the Key West Citizen and had several applicants within a couple
of days. The property had been boarded up for about two years. I needed
to get the place cleaned up and ready for business. I learned quickly
that it is easy to find workers in Key West. One of the first people I
hired as a recent arrival from Connecticut. He had been a Wall Street
trader who lost his job and said screw it. He had a yacht which he, his
wife and kids sailed to Key West where he took up odd jobs until he
could find a more permanent position. He stayed a week or two doing
chores for me and then found something a little better and that did not
involve as much work.
It
was easy to find replacement workers. There is an endless supply of
people who come here looking to live life to the fullest in Paradise.
Many find out after they move here that they need two or more jobs to
pay the rent and their bar tab at their favorite watering hole.
Don't get me wrong, there are good jobs. I have found that for some
reason good people with good intentions move here and then catch the
Keys Disease. They start not showing up for work on time or missing work
altogether.
Others, however, hold down several jobs and make it to work on time each and every day. Many of the people who work in the hospitality business and construction trades are from Eastern Europe and Latin America. They come to Key West where they have two or more jobs, save their money, and send money back home. They can make more money in Key West in six months than they can in their native lands all year. And Key West is much prettier and probably less repressive than most places in the world, on that we can all agree.
In case you did not know it, some of the hotels do not actually employ the housekeepers or maintenance people. Instead, the hotel contracts with a labor provider who supplies the workers as "independent contractors". By using contract labor the hotels don't have to comply with FICA and other federal or state requirements which helps keep operating costs down. Sometimes the "independent contractors" live in housing provided by the labor contractor who takes a portion of the pay for the right to live in company owned hell holes. Most of these people are living on the edge. Who are they going to complain to? And if they complain, they won't be around to testify in some far off hearing. Free Enterprise at work.
If you are reading this blog the chances are you are not going to end up working for a labor provider. You may, instead, look for business which you could run. Maybe you could do as I did and buy a guesthouse or a small business. CLICK HERE to search the Key West mls commercial listings. Maybe you can find a reason to tell your boss "I quit, and I'm never coming back"!
Others, however, hold down several jobs and make it to work on time each and every day. Many of the people who work in the hospitality business and construction trades are from Eastern Europe and Latin America. They come to Key West where they have two or more jobs, save their money, and send money back home. They can make more money in Key West in six months than they can in their native lands all year. And Key West is much prettier and probably less repressive than most places in the world, on that we can all agree.
In case you did not know it, some of the hotels do not actually employ the housekeepers or maintenance people. Instead, the hotel contracts with a labor provider who supplies the workers as "independent contractors". By using contract labor the hotels don't have to comply with FICA and other federal or state requirements which helps keep operating costs down. Sometimes the "independent contractors" live in housing provided by the labor contractor who takes a portion of the pay for the right to live in company owned hell holes. Most of these people are living on the edge. Who are they going to complain to? And if they complain, they won't be around to testify in some far off hearing. Free Enterprise at work.
If you are reading this blog the chances are you are not going to end up working for a labor provider. You may, instead, look for business which you could run. Maybe you could do as I did and buy a guesthouse or a small business. CLICK HERE to search the Key West mls commercial listings. Maybe you can find a reason to tell your boss "I quit, and I'm never coming back"!
Have
a wonderful day off work this Labor Day. If you have a job, be
thankful and show up for work on time on Tuesday. But it you decide to
tell your boss to take a hike and decide to move to Key West to buy a
guest house like I did, please consider contacting me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.
