Today, I found out the unionized cleaning people that empty the garbage and clean the toilets make $19/hr and have more paid time off than I do with my college degree. FML
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Autumn: Leaves and Laughter
When the leaves fall, the laughter rises. Discover autumn stories as crisp as dried leaves!
Today, I found out that, because I'm a student, the employees I train make more than me. FML
Today, I happily went to an interview after job searching for months. I learned a large part of my job would be cleaning the toilets. Every. Single. Hour. I used to lecture at a university until budget cuts happened. FML
Today, my boss informed me that it is now my responsibility to wash the dishes, since my co-workers are consistently too lazy to clean up after themselves. I have a bachelor's degree. Which I earned at the same university I now work at. FML
Today, after spending thousands of dollars and several years pursuing a higher education so I could get a high paying job doing something that requires skill and brainpower, I finally got my first job offer after months of searching. I will be cleaning houses. FML
Today, I found out that my friend makes more money than I do. She's a high school dropout and working at a retail job at the mall. I went to college for four years to get my job. FML
Today, after going to college for 5 years to become an architect I discover my plumber makes more than I do. FML
Today, I found out that my company is paying more for hors d'oeuvres at one party than I will receive for my entire year long internship. FML
Today, I'm working for a company that makes over a million dollars a year, yet leaves me with no choice but to pee in a cup because they won't pay to fix the only toilet in the building. FML
Today, I found out that my new serving job does in fact take the time out to write a check for $0.00. FML
Today, after a weekend of helping my sister-in-law move out of our house, vacuuming and mopping her bedroom and bathroom for her, scrubbing her walls and cleaning her shower, transporting her furniture, and getting her carpet professionally cleaned, to cover costs she offered me $14. FML
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Top comments
nephilim241 19
That sucks op, but if you go through your career focusing on what others are earning you'll never be satisfied
Eorlas 31
Go clean up someone else's crap and report back to us on whether or not you still believe they should be paid so little.
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Comments (188)
your_ma 27
So just to be clear, you'd be happier if they earned less money and had shitty holidays? That's nice.
monnanon 13
no OP is just miffed that going to college has not benefited them in the slightest. believe me its the prevailing mood among graduates atm.
queerdragon 20
Then start a union and ask for an increase in money. However, cleaning toilets isn't just spritzing the bowl. People sometimes shit-cannon on the walls, leave disgusting period pads, and tear apart trashcans. It can be hours of backbreaking work. I think $19 is chump change, they should get more.
monnanon 13
haha er no. no one should get paid that much. i have to clean up shit explosions for free as do many parents. i have also worked as a cleaner. the job isnt as hard as they like to pretend it is and i cleaned student halls. i still help clean toilets and take out rubbish now that i work on a reception desk. seriously it is easy unskilled work.
kiakia0131 23
The thing is, they are also trained to fix the toilets. It takes hours of training to learn how to properly install, fix, clean toilets. Plus is a job lots of people would be too disgusted to do. Lots of the "dirty jobs" are positions that pay fairly decent because they are what helps our work places and community function properly.
monnanon 13
what makes you think a cleaner is trained to fix toilets? op clearly stated they clean toilets and take out thr garbage. they are not plumbers.
SunAndMoon427 12
Most janitors are also trained to do minor repairs on toilets, sinks, etc. your experience is with schools, at actual huge places of business, they have a lot more to do than just clean and take out the trash, and my bf can vouch for that. So before you use your shitty student job for an example, realize that this is most likely at an office or a big place of business. My bf works at a convention center and on top of basic cleaning and repairs they also set up and break down every room when it's used which includes a lot of heavy lifting. Most cleaners don't "just clean"
tj4234 35
I used to work as a cleaner and i knew how to fix the toilets in the building. I also used to deal with security, and the customer service side of the business.
queerdragon 20
Just because one job had you just cleaning toilets does not mean other people's jobs are now the same. I have worked several cleaning jobs during summers to help my aunt out and I never had to do more than sweep, clean toilets, and take out trash. However, the people trained in the field and who had years of experience could do minor plumbing work as well as clean. It makes it easier to hire a jack of all trades who will clean, lift heavy objects, fix sinks and toilets, etc.
monnanon 13
again read the FML. OP stated that all they did was take the garbage out and clean the toilets. what i did in my job is irrelevant yes but so is the fact that other jobs had people fixing toilets. OP has stated what makes it an FML and it does not involve fixing toilets.
maronofhearts 19
118-So you think op knows their exact job description and responsibilities? Just because that's all op put or knows about them doesn't mean that's what their actual duties are if you believe someone's actually paying $19/hr just to clean up a little mess that place would be getting non stop applications
Bebbo_fml 21
On top of all that their job has risk of health issues dealing with chemicals, carrying heavy things, and a lot of bending.
Bebbo_fml 21
That could just be his assumption of what they do all day.
hannahhlizz 18
If it makes you feel better OP, I clean part time and get minimum wage. None of the people I've met on the job get more than 10 an hour
perdix 29
#22, that's why you need to join a union, unless, of course, you live in one of those "Right to Work (for Peanuts)" states.
monnanon 13
i have never met a cleaner (including myself) who got higher than minimum wage (jn the uk that is just over £6) getting paid 19 dollars for any job is mental.
Cazz91 21
It also depends on the company you work for and where you live. Some companies offer higher wages for even the most basic janitorial duties while other companies offer minimum wage for those same basic janitorial duties. Different situations and scenarios are different for everyone as to why they have accepted a cleaning job at minimum wage to above minimum wage. Where I live in my town, incentive for cleaning is huge here. Minimum wage here is $9.95 per hour but most basic cleaning jobs starting are between $12 -$15 an hour.
biggredd75 12
I work for a union at a power plant and make 27.45 an hour .... Union is the way to go
fukre 3
U can change your career now.;)
perdix 29
I hope you were nice to cleaning person who told you all this. If so, you have an "in" on a promising career with a future to take you away from your dead-end job!
starile 19
This is true, maintenance workers tend to be under appreciated. Even though I work for large insurance agency that shares the building with the Oprah Winfrey Network and E! Network television, I chat with the maintenance workers about their families and share pizza and donuts with them. People must be grateful for the fact that they keep our fancy looking buildings so damn nice!
xtna 9
Sounds like mannanon is a little bitter that he cleans toilets for so little. no need to attack the toilet cleaners that were smart enough to join a union.
Cazz91 21
They also live in the UK. Their economy situation and job demands for that country can be very different compared to other countries. You can take a doctor for example: This doctor lives in "country A" and makes $60,000 per year versus the doctor living in "country B" that makes way more for the exact same job at $100,000 per year.
monnanon 13
first i am a woman second i have climbed to the position of head receptionist within the same company and no longer clean toilets unless we are very busy. actually i enjoyed it when i cleaned. you got your head down and got on with it and before you knew ot the hift was over i just dont like people dressing up a job as something it is not. i would have been uncomfortablr getting paid that much, leave that pay for docs and nurses you also spelt my name wrong.
queerdragon 20
Doctors and nurses make way more than $19 an hour where I am from.
monnanon 13
then you have some lucky nurses where you live.
maggiewalters 17
I dont make as much as this cleaning person but I absolutely love my job. Do you think they love theirs?
The_Khan 12
Sounds like it is time for you to join the union ? Just a thought.
TheDrifter 23
Perhaps OP has a very low value position in the company? When a company unionizes, those people are usually eliminated and their work load taken up by the others. Unions hurt the bottom of the work force by removing any financial incentive for companies to keep them. The more you have to pay an entry level worker, the harder you look for an experienced worker you only have to pay a little more.
The_Khan 12
The OP might be in a very low position in the company. Lower then the cleaning staff apparently. I think that companies try to hire the exact number of people for the job that needs to get done. Therefore the idea that the company hires extra people because they are cheap makes no sense. The jobs will not disappear just because they get wages they can live on. The Young Turks (that I recommend for many reasons on Youtube) made a comment a week or so ago, that if you double the minimum wage, the cost of a cup of coffee will go up by some insignificant amount (14 cents ? not sure on the exact number). Point is that the underpaid wages are a small part of the companies expenses.
pedinhuh 23
Makes me wonder what kind of college degree you've chosen, maybe you need to join a union too!
1dvs_bstd 41
School is overrated. What's the point of spending most of your childhood, teenage years and early adulthood in a facilitated building if the reward doesn't isn't even close to being decent?
ColdplaySucks 18
Exactly. There's a huge difference between an education and school. The reason why homeschoolers most often become smarter than the average public school student is because the current system fails to give us a proper education. And the time they spend in school is a fraction of what we spend. The current system is flawed and often produces mediocrity level students.
RedPillSucks 31
How are you determining the rewards for everyone? I went to public schools and got a decent education. I can assure you that I'm not mediocre in my field.