Globe & Mail: Maid for a Month (Jan Wong)

[spike-spiegel]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/maidforamonth

Read this article and it is kinda interesting. I never knew maids get paid min wage (I don't have a maid). A reporter as a maid for a month?! That's hardcore.

[felixdd]

Reading...interesting so far. I want to see what she comes out with from the experience, especially since she says she has a part time housekeeper herself.

[Crotchety Old Man]

Great article about the new underclass.

[snplow]

Wow, that is an excellent read. (Good distraction for finals) I am really a big fan of Jan Wong's writing. Has anyone read the book "Red China Blue's"? I remember reading it a long time ago (actually, back when I was in elementary I think!) and I remember that it was a book I really enjoyed.

Thanks to the OP!

[drucillica]

wow - great read!

[kilarney]

This is a very intriguing read. I feel some sympathy for the maids and nannys.

I normally don't subsribe to the Globe but maybe I should know.

[Kuurgen]

Excellent read, any online links to her china blues article I keep hearing so much about?

[nfnx]

wow i was thinking how interesting this could actually be, and boy was i surprised, this is a very good read and she is a great writer!

[Irb]

What else is there for Consuela to do?

[boonjaca]

It was an interesting read, just hated the fact that I had to sign up to read the story.

[Kuurgen]

Next time try www.bugmenot.com

A must for all those annoying mandatory registrations.

[snplow]

Does anyone have Insider Edition? Could you please post it here? :cheesygri The article for the part II series is locked and I can't read it >:(

[spike-spiegel]

Wow, that is an excellent read. (Good distraction for finals) I am really a big fan of Jan Wong's writing. Has anyone read the book "Red China Blue's"? I remember reading it a long time ago (actually, back when I was in elementary I think!) and I remember that it was a book I really enjoyed.

Thanks to the OP!

Wow never heard of her beofre this article. Glad I posted this here, learn something new. I wish I was an G&M insider too. >:(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Wong

A former Maoist? Seems like she seen all the stuff that China went under.

[cheeseshredder]

I have printed the articles into PDF format from PressDisplay if anyone is interested.

I'm surprised that this is a shock to a lot of people, judging from the comments. I thought this was well-known in Canada, guess not.

[Slimfast]

It bugs me that the rich are making some merry experiment out of a life my family and I only came out of a few years ago. They can't know what it's like; they always had a way out. To them this was just a game, something to distract themselves from their priviliged lives. They never came close to hitting rock bottom and always could find comfort in the knowledge that they could end their "poverty" at any time, something which is obviously not true for those truly living this lifestyle.

On the otherhand, I appreciate what she is bringing to light here. I previously thought that most Canadians would be acquainted with poverty, albeit not firsthand, but judging from the responses to this thread, there's still a lot out there who are clueless. So on that bit I'm glad that Jan Wong is using her position to educate Canadians about the underclass.

[cheeseshredder]

Ok, I uploaded the ones that were on pressdisplay:

http://www3.telus.net/jhuynh/maid.html

[go leafs]

Ok, I uploaded the ones that were on pressdisplay:

http://www3.telus.net/jhuynh/maid.html

thanks!! :)

[michelle]

Ok, I uploaded the ones that were on pressdisplay:

http://www3.telus.net/jhuynh/maid.html
THANK YOU ITS A GOOD READ!!

[Gdog]

Jan Wong is an excellent writer. Awesome reads I must say.

On a side note, did anyone watch "Tank Man" on PBS earlier in the week? Jan Wong appeared and talked about her experience during the ordeal...

[Anessa]

Thanks for the great read :)

[eelfliw]

JW is a great writer. I've started reading her article years ago when she was Globe & Mail's Beijing Bureau chief. To date, Globe has not been able to find someone who can write their experiences as well as JW (apologies to Mickleburgh & York).

She was a Maoist in her early days. Went to China to pay homage to the "Great Hemlsman" only to return as a capitalist. She personnified the death of communism.

Her new series is interesting. I won't make judgement yet. But reading her report has opened my eyes. I have a maid, I pay her under the table (cash). She makes almost 3 times what those maids make. But it appears that I'm over paying. If she makes almost 3 times the money, she should close to twice as effective as she is now. Not only that, she drinks my juice in the fridge without replacing it (I end up with warm drink when I get home) and cranks up my stereo while working. I need to set up the webcam. May be she farts on my pillow too.

It's time for a good talk or a firing. Thanks JW.

[Anessa]

JW is a great writer. I've started reading her article years ago when she was Globe & Mail's Beijing Bureau chief. To date, Globe has not been able to find someone who can write their experiences as well as JW (apologies to Mickleburgh & York).

She was a Maoist in her early days. Went to China to pay homage to the "Great Hemlsman" only to return as a capitalist. She personnified the death of communism.

Her new series is interesting. I won't make judgement yet. But reading her report has opened my eyes. I have a maid, I pay her under the table (cash). She makes almost 3 times what those maids make. But it appears that I'm over paying. If she makes almost 3 times the money, she should close to twice as effective as she is now. Not only that, she drinks my juice in the fridge without replacing it (I end up with warm drink when I get home) and cranks up my stereo while working. I need to set up the webcam. May be she farts on my pillow too.

It's time for a good talk or a firing. Thanks JW.

Maybe you should do the cleaning yourself if you're going to be a distrusting boss. She shouldn't do the juice thing without replacing it and maybe do the music at a tolerable level but if you're going to spy on her then that's wrong.

[Steeve Urkel]

You would be so surprized at what/who the "underclass" is thesedays.

Alot of people working in retail. call centres make about $7 or $8 an hour!
and can barely afford to buy the $1 items of food at the grocery store after rent.

Every time I take the bus downtown at lunch, you can see the long lineups of people at the churches food kitchen for food, it is right across from the ottawa university and they have a big sign reuquesting food donations for "st joe's supper table".

Also, I just read last year that the university in my city even has a food bank for the students now.seriously! >:(

one of my friends is single and disabled..she gets about $240 a month for food- how far does that go???

[manixc]

$240 for just food is doable. That's roughly $48-60/week depending on the month.

[Steeve Urkel]

$240 for just food is doable. That's roughly $48-60/week depending on the month.

not saying it isn't...

just the majority of ppl don't know how to look for food deals.

most just go to loblaws and think that $5 for a box of cereal is the reg price and also pay $4 for michelinas "crap" when it is $1 at foodbasics.

alot of people think it is "not cool" to use coupons.

you would be so surprized how many ppl don't know how to find coupons online.
I always get ppl asking me where I got the save.ca coupons when i am in line at the grocery store!

[Casanova]

not saying it isn't...

just the majority of ppl don't know how to look for food deals.

most just go to loblaws and think that $5 for a box of cereal is the reg price and also pay $4 for michelinas "crap" when it is $1 at foodbasics.

alot of people think it is "not cool" to use coupons.

you would be so surprized how many ppl don't know how to find coupons online.
I always get ppl asking me where I got the save.ca coupons when i am in line at the grocery store!

fascinating article. To answer your "points": to look for food deals, you need a car/transportation which require money and time, these people are not exactly in a situation to go groecry wasting an hour in the bus to save 2-3$.

[ferkel]

I thought the part of her having to go to No Frills was a joke.. that just shows how out of touch she is with the common person living in her million dollar house.

[trusoulja2g]

I'm really enjoying this series of articles. However, it's as revealing about the upper middle class, university-educated group that JW belongs to as it is about the underclass that she's writing about.

[cheeseshredder]

From the comments, it seems like a lot of people weren't aware of this problem in Canada... Always thought this was well known.

I found a very interesting comment:
Cody Sharpe from Lethbridge, Canada writes: This series is absolutely fantastic. But where are you going to go with it Jan? When the month is over, and you return to your real life with your silk carpets and rich food, is this just going to become a cute story you tell at parties to people with too much money?

It does seem like she's focusing on herself more than the issue at hand. What's going to happen after this is over? Nothing, nothing's going to change.

[Bullseye]

one of my friends is single and disabled..she gets about $240 a month for food- how far does that go???

Come on now...I spend $300 per month to feed myself, wife, and son, and we eat very well. This isn't hard to do if you only buy un-processed foods, as we mostly do. $240 for one person is plenty.

[eelfliw]

Maybe you should do the cleaning yourself if you're going to be a distrusting boss. She shouldn't do the juice thing without replacing it and maybe do the music at a tolerable level but if you're going to spy on her then that's wrong.
I am doing some of the cleaning myself and that's why I'm complaining. My maid isn't thorough enough despite the hours she works (that I pay for). I can't help but wonder what she is really doing while I'm away?

A boss that doesn't keep track of a worker's progress and efficiency is a foolish boss. I'd rather be a distrusting boss than a fool.

[poedua]

I am doing some of the cleaning myself and that's why I'm complaining. My maid isn't thorough enough despite the hours she works (that I pay for). I can't help but wonder what she is really doing while I'm away?

A boss that doesn't keep track of a worker's progress and efficiency is a foolish boss. I'd rather be a distrusting boss than a fool.

Give the maid a couple of warnings. If there is no improvement then fire the maid and get someone else.... it seems to me it would be " foolish " to continue paying someone for sub-standard work .

[eelfliw]

I found a very interesting comment:

It does seem like she's focusing on herself more than the issue at hand. What's going to happen after this is over? Nothing, nothing's going to change.
Seems people like to complain about the income disparity and want someone else to do something about it. JW's article is about her experiences as a maid. Not an editorial about state of economy in Canada. For the whiners, why don't they take action themselves?

For starters, those complaining about wage disparity should offer to pay their maids $50 an hour and offer dental and medical benefits.

Next, offer employment guarantee, mininum hours of work per week, matching RRSP contributions and kids scholarship programs.

Finally, supplemental food bonuses, health club membership and weekly chairopractor treatments.

Now, there is equlity. Will Cody Sharpe still hire a maid? Or 2 or 3?

[eelfliw]

Give the maid a couple of warnings. If there is no improvement then fire the maid and get someone else.... it seems to me it would be " foolish " to continue paying someone for sub-standard work .
That's what I'll be doing. But someone above thinks I shouldn't "spy" on the maid.

[nano]

Maybe you should do the cleaning yourself if you're going to be a distrusting boss. She shouldn't do the juice thing without replacing it and maybe do the music at a tolerable level but if you're going to spy on her then that's wrong.
My grandmother has a maid that comes over everyother day. She makes sure she has something to eat before she goes home and invites her to holiday get togethers. spying on ppl is wrong

[Bullseye]

This thread has sort of stalled in terms of discussion about the actual issue, so I'll throw this out.

Here's the reality of the situation...poverty activists are well-meaning, but usually not very well versed in economics. They want all low paid workers to get a 'living wage', so we can all live in a nice utopia where everyone is above the poverty line. By accounts I've read, that 'living wage' is about $17/hour. The problem is that if we raised the minimum wage to this level, it would mean a big increase in customers bills who have their houses cleaned. The natural result of this is that many (but not all) people will stop paying for house cleaning, and do it themselves for free. House cleaners will have no jobs, and no job is worse than a low paying one. Not a great ending.

This is the problem with minimum wages, they actually increase unemployment. It's better to leave things to themselves to get sorted out by the reality of the market. Wages for house cleaners are low because there are many people who are willing to do it for a low wage, like most unskilled jobs. At a certain low level of pay, these workers would decide it isn't worth it to clean houses for that wage, and they would move to other unskilled work, or improve their skills to get a better job. A shortage of house cleaners would ensue, and wages would rise until enough people thought the new wage was worth it. A minimum wage is artificially preventing this from happening, though, it sidesteps economic reality.

[cheeseshredder]

Seems people like to complain about the income disparity and want someone else to do something about it. JW's article is about her experiences as a maid. Not an editorial about state of economy in Canada. For the whiners, why don't they take action themselves?

For starters, those complaining about wage disparity should offer to pay their maids $50 an hour and offer dental and medical benefits.

Next, offer employment guarantee, mininum hours of work per week, matching RRSP contributions and kids scholarship programs.

Finally, supplemental food bonuses, health club membership and weekly chairopractor treatments.

Now, there is equlity. Will Cody Sharpe still hire a maid? Or 2 or 3?

There isn't much we can do in terms of wages, but what about the lack of enforcement concerning laws/rules from the government surrounding the job?

Oh well, things like this will always exist no matter what (only the form changes). It's the flaw of a capitalist system. I just know in my family, we wouldn' t be CLOSE to getting by if it wasn't for the child supplements/benefits from the government.

[kennyt18]

just the majority of ppl don't know how to look for food deals.

most just go to loblaws and think that $5 for a box of cereal is the reg price and also pay $4 for michelinas "crap" when it is $1 at foodbasics.



Sorry for thread jacking...but...

What is the price of Vector Cereal at FoodBasics? Right now, I'm paying $7 for a jumbo box of Vector at Loblaws.

Is there somewhere cheaper that I can get my cereal? I go threw 1 box a week.

[Anessa]

I am doing some of the cleaning myself and that's why I'm complaining. My maid isn't thorough enough despite the hours she works (that I pay for). I can't help but wonder what she is really doing while I'm away?

A boss that doesn't keep track of a worker's progress and efficiency is a foolish boss. I'd rather be a distrusting boss than a fool.

Well then can her if she's not doing a good job. You didn't really make it clear initially. I thought she was just taking a juice and playing loud music. In the end it's your call and your housecleaning...