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Author Topic: Pay rates for hourly concession, ticket, usher staff Tony Monje Film Handler Posts: 15 From: Weatherford, TX 76087, TX Registered: Oct 2004 posted 02-12-2007 11:10 PM                     I am interested in getting some feedback on an issue that I have been noticing over the past year or so, probably longer. I start my hourly people at $5.75 per hour, .60 over the minimum wage of $5.15. I have been getting more and more applications for first-time workers (high school kids) who expect to start at $7, $8 or even higher per hour starting pays. The kids we do hire, who are responsible, show up to work on time, keep up with their schedule, and do at least the minimum expected of them, do get raises. Either .15 to .25 per, say, a six month period. I am hearing more complaints from some of my employees about what a hard job it is to work either concession or ushering, and they expect a higher wage for the job expected of them. I do not hesitate to give raises to the real go-getters, but they are few and far between. I of course, still have to strive to keep my payroll percentages in line. I would like to know what other independants are paying their hourly people, and if any of you are experiencing these same type of complaints.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-12-2007 11:57 PM                     You're lucky to be able to start out someone more than min. wage. Some locations rather start their people at sub-minimum wage due to that they are so cheap and rather fatten up their own wallet than spend a few extra sheckels to ensure quality personnel ... and they wonder why good help is hard to find and why their business operations have a very low level of work ethics and morale, yet blame the manager for all of it. Problem is, that this new day generation is so material minded and fed with a silver spoon in their mouth that they put a high price on their heads when they don't know what work is all about and expect more than what reality can pay them. All you can say is "you'll get the ones who'll enjoy the job and want to stay for the duration" and let the others who want to whine about what your pay is go out and let them find their 'pot of gold' that they've been taught to find. You're just lucky that you're not in a circuit that has locations is two or more states where one state's payroll is a good $2.70/hr higher than the neighboring state who is still at $5.15/hr, and your theatre just happens to be in that higher paying state .... and you get tons of flak from home office on keeping payroll down and productivity on the continual upswing.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-13-2007 01:05 AM                        Better brace yourself, the Feds will probably have the minimum wage at $7.25 before the end of next year.  |  IP: Logged Christopher Crouch Expert Film Handler Posts: 128 From: Holywood, ca, usa Registered: May 2006 posted 02-13-2007 05:08 AM                  All the companies I've been involved with (greatly varying sizes/types) start off at minimum. I too have noticed much higher wage expectations and experienced more frequent complaints, from new hires, over the past few years. I've also noticed a sharp decline in the overall quality of applicants and a weaker general work ethic, than in years past. For a time, I wrote it off to my falling in to the "back in my day" mindset (ie. I was remembering an idealized past). However, after beginning to hear the same concerns voiced by others, from a variety of businesses, I began to believe there was more to it. I've noticed this issue being very much age/generation related.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 02-13-2007 03:35 PM                        For me it was always an issue of what could the local fast food giant pay vs. us. If somebody could get paid more to do a much more specific job (ie. stand and assemble burgers) they usually do that instead. When I started (1994) most of my co-workers took the theatre job over the burger job because it was almost the same pay to work in a cleaner, cooler and fun environment. Now that things aren't nearly as equal pay-wise, the cleaner, cooler fun environment doesn't win out.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-13-2007 05:12 PM                        We have in the past started all of our new hires at $5.50 an hour. After they've shown me they can work, and take some initiative to do things on their own rather than me or my wife having to tell them, we'll usually increase their wages and additional .25 cents per hour. If we have employees from the previous season return for the current year, we'll bump them up an additional .25 cents per hour. What gets me with the new minimum wage going into effect is that if the new hires are going to get $7.25 per hour, in all fairness we will need to increase the existing employees pay rate accordingly. Since my boxoffice lady is already making more than $7.25 per hour, I would need to increase her hourly wage to a little more than $9.30 an hour. As the theatre owner who doesn't get a paycheck - but works 7 nights a week, I don't know of any position at my theatre that demands a salary of $9.30 an hour. In the three years since we've built and owned the theatre neither me or my wife have been able to draw a paycheck... so I can testify that the greedy theatre owners are not getting rich. Like it has been stated in the other thread about minimum wage, all of the costs will end up being passed on to the consumer... ticket prices will go up and concessions will to.  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-13-2007 05:17 PM                     New Jersey went to a minimum wage of $7.15/hr last October. That simply forced us to give idiots a raise. I like to think that one good employee making $9-10 hr. is worth two making the minimum. Also remember that a rising tide lifts all boats. If you pay the newbees the minimum ( which you are forced to), your experienced employees will want more (and should get it). In the end, it all gets passed on to the customers in the form of more expensive movie tickets.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 02-13-2007 06:28 PM                     Yes, but the truth about raising the bottom is that as a percentage it means more to those at the bottom in buying power. Give a $2/hour raise to a $6/hour employee and they are 30% wealthier and can purchase more or have a better choice of what they do purchase. Give that same $2/hour (based on a 40 hour week ) to a CEO pulling in $5 million/year and they won't see any noticable improvement in income or buying power. From the rising cost of goods...a $2/hour increase in all employees does not mean a significant increase in the cost of goods, necessarily. One has to look at the total increase in payroll, look at the added proft needed to offset that increase and then factor that into how much money is made per sale and then subdivide that into how much more profit is needed in each item in that typical sale. In theatres, this might translate into 10-cents in popcorn in sodas. Which will quickly turn into a quarter to make the till easier which means the theatre will most likely profit more, providing they don't already charge so much they are at the point of making people decide to not purchase concessions/tickets. When something like the national minimum wage is raised, it is more easy for the common person to understand such a small increase in the cost of goods. Easier than understanding how gas prices soar an extra $1/gallon in just a few weeks!  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 02-13-2007 07:59 PM                        More than half the States already have minimum wage laws that are higher than the Federal Government, so what the Feds do isn't all that relevant. All the populous States except for Texas are in this category. Kansas is the only State with a minimum wage below that of the Federal government - $2.65 an hour (talk about cheap!) There are some southern states with no minimum wage law. I'm not sure if that means they have to pay the Federal rate or not. Based on a 1966 minimum wage of $1.25, the 2006 minimum wage should have been $7.76, just to keep pace with inflation.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-13-2007 09:04 PM                    quote: Martin Brooks All the populous States except for Texas are in this category. Kansas is the only State with a minimum wage below that of the Federal government - $2.65 an hour (talk about cheap!) There are some southern states with no minimum wage law. I'm not sure if that means they have to pay the Federal rate or not. Any state that still has a state minimum wage law that is below federal minimum or no minimum wage law at all must follow the federal laws. The only time the state law over rides the feds is when the wage is higher than the federal minimum. As far as I know when it comes to sub minimum that can only apply to jobs where tips are the normal thing like waiters and waitresses.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-13-2007 11:31 PM                        You guys need to move to Washington. We've been paying above $7 for years. This'll be the second year our new hires start at $8. You ought to see what the kids around here think they should be starting at!  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-14-2007 12:48 AM                     As a note on Darryl's post, there is a different mininum wage for 'tipping' jobs, however, if the employee does not make up the difference in tips they must be paid $5.15/hour by their employee. So a waitress/waiter who gets stuck working a slow shift and only gets $1 in tips from one customer in an hour doesn't make $3.45 for that hour (federal tipping mininum is $2.35, I think), they get $5.15. Mininum wage means mininum, this applies to salary people also. If your weekly salary was $515 in one week and you worked over 100 hours your employee would need to pay you extra to make your effective hourly wage at least $5.15. And then it gets even more complicated if you are salary but eligible for overtime (being on salary does not mean automatic exemption from OT).....  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 02-14-2007 07:43 AM                     quote: Steve Guttag Yes, but the truth about raising the bottom is that as a percentage it means more to those at the bottom in buying power. Give a $2/hour raise to a $6/hour employee and they are 30% wealthier and can purchase more or have a better choice of what they do purchase Which then leads to inflation and the buying power eventually ends up where it was to start and then minimum wage is increased again and then.............round and round we go  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-14-2007 01:11 PM                        quote: there is a different mininum wage for 'tipping' jobs, Tips are probably one of the biggest ways this country loses tax money. I'd be willing to bet that at least half or more tips never get reported. I think it should be illegal to leave money on a table or slip it to a waitperson...the tip should be added (by the customer) to the sale ticket and then "rung up" with the sale at the register.  |  IP: Logged John McConnel Expert Film Handler Posts: 118 From: Okmulgee, OK USA Registered: Nov 2003 posted 02-14-2007 02:09 PM                        In most cases,we start at the minimum of $5.15. If their work is satisfactory, at the end of their second pay period, we start increasing, up to $6.00. If we're re-hiring a person who was a good employee, we start at $6.  |  IP: Logged

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