Hollywood isn't out there anymore, but here he is last summer demonstrating how to wait for work. Lean your bike against a building, grab a soda, light up a cigarette, and wait to get dispatched a tag so that, hopefully, you can make a little bit of money.
On Wednesday, July 1st, minimum wage in Illinois increases to $8.00 per hour.
There are a few common mis-conceptions about minimum wage and messengers. One is that since most messengers in Chicago work for commission, minimum wage doesn't apply to you. This is not true, even if you work for commission, the amount of pay you receive divided by the number of hours you work must equal at least $8.00 per hour. This means that if you work an eight hour day, you must gross at least $64.00 for your days work. If you average $3.00 per tag in commission, you must get at least 21 runs per day. Many messengers are averaging less than 20 runs per day, and as such, are probably making less than minimum wage.
The other mis-conception is regarding "standby". This is a common term in the messenger industry, but it is misleading. The CCU has been in contact with the Illinois department of Labor, and has discussed this issue with them. Standby refers to time when you are waiting to find out if you are required to work that day or not. Once you have been told to come in to work, and you are on your way to your first pick up, have picked up equipment from your office, or you have entered the downtown zone, you are on the clock and working. In between runs, couriers are not "standing by", but technically you are "waiting to engage work". It's as if you work in a factory and the line is shut down while you are clocked in. You don't clock out until you are told to go home. If you are told to sit downtown and wait for more work to come in, this time is not your own, and you should be compensated for it.
So what is the Chicago Couriers Union doing about this? The CCU has created a worksheet to help messengers figure out if they are making at least minimum wage. This worksheet will be distributed this week, and will be covered at the next CCU meeting, on Wednesday, July 1st. The IDOL bases minimum wage claims on a months wages, so the worksheets will help you figure out your compensation over the course of a month. At the end of the month, the CCU will assist messengers in making claims against companies who are paying them less than minimum wage. This program is not limited to messengers who are classified as employees by their companies. We will also assist messengers who are classified as independent contractors with their claims. At least two of the major companies in Chicago who improperly mis-classify their employees as IC's have had successful claims by messengers proving that they are employees. The CCU intends to help workers who are classified as IC's make claims with the IDOL , and receive the compensation that they deserve.
So make sure that you get a form, either from a CCU member on the street, download one off this site later this week, or pick one up at the next meeting.
2 comments:
you follow hollywoods example, and you'll be pounding downa 12 pack of pepsi a day, and smoking a pack a day. better switch to ultra lights and diet coke!
Ha ha! He should have worked at S1 with Tom. Tom comes into the office every morning to dispatch with 2-24oz bottles of Coke and a pack of Marlboros. He doesn't eat lunch, he just smokes, drinkes Coke, and dispatches all day.
Post a Comment