School gets 700 applicants for (one) janitorial job

[Bozita]

Source: AP

Saturday, March 7, 2009
School gets 700 applicants for janitorial job
Associated Press


MASSILON, Ohio -- Evidence of the slumping economy is stacking up at an Ohio school which has nearly 700 applications for one open janitorial job.

Officials at Perry Local Schools near Canton in northeast Ohio say they've extended the deadline until Monday to accommodate the overwhelming response to the week-old posting.

The full-time position at Edison Junior High School pays $15 to $16 an hour plus benefits.

Superintendent John Richard says many applicants are laid-off workers with heart-wrenching stories about the tough economic times.

Read more: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090...

[Danmel]

1. How depressing

Everytime I hear Eric Kantor or Mitch McConnell or those stupd talking heads saying we need to freeze spending and do nothing, I want to just have the power to make them have to live the lives of all the people they've screwed over all these years and then blame for the mess we are in. It is scary out there.

[bulloney]

3. Yeah. And McConnell and his wife are both government employees.

What's with these Republicans. They go all over the place and denounce living off the taxpayers, and they've done it for most or all of their professional lives.

Phil Gramm is another example.

Hypocrites!

[jkappy]

2. Crossing Guard Positions--Long Waiting List!! n/t

[ReliantJ]

4. The waiting list has a waiting list

[barbtries]

5. i hope they plan to do a lottery

so everyone has the same chance at getting the job.

[Myrina]

6. ... and another residual effect of this ...

... is that businesses are now going to be able to low-ball wages because people are so desperate they'll take anything in alot of cases ... so whatever progress the labor movement has made on that front recently, is gone. Sigh.

[No Elephants]

7. Thank you, Republicans and Republican wannabees.

[sarcasmo]

8. 140,000 people applied this winter for a casino yet to open in Allegan county Michigan.

Wait for it, the 140,000 applied for 1500 jobs.

[tonysam]

9. It's Public Employment

This means there is typically more job "security" and better benefits than in the private sector. That explains the high number of applicants.

[sarcasmo]

10. No such thing as job security in these times.

[Confusious]

11. When, in the past thirty years, has there been job security

because I haven't seen it.

[No Elephants]

16. In the last 30 years, never. No job security. Only an illusion of job security in some

places. Self employment is the only way to ensure you won't be fired. However, it does not ensure steady income. And, you don't get to collect unemployment if work is slow.

[tonysam]

13. Believe Me, I KNOW Firsthand

there's no "job security" in public employment any more than in private employment, but the fact remains the benefits and retirement are far better in general than in the private sector.

THAT'S why there are hundreds and hundreds of applicants for this job. Applying for public jobs is ALWAYS highly competitive; janitorial jobs are no exception.

[sarcasmo]

14. Then explain the 140,000 applications at the new casino in SW Michigan.

It's called twenty percent unemployment.

[OhioChick]

12. I heard this morning on the local news....

It's so depressing, things are so bad here.

[KillCapitalism]

15. That's actually a pretty good job in this economy.

$15-$16/hr. + benefits is not bad at all.

Most jobs listed in the newspaper around where I live are $9-$10/hr. with little or no bennies.

[sabra]

17. (Cleveland) Janitor's job attracts nearly 700 applicants

Source: wkyc

STARK COUNTY -- When a job for a full-time custodian opened up at Edison Junior High School near Massillon, Barry Mason expected a "pretty good response."

But the avalanche of applications Mason, the director of business operations at Perry Local Schools, received after the $15.37/hour job with benefits was posted in local newspapers has been a real eye opener on the economy in Stark County.

"Six hundred and sixty seven (applications) at the close of business on Friday," Mason said. "At that rate, we're thinking that what comes in over the weekend and Monday that we're on pace to be between 700 and 800 (applications)."

Stark County is dealing with double-digit unemployment. Nearly 20,000 people or 10.4 percent of the county's workforce was unemployed in January.

"As I walk through the reception area and see some of the individuals coming in and out of our office," Mason said, "it struck me that a number of folks were in their late 40's, to even 50's and 60's that were coming in and applying for this position."

Read more: http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyi...

[liberalhistorian]

18. But, but, but, aren't those the jobs

that Americans don't want to do, so employers have no choice but to use immigrants/undocumented workers?

[TwilightGardener]

19. 15.37/per hour isn't bad for unskilled labor and probably solid school-system

benefits--I am not surprised.