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5. Ten Dollars an Hour
2 years ago
The story of an African-American cook at the Sigma Nu fraternity house at the University of Mississippi.
Completed in April of 2009.
Completed in April of 2009.
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After a career as a photographer for nearly 30 yrs...I found myself working for Olan Mills and only making 7.50 hourly. Now THATS a sad story.
But that's me projecting. These people have to work with each other, and I guess that would be hard to do if some documentarian shows up and reveals what people actually think of each other.
A 'power relationship', indeed.
I am a Sigma Nu and have served as financial advisor and on the house corporation. I feel for the cooks and custodians, but there are economic realities. These workers often have little to no education (I believe Leasse stated she started work at 14 or 15). You admit she is paid a market rate. Several of the older cooks suffer from a myriad of health problems and there is no way to insure them at any cost without firing them once the fraternities premiums get jacked, much like with any small business.
214 members at $4,000 a year hardly works into over $800K in actual collections. Only active members pay. Members who themselves work as servers at sorority houses, etc. do not pay the full dues. Also, college students being college students, they often don't have the funds and drop off the rolls. Dues go to pay for food and for the house itself including the wonderful kitchen shown (which was renovated for the first time since the sixties just a few years ago).
It is not like there is an $800K pot of gold for the members to pay their employees.
We have approached the University about letting our workers work for them, lease them, or form a pool that would entitle them to state benefits paid for by all of the fraternities, but as some other posters on Metafilter point out, the campus has itself outsourced food labor to Aramark to cut costs.
While Sigma Nu is currently strong, the House Corp. who serve for free and often put their names on mortgages have to plan for lower numbers, or, God Forbid, getting kicked off campus for a period. Like a lot of small businesses these are the realities that force the chapter in deciding not to insure.
Sigma Nu at Ole Miss has raised over a million $ in the fight against spinal injuries. Many of the recipients of their fund raising efforts have been African American.
BTW, the pool pre-dates Archie Manning contrary to your comment. It was paid out of dues and donations.
From my perspective -- and I'm not affiliated with the documentary, I just watched it and liked it -- you're misinterpreting the tone. This documentary didn't make me feel like there was anything /specifically/ wrong with Sigma Nu, or that you guys were worse than the rest of us -- than campuses that allow Aramark to hire full time workers without giving benefits, for example.
The point to me seemed to be that there are people in our society who we fail to serve, who we love but don't support. Perhaps we've tried and failed to; perhaps it's not really any one person or one organization's fault. Even if that's true, we can't forget that this happens. The documentary reminded me about the people I depend on in my life who I don't take care of.
You're perfectly regular people and by the legal and ethical standards of the nation, you don't have any reason to defend yourselves. It's the standards of the nation that need to change, and the point of the documentary from my perspective isn't to create pressure that forces Sigma Nu to change, it's to inspire the rest of us to change ourselves.
That having been said, if you can raise a million dollars for spinal cord injuries, you can scrape together $10K and insure some folks that you care about. :) But I'm just saying.
Your name says it exactly! We need a public option.
First of all, $10,000 is NOT a realistic number for 4 cooks/custodians and a house mother. It is stated as fact, but I know having looked into insurance in the early 90s to cover our cooks would have cost much much more then.
Cooks at the time I was an active Sigma Nu suffered from health problems that made $200 a month per employee laughable. Most House Mothers are older. Most cooks are older. Many suffer from type two diabetes.
I don't want to give a benefit that I have to jerk away because of insurance companies. I have a small business with one employee. To insure five people (my assistant and my family of four) cost me over $2000 a month. I afford it because my family need the insurance. We are all young and that cost is double that quoted by Mr. Guest's economist. Add in a much older employee base with long term health issues and your premiums triple.
As to misinterpreting the tone, I saw enough from the documentary itself (e.g. Sigma Nu has never had a black member) and reinforced by Mr. Guest's comments from links, etc. all of which contain a basic premise, black, poor, Sigma Nu, white, rich won't pay. Mr. Guest's comments re Archie Manning paying for the pool and bringing up the alleged cache of guns during the Meredith riots at which time Trent Lott was there (both based on age old rumors) smacked of "these are bad kids." While the documentary itself was subtle, his subsequent comments were not.
I HAVE been intrigued with the thought of doing something about insuring campus workers. But the way insurance works in this country currently does not make it feasible. We cannot pool with other fraternities because Blue Cross won't let us. The University (read state) will not let us join their pool. There is no high risk pool or way for us to participate with Medicaid to cover working poor.
And, sorry to be cold, but if we were to offer $10 per hour and benefits in this market, we would attract an awful lot of folks who are currently underemployed and white!
As for the charity angle, I expected it to be thrown back at me. Imagine trying to raise money from the community at large to try and do something for your own employees. I can hear it now, "Why should I give to you for you to pay your employees when I cannot afford that benefit for my own."
What we do often do is raise money for our staff when they get sick. Alumni also step in. It may not be insurance, but it is a system. The disheartening thing is to have a staff member quit so they can go on medicaid. But basically that is our system because it is currently the only sustainable one. Unfortunately it is the system for this country as well.
Thanks for watching the film and taking the time to comment. While I realize you are not acting in an official capacity I appreciate you offering the perspective of a former financial advisor and House Corporation member. I'm happy to interview you and post the unedited interview online if you, or anyone associated with the house, would like "equal time" to respond. I'm also happy to meet or talk with you or anyone from the Sigma Nu house. I will message you my contact information. I do have a few questions:
Why can the house afford to give Ms. Jones health insurance but not Ms. Williams?
How much is the annual insurance for the swimming pool?
How much money in dues is taken in each year by the house?
How much money is taken in through alumni fundraising each year?
What is the annual social budget?
How much does the Sigma Nu house pay the university for the land on which the house is occupied?
Regarding the comments, including mine, on metafilter (metafilter.com/85384/Ten-Dollars-an-Hour):
a) Thank you for clarifying that Archie Manning did not donate the funds for the pool.
b) The story of the FBI raiding the Sigma Nu house and finding a cache of rifles during the integration of the University of Mississippi while Trent Lott was "Commander" of the fraternity is not a rumor. It has been reported many times (as a simple google search will show) and confirmed by Lott himself.
Only if I am free to interview you as well. No holds barred re your techniques and what you told Ms. Williams, members of the Chapter and Alumni advisor's re the documentary prior to their agreement to participate. In front of each of them.
I would also like to know who gave you the $200 per month figure as the cost to insure?
Why can the house afford to give Ms. Jones health insurance but not Ms. Williams?
While that did not happen while I was active, I can tell you we never had a house mother with Ms. Jones' credentials.
You see, in this country, persons with little education and non-unique skills tend to make less than others and have nominal benefits. I think were you to poll wages etc, across the board of fraternities at UM, your would find we are on the high end of the competitive scale for both front line staff and house mothers.
I know because we have a pool, we are an easy target, but blaming Ms. Jones and her experience, training, and education for Ms. Williams' situation is hardly fair.
How much is the annual insurance for the swimming pool?
I have no idea, Sigma Nu nationals charges us a fee based on the number of members and a risk assessment. We are very risk aware and, thus, pay a fair premium. Because we are responsible stewards of this unique feature of fraternity life, do not haze and enjoy a good reputation with campus administration, we are able to afford the luxury.
18 - 22 year olds tend to do stupid stuff whether there is a pool or not. Therefore, I would not imagine the chapter's insurance would go up appreciably if we had a pit of vipers there. I will try and get a figure.
How much money in dues is taken in each year by the house?
Again, no idea. Isn't the more important question what is the net profits after expenses and debt service? You stated as fact a gross number of $800K without deducting any expenses. No doubt this was designed to shock your viewer. You cannot make up profits by losing money on volume. $800K is irrelevant if our costs are $1M isn't it?
How much money is taken in through alumni fundraising each year?
Depends. We target fund raise for specific items. Such as the fine kitchen you highlight.
What is the annual social budget?
Much less than the budget for food, kitchen staff, debt service, insurance and payment to our National Chapter. Try feeding about 180 growing teenagers four and a half days a week and keeping a roof over about 30 of their heads. When we cannot make budget, the first thing to get cut is social. I know it is a shock, but it was always easier for us as advisors to go to the chapter and tell them we had to assess extra dues for a party. Tell them its for food and they will tell you they will quit eating. Tell them it is for a party and they will find a way. These are, after all, kids, not the Red Cross.
How much does the Sigma Nu house pay the university for the land on which the house is occupied?
I believe we pay a fair rent, although I honestly do no know. Fraternities made a deal at Ole Miss to stay on campus in exchange for 99 year land leases, turning over their privately owned land at the time. This turned out to be a very wise move on the part of Ole Miss in terms of "town and gown" relations and control over a significant part of the student body. If the organizations are subsidized, it is only because the University has relied on them for years to provide an outlet for campus life.
Regarding the comments, including mine, on metafilter (metafilter.com/85384/Ten-Dollars-an-Hour):
b) The storyof the FBI raiding the Sigma Nu house and finding a cache of rifles during the integration of the University of Mississippi while Trent Lott was "Commander" of the fraternity is not a rumor. It has been reported many times (as a simple google search will show) and confirmed by Lott himself.
Honestly? For the life of me I do not see what Trent Lott did or did not do in 1962 has to do with Ms. Williams' situation today.
When I google "trent lott james meredith 'sigma nu' guns", your metafilter article is the fifth unique site. All prior posts note Lott kept his chapter out of the fray and most contain the word "rumor."
Instead of reliving the 60s why don't you and I go and have a talk with Chancellor Jones and try to find a solution to this problem? Let's both give our president (the one this Sigma Nu voted for) a chance to come up with a health care solution until December. If that does not happen, I promise I will go with you to Chancellor Jones and see what can be done. Fair enough?
The problem is not one of race. It is one of low wages and no viable public option.
Once again, thanks for responding.
To address your questions and comments, with your text in quotes (vimeo is great, but why no html mark-up?):
"Only if I am free to interview you as well. No holds barred re your techniques and what you told Ms. Williams, members of the Chapter and Alumni advisor's re the documentary prior to their agreement to participate. In front of each of them."
Sure. In fact, I'm fine with having the Sigma Nu house host a screening, after which I'll answer any and all questions. All interview subjects were told that the goal of the project was to tell the story of a cook who works on-campus at a fraternity house. Once I got to the "harder" questions of why the staff doesn't receive health insurance or retirement benefits, I purposefully left the questions in the film so that I could not be accused of any editing tricks.
"I would also like to know who gave you the $200 per month figure as the cost to insure?"
I got the quote online using ehealthinsurance.com, which takes basic information and gives multiple quotes from various insurance companies (it's like expedia for health insurance). The quote is for a female in her mid-forties living in Lafayette County. Running the same information this evening (9/29/09) I get 61 quotes ranging from as low as $95.03 a month up to $500 a month, including 23 plans for under $200 a month. While not in the film, during her interview Ms. Williams stated that she purchases health insurance on her own.
In response to my question about why the house can give Ms. Jones health insurance but not Ms. Williams (or the other staff), you wrote:
"While that did not happen while I was active, I can tell you we never had a house mother with Ms. Jones' credentials."
Your initial point was health insurance was too expensive to provide to the staff. Clearly the Sigma Nu house can provide health insurance to at least one member of the staff.
"I think were you to poll wages etc, across the board of fraternities at UM, your would find we are on the high end of the competitive scale for both front line staff and house mothers."
That is correct. In my research, and please note that I have not looked at all the other houses, I found that ten dollars an hour is equal to the highest wage cooks are paid at fraternity and sorority houses on-campus.
"I know because we have a pool, we are an easy target, but blaming Ms. Jones and her experience, training, and education for Ms. Williams' situation is hardly fair."
I'm not blaming Ms. Jones for Ms. Williams' situation. I'm pointing out that the Sigma Nu house does not provide health insurance and retirement benefits to four of the five staff members (not sure if Ms. Jones is counted as staff. Please advise). This is true, by the way, of every fraternity and sorority house on-campus save one. The Kappa Delta house does provide their staff (all of them) with health insurance.
"I will try and get a figure."
Thank you.
"Isn't the more important question what is the net profits after expenses and debt service?"
Yes, it is. What are the net profits? How much money (dues, alumni fundraising, other) does the Sigma Nu house take in each year? How much does it spend (food, mortgage, salaries, social events, etc.)?
"For the life of me I do not see what Trent Lott did or did not do in 1962 has to do with Ms. Williams' situation today."
I found this to be an interesting side-note in my research. It is not in the film. That being said, a google search for "trent lott, sigma nu, guns" turns this link up as the first hit albionmonitor.com/0301a/0301a-letters.html which includes this quote from William Doyle (who wrote a book about the integration of the University):
"On October 1, 1962, at the climax of a chaotic, 14-hour riot by thousands of white civilians over the arrival of black student James Meredith to the university, a squad of U.S. Army troops from the 716th Military Police Battalion entered the Sigma Nu fraternity house, which was then presided over by chapter president Trent Lott
According to a long-forgotten U.S. Army document from 1965, the soldiers were acting on a tip of a cache of weapons, and entered the building with the concurrence of university officials. Once inside the Sigma Nu house they discovered, according the report, 'two rifles (a .22 and a .30 calibre), twenty-one shotguns, and a .22 Colt pistol, but no ammunition.'
The guns were seized by the troops and turned over to university officials. The FBI arrived, and according to an October 3, 1962 FBI cable to Director J. Edgar Hoover made available through the Freedom of Information Act, the weapons were then crated and shipped to the FBI laboratory in Washington, DC for forensic analysis."
To be fair to Mr. Lott every piece if research I have seen says that Mr. Lott acted as a peacemaker on those days and kept most of the Sigma Nu members away from the violence.
"Instead of reliving the 60s why don't you and I go and have a talk with Chancellor Jones and try to find a solution to this problem? Let's both give our president (the one this Sigma Nu voted for) a chance to come up with a health care solution until December. If that does not happen, I promise I will go with you to Chancellor Jones and see what can be done. Fair enough?"
Yes, Mr. Walsh, that is fair enough. I have messaged you my contact information. Feel free to do the same.
Also, at the lower end, deductibles are $5,000 or copays are 20%. For a person making $10 per hour, they may as well be uninsured.
There was a reason you found plans for $93 a month. Just as, seemingly, there was a reason you chose $200 a month for the film. But the reasons are different. The reason you found a $93 a month plan was it would be a plan that would anticipate a large degree of "self insurance." Either through large deductibles or significant copays. The reason you used $200, and allowed Ms. Williams only $2520 for 3 months summer work would seem to be one of convenience. She fits into your model of impoverished by using those numbers. Any higher on the income side or lower on the expense side and she is not a story.
Einsurance is just a marketing device. I am sure once the insurance company evaluators came in and looked at the health of the group, did blood work, etc. the price would go up. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, however, You state Kappa Delta provides coverage. I will try and get their information for an accurate read.
Did Ms. Williams tell you what she pays for her insurance a month? That would give some insight into affordability for her and therefore the group vis deductibles, copays, etc.
I do want to use this information to make a fair analysis. But I know that part of the feedback I will get is "Wait a minute. We supposedly are not paying her enough yet she does have her own insurance and is happy in her work." As a famous accounting/chapter advisor once said, "Where is the rub?"
I know if you made your documentary one on the struggles of how a small business addresses providing care and the frustration with doing so without the advantage of large group numbers and a dedicated HR staff it wouldn't get many hits. But trust me, Sigma Nu's decision has everything to do with those realities and nothing to do with the color of Ms. Williams skin.
I would like to sit down with you after the 15th of October. I will contact you some time before then. I take it you live in Oxford?