I'm sitting here watching the "Deadliest Catch" mini-marathon on Discovery Channel.
Do you think those guys would risk their life for an hourly rate?
Do think they could possibly be guaranteed $2000+/day?
I don't, however, by essentially getting paid piecework and busting their hump, they get paid better than alot of contractors.
Before we start with the crab fishing vs. electric arguement. My point is that given the incentive to be rewarded for productivity vs. rewarded for unproductivity, which does the industry better?
Also, when doing any type of piecework pay, quality assurance is huge. You have to monitor your men (or women) and assure that the work is done correctly. Incorrect work will be redone by that particular employee on their own time. That is incredible incentive to do it right the first time.
The currently hourly pay system promotes unproductivity. A guy knows that if he screws something up, he'll get paid more to fix it. If he hurries up and gets done early, what does he get? Sometimes a bonus, usually a not.
Our industry is changing, and it has to.
