[Jewelry making - Article 00499] - Re: [Orchid] Certified Bench Jeweler

[Jim Reitze]

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    Yes it is an interesting conversation.  And I, too, can see 2 sides.
     No, I don't like to spend a lot of time at the counter.  Simple
    logistics and personality.  I'm not a great 'people person', I am a
    pretty decent bench man.  I make my money at the bench, not talking. 
    Yes, I need the counter people.  But when we get into the salary vs.
    contract idea, I would prefer not to be paid salary unless you are
    going to make it really worth my while. But I also want freedom if
    you are not going to pay me a salary.  I won't compete with my host
    store, but I do want the freedom to market my own line to augment my
    income, or take in trade work, or something.  If you want to pay me
    by the piece, or keep me on contract, but not give me freedom to
    augment my income, then you had better be able to draw enough work
    to keep me as busy as I want/need to be. 

    Like everything else in life, there are 2 sides, usually both valid.
     The owner of our store, for reasons I won't bother getting into
    here, does almost no advertising.  He counts on word of mouth and the
    established clientele.  Not wise, for my money, but it is his store. 
    The down side for me is that we don't get near as much repair
    business as we likely could.  My forays into trying to advertise my
    repair services have brought in sales for him, but little for me, so
    with very limited resources, I have set that theory aside. 
    Fortunately, he has no problem with my selling my wares elsewhere, or
    taking some trade work, so long as the store work gets priority and I
    don't directly compete in our local market.  Works fine in most ways.
     Gets frustrating in others.  At this point, while we still do
    struggle, I prefer to keep it this way because I don't feel I will
    be offered a salary that can compete with what I make this way.  I
    also believe that if I am on a salary, I will be rightfully expected
    not to pursue my outside work, especially on store time and premises.
     I even recall in my first bench position after college that I was
    required to pull my handmade silver pieces from several local shops
    because I would be in competition with my employer.  Now, I have a
    hard time seeing the competition between my relatively crude silver
    work and the wares of a high end guild store, but it wasn't my call. 

    To more directly address this post, I understand an employers need
    to not pay a bench person so high a wage, no matter how well
    deserved, that he ends up being a drain on the store's income.  I
    also understand a bench person's need to make a living wage, and I
    think we should be able to make an income that depends on our
    experience and skills, just like any other trade.  I have opinions on
    unions that I won't go into here, but we, just like everyone else,
    need to make enough to be able to pay for those folks to fix our
    pipes and wires and cars.  I guess what I feel is that if you want
    me on salary, locked into doing only your store's work, then you also
    must pay me well and provide me with enough work to make it
    profitable for you, too.  If you can't, or won't, do it that way,
    then I need to be able to make some money elsewhere to support my
    lifestyle and family.  I am a jeweler by choice, so I prefer to make
    my living that way, not having to augment with a part time job at
    Walmart or Lowes.  The last place I worked on salary, I was recruited
    with a boatload of spectacular promises about salary and perks. What
    I got was a pocketful of nothing.  The recruiting was nothing more
    than bald faced lies from a 'pillar of the community', highly
    respected for his supposed integrity.  With the public, he was OK,
    but with his employees, completely different.  Once I had relocated
    my family 1100 miles and settled in, I found my salary 20% lower than
    promised, my schedule much more restrictive than promised, etc,
    etc........  Neither side can expect to have it both ways.  As a
    bench man, I must choose between the security of a salaried position,
    living up to or exceeding expectations, or I must take my own risks
    as a contract worker along with the freedom it gives me.  As a
    potential employer, I must either expect to pay my help well or give
    them freedom to make some extra. 

OK, enough of a rant.  Thanks folks.
Jim
http://www.forrest-design.com


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