It's complicated. I just hired a new maid. She works 5 hours, 4 days a week. Is illiterate. Travels far to come to work. I made it clear to her that I was paying her a daily rate. (A GREAT daily rate!) She isn't happy about it, but I will be darned if I will pay her a salary for not working the 6 weeks in the summer that I am not here.....especially when she will have been with me little more than 3 months.
I believe there is a fine line between what we are legally required to do, what actually unfolds, and what is, ethically, the "right" thing to do. In the end, I think it all comes out the same.
And-one final note- if, when we terminate an employee's contract for whatever reason, we don't depart in good will....then we all end up losers and ultimately pay a price of some sort.
Lindsey
I would say that if she is not THRILLED to have the job.. that you should just get rid of her now since it ain't gonna get any better.
I checked here in SD with some middle class Dominicanas for what I should pay my maid for part time work, two days a week. The consensus at that time.. five years ago ...was 700 a day..
at the time, she worked in the house two days and took the sheets and towels home for washing, carrying them back in a bag.
Now I have a washing machine and she does the wash and hangs it all up on the roof .. two fights up a tight circular staircase.. and so works here about 8 hours a day. I pay her $7000 a month plus one month extra at Christmas. Plus 1000 pesos a month into her retirement account.
This is about the same wage as an intercity bus driver. And since she is in my house, in the underwear drawer and ALL of that,, well , to me, there is a much higher level of trust involved. (Ok hold fire, I know that I could get killed on a bus.. but this lady actually came to the hospital when I was admitted and spent the night so that I would not be alone.. we are talking about intimacy, here)
I would not have started her out at this wage. .. she started at $5000 with the laundry.. but I have moved to a bigger place and she has proved herself to be very honest and reliable. Never has either a peso or a slice of bread disappeared from the house. I have to remember to tell her what to have for lunch because she will not touch the food.
Her husband is a retired military officer and they get his retirement of $5000 a month, plus medical coverage at the Military hospital so I do not have to worry about that.
She has always asked for more work. for another Americana, natch.
I have a single Dominican friend, a professor at USAD. who asked for her to start work for him but simply cannot pay her the same as I do.. *the 875.. or so.. but I told her that she had to take this job or NEVER again talk with me about how poor she was.
He pays her now $2900 a month for one day a week (that includes 100 pesos for transport)... She complained a bit but I pointed out that if she was working at this rate 5 days a week, she would be making 12000 pesos which is certainly an incredible wage for a household worker.
I think that the problem is that .. first.. household work simply does NOT provide a living wage.. there are too many people who have no skills EXCEPT this.
Plus many of these women are the sole providers for their families.. and the wage puts them on the verge of real poverty
Now. I know Dominicans who have paid FULL time.. and by that I mean, make the breakfast for the family, serve it at the table, do all the washing, the cleaning, watch the children,.. and go home at dusk.. for 5000 pesos.
But I have know Americans who have paid live in help who also had child care responsibilities 12.000 a month.
Do not know where the sweet spot is.. where they are grateful for the work and yet not overpaid... but I think that we all need to be conscious of the rise in the cost of transport, if nothing else.
I think that we are kinder to our help, as a general rule, than Dominicans.. because for us it is a luxury.. not something that we grew up with or had in our homes.
I remember that I was paying $85 a DAY /// that would be 3145 pesos a day.. or, if I had her 8 days a month,, to round it out.. 25,160 a month..
so I am grateful .. to have the help.