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New London, Wisconsin | The summer of 1974, I was starting my senior year of high school that fall and had one goal, to get my pilots license.
My dad was selling his interest in the farm to his partner. My dad never did farm, he was the investor. The partner hired me for the summer to work on the farm. I cut all the hay, stacked most small square bales on the flat rack. Fixed equipment. Cleaned pens with a pitch fork, spread poop. Tended to and fed livestock. Fixed and built fences. All together I worked about 60 hours each week for the whole summer. I was paid at the end of summer a grand total of $50. The partner was a con and I found that out a little too late. My dad lost big time in that deal too.
I expected maybe $1 per hour. I had made about $2 per hour at a motorcycle shop the summer before.
I didn't have enough to even START to get a pilots license. That had to wait until I was about 40.
My friends, the partners kids, got the same $50. None of us fell for that offer the next year.
Jim | |
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Lowest wage you ever made?
