MASON CITY – The Mason City Council approved an economic package worth about $72,500 in forgivable loans for a call center on the city’s west side.
The company, called WS Live, headquartered in Dubuque, will employ a couple dozen people at first with a goal of up to 135 employees within 5 years. Most of the jobs will pay about $9.50 per hour.
WS Live offers custom-designed inbound and outbound services, including: Digital Recording, Expert Agent Routing, Remote Monitoring, Third-Party Transfer Capabilities, Real-Time Reporting and Predictive Dialing.
WS Live will set up in the former IC Systems building just south of Wal-Mart, at 858 Calmus Court.
It was said that Mason City was an excellent location for WS Live since IC System pulled up and left town, due to the “displaced labor” and existing accommodations at the building.
The $72,500 loan will be forgiven at a rate of $10,360 per year for seven years.
WS Live may start interviews as early as next week.
So we are paying companies for jobs now? How long must the jobs last. In MN when this was going on, most all the companies over inflated the amount of workers they’d be hiring and closed up shop when they had collected all the free money and there was no more coming. Then they’d go to the next city and do the same thing.
Well what a nice name for a collection company to harass the poor – Good thing the socialists got rid of HRC.
Harass the poor? How are they harassing the poor?
It is simply ASTOUNDING that any of you are complaining about this company and these jobs coming to town.
Who’s complaining? Obviously the empty call center should be filled. My point is that celebrating this as some huge triumph of economic vibrancy shows exactly how low the bar has been set in Mason City. Saying that the six-figure-earning Brent Willett “went the extra mile” to finish this deal is pathetic. It’s his job, end of story, nothing to celebrate here. The day he brings in some $20+ per hour jobs with a new company coming to North Iowa I will congratulate the guy and start cutting him and the Corridor some slack. Until then, this is just more of the same low-paying jobs we always get here and I will not let up.
So how do YOU propose these $20+/hr jobs be brought to North Iowa?
Some here have been talking on how to bring investment into this community for years. Or call it apathy if you care to.
Apathy in elections, in holding public figures accountable (as in gross public neglect of infrastructure and funds), apathy that change can come about in the way we as a community look to outsiders (aside from the obvious whitewash spread all over town).
At one time, I begged to differ with Peter Children’s accounting of the last Mayoral election. Now one is not so sure that all along, he was correct. Apathy won the day.
Examining the actions of community leaders in catering to the few, while ignoring the needs of the many, it’s not hard to come to that conclusion. In examining those actions, suffice it to say one cannot have a reasonable expectation of representation by the current elected officials.
Ask yourself, is going after starvation wage jobs really in the best interests of the Citizens?
Observer, you are ABSOLUTELY correct. The average wage in Mason City is much higher than what this call center will bring to town. Mason City will net more police calls, increased school issues and an increase in unpaid bills to existing businesses. This is irresponsible government. They have not a clue. And the NIC is worse. Mason City is skid row of north central Iowa because of decisions like this. Shame shame shame.
No one has a right to a job that pays more than minimum wage. If you make more you’re either lucky or earned it. These jobs are gone son and they ain’t coming back. Want a job, become a prison guard or cop. We have a 30 year war on drugs and now cops can even seize assets to pay themselves and that’s also never gonna stop. Get corrupt or get out.
To make enough to sustain a roof over one’s head, transport, insurance, and food, one would have to work almost 80 hours at this wage.
That is not an improvement for the economic condition of our community. Instead it drags it down, and lowers the standard of living.
And for this, we must pay that company to locate here?
What is wrong with this picture. What is wrong with those making these decisions?
It sends a message to employers all over, we want any substandard wage jobs in Mason City!
Boy are there a lot of LUCKY public servants around – 3rd generation tooooo.