Nebu

[DowntownMan]

Came on here to post the same thing. Just walked by and could see workers in there

Surprised they kept the full staff for the last year and just now let them go.

Has anyone heard anything about Nebu opening back up to the public? The Devon tower is basically only place downtown still not back to normal on being open it seems

[Pete]

I just traded messages with a laid-off employee.

They had been promised they would be hired back when they reopen to the public (only open now to the Devon employees) but he said he hasn't heard a word. So reopening isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

[DowntownMan]

I just traded messages with a laid-off employee.

They had been promised they would be hired back when they reopen to the public (only open now to the Devon employees) but he said he hasn't heard a word. So reopening isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

They still have the building limited to employees only. I don’t think their office is back to 100% yet. Probably not opening Nebu until after entire office if back I’d expect

[Pete]

^

True, but Vast has been open this entire time.

Nebu was very popular for breakfast and lunch and had lots of fresh and healthy options.


LIke everyone else, they are going to have a heck of a time getting people to come back to work when that time comes.

[OkiePoke]

I walked by yesterday and asked the security guards. They weren't sure when they will open to the public.

I'm wondering if it's a staffing issue or office/covid issue.

[rjstone208]

While not directly related to this topic, we stayed at a Hilton property in Tulsa which normally has a dining room and full breakfast cafe. However it was closed. According to the desk clerk it was entirely due to not being able to hire staff. She said they just couldn't get anyone to come back to work. Other places we've been to lately seem to have the same problem. Lots of jobs but no one willing to work.

[Pete]

^

Not surprising people aren't rushing back to jobs that unceremoniously laid them off and never pay very well.

Especially when the unemployment rate is at record lows.

[Jersey Boss]

^ Those folks also discovered the sub minimum wage did not provide much in the way of u/e benefits when they were cut loose. Why go back to those wages, no health insurance, no profit sharing, etc.

[Greggo71]

FYI, the Devon Energy Center is opening back up to the public on Monday 6/14, 6am to 6pm, so Nebu will probably be ramping up their operations at that time too.

[rjstone208]

Out of curiosity I looked at Hilton's benefit and wage packages. Line cook average is $13 hr. Average cook wage in OKC is about $11 hr. Beats the $7.25 hr Oklahoma minimum wage and the $1.25 I made way back when (I'm old). Benefits pkg is as competitive as any company out there. I retired from a major defense contractor and Hilton pkg is as good as theirs. And we definitely didn't get 5 weeks PTO. So some other reason than pay and benefits for folks not going back to work.

[Pete]

People are back at work, just different jobs.

The unemployment rate is near historic lows.

[Dob Hooligan]

Out of curiosity I looked at Hilton's benefit and wage packages. Line cook average is $13 hr. Average cook wage in OKC is about $11 hr. Beats the $7.25 hr Oklahoma minimum wage and the $1.25 I made way back when (I'm old). Benefits pkg is as competitive as any company out there. I retired from a major defense contractor and Hilton pkg is as good as theirs. And we definitely didn't get 5 weeks PTO. So some other reason than pay and benefits for folks not going back to work.

I am a small business owner in OKC and here is what the base appears to be in hiring:

If I want an adult worker who can/will-

Pass a drug test

Not be a registered sex offender

Show up for work within 30 minutes of starting time 5 days a week

Able to be supervised and engage in some type of work

I've gotta pay $15/HR to start.

Hobby Lobby and Amazon have set that number as the base, and people want their stability enough to accept stricter working conditions than they will accept from small fry like myself.

[Pete]

^

Amazon and HL also pay benefits and I know Amazon has been offering $1-$2K signing bonus.

Food service not only completely cut loose almost all their employees at the onset of the pandemic, but many of these places also close without notice. It's very common for employees to show up for work and see a sign on the door telling them they are out of a job.

Plus working conditions at the very bottom of the barrel.

Who can blame anyone for going to work for Amazon at twice the pay plus benefits and the security of knowing you are probably never going to be laid off? They work their employees hard but it can't be harder than food service or cleaning hotel rooms.

It just goes to show how most hotels, restaurants and bars have never properly paid their staff.

[Mott]

It would be interesting to compare the incomes of those that comment, on why people don’t want to work for low wages.

[BoulderSooner]

People are back at work, just different jobs.

The unemployment rate is near historic lows.

the unemployment rate doesn't count those not looking for work (in the last 4 weeks) ...

it would be interesting to know how many people that includes ..

[Pete]

the unemployment rate doesn't count those not looking for work (in the last 4 weeks) ...

it would be interesting to know how many people that includes ..

We've been over this...

You can't receive benefits if you aren't looking for work.

[BoulderSooner]

We've been over this...

You can't receive benefits if you aren't looking for work.

i agree with that ... but if you are 20 and now live at home with your parents and stop looking for work after 4 weeks you don't count as part of the unemployment number anymore ..

[BoulderSooner]

We've been over this...

You can't receive benefits if you aren't looking for work.

from the bureau of labor

People are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work.

[Pete]

^

Right. Thanks for making my point.

[BoulderSooner]

^

Right. Thanks for making my point.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/blog/...tion-in-april/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nearly-...ce-11619472229

my point is that we are still at over 3 million people below the labor force participation number that we were pre pandemic .. .(this is not unemployed people this is people choosing not to work)

[Pete]

And if they are choosing not to work, it's not because of government benefits because if you take yourself out of the labor market you can't receive them.

[BoulderSooner]

And if they are choosing not to work, it's not because of government benefits because if you take yourself out of the labor market you can't receive them.

i agree with that .. . i just think it is possible that it is having some of the trickle down effect .. and causing the less desirable jobs to go unfilled ( or have a hard time being filled)

[Pete]

If you didn't have a college degree, think about the wide array of jobs available to you here in OKC.

You have places like Amazon and Hobby Lobby which pay $15/hour plus benefits (and maybe even a signing bonus). Between the two, they employ about 10,000 in OKC and for quite some time (before the pandemic) they have had a lot of open jobs. There are thousands of similar jobs in other distribution centers.

Then you have the call centers: Dell, Costco, Farmers, Hertz, Midfirst, etc. You get to sit down in a/c and they also offer good pay and benefits.

If you are good with your hands, there are absolutely tons of construction jobs and many pay very well.

The state and city employ tens of thousands of people who don't have a college degree.

Then you have the gig economy: Uber, Lfyt, Door Dash and a hundred others.


Why on earth would you go work in food service for less pay, no benefits, terrible working conditions, horrible hours, and for people who constantly lay off staff without warning? The only reason would be no other options and now the opposite is true.

[Martin]

^
all of that... plus a person can do pretty well at tinker without a college degree.

[DowntownMan]

We've been over this...

You can't receive benefits if you aren't looking for work.

I think people are confused on this because because for a time up until around October you didnÂ’t not have to show job search to get benefits but that ended in October and the requirements to look for job returned.
I do believe there is still some relaxed rules around you can claim Covid safety the job has to provide but the work search requirement came back to Oklahoma and is required to get the benefits today

Not all states are back to requiring the work requirements again which probably adds to the confusion as people assume what they hear about other states applies to Oklahoma. I do believe majority of states now are requiring it again or will be soon