Mike Rowe

July, 2009 Aloha, from somewhere over the Pacific. As I prepare to re-enter the contiguous 48 for the second time this  month, I can finally begin to see the light at the end of a particularly nasty tunnel of production – one that has succeeded in kicking my butt harder and more consistently than any of its predecessors. Not that I’m complaining, but this last week in Hawaii has confirmed once again that hard work and paradise seem perfectly willing to share  the same lanai. The boys and I had a jolly time washing windows and making tofu on the Read More

I know that mikeroweWORKS is not even a year old, so this is probably going to be an impossible question to answer. What has to happen for you to consider this a success? Is merely getting the word out to the masses and those in power enough? Do programs have to be started/implemented? Does trade school enrollment have to bump up? Or is it simply a matter of not going up in a spectacular ball of flames? Success is a tricky word. Do I really believe I can single-handedly launch an effective PR campaign for hard work? No, I don’t. Read More

What are your views on the effectiveness and usefulness of Union organizations and the decision to go on strike to achieve their goals and demands? The role of unions, and their relevance, has changed over the years. Personally, I’m of the mind that certain industries still justify their existence, while other do not. But one thing is certain – once a union is formed, it will not go gently into that good night. Like any other group, they are loath to disband, ever. I have mixed feelings. As a believer in the individual, I will always support a persons right Read More

When I was eight years old, my Father bought a picnic table at a yard sale for a dollar. A whole picnic table, complete with two separate benches. For one dollar. He brought the thing home in the back of the old station wagon – the one with fake wood paneling on the side – and summoned his wife and sons to examine another tangible expression of true thrift.   “Gather round boys and have a look. They wanted twenty-five dollars for this down at The Sears. Can you believe it? Twenty-five dollars! Your old man just picked it up on Read More

Letter to Mike and company I saw your talk on TED.tv..and wanted to tell you..  I have a 19 year old son who watches your program religiously. He’s a very bright kid; talked for a long time about going into law. A year or so ago..I stopped hearing so much about that. He graduates from highschool in a week or so. Two weeks ago, he sat down with me and said..mom? This is what I want to do. This summer, instead of heading to Oregon to work for his uncle, he’s enrolled in an apprentice program for carpentry. Its a Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler In reading some of your writings I wondered if you feel blue-collar workers are better, work harder or are happier than white-collar workers? Is wishing for a better life for our children limited to one or the other “collars” or is it just the universal hope for “the good life” for our families? — M The reason I think blue and white are so tough to balance, has to do with he fact that we tend to see them as opposites, like weights on different ends of a seesaw. A healthy society knows that each Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler: Q:  At the risk of sounding like an anarchist, or worse, “anti-American” (whatever the hell that means) can I postulate the obvious..Ocham’s Razor, as it were… Won’t most Consumers want to pay the best price for the best version of the commodity they wish to purchase, be it a car or a house or a Washing Machine? Deep down, when dollars are tight, will the averge American-Joe chose to spend more for a car that was “built American” or “built by a non-bailout company” if they can get a better car for less cash elsewhere, Read More

May 25, 2009 Ah yes, I remember – changing the way the way the country feels about hard work, celebrating the trades, and challenging the prevailing definition of a “good job.” It’s all coming back to me. Forgive my scarcity here of late – distractions mount from all sides, as vocation and vacation collide with personal injury and holiday festivities. Let’s work backwards. Today started with a phone call from a retired general, who has become a friend and supporter of mrW. Retired generals get up early, even on Memorial Day, and this one is not terribly concerned about waking the Read More

From MRW Water Cooler: Q: We were lucky enough to get quarterly bonuses for the last two years. This was in lieu of a hourly raise. When things in the company got tight, bonuses were cut. It wasn’t so difficult to adjust to, though, because it wasn’t money we were used to having every paycheck. It was BONUS. I’m thinking this is the way bonuses should be. – Terra Hi Terra Many people share your view, which makes me think a better term than “bonus” should be used to refer to these payouts. For many, a “bonus” is not an Read More