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Flooded With Job Seekers, Landscaper Still Wary Of Their Work Ethic

Landscaper Taking Wait-And-See Approach With Job Applicants

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A local landscaper said she's heard from dozens of people who do want to work, after lamenting Tuesday that it's hard to find reliable workers.

WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports Christy Webber Landscapes heard from about 75 people, on the phone and in person, who said they're ready to work cutting grass and performing other tasks for the $9 an hour starting pay.

A human resources official said one applicant said he's a fast worker, and another said he can do anything that needs to be done. Some ex-cons were among those calling for an opportunity with the company.

Owner Christy Webber said she's taking a wait-and-see attitude to find out if any of those people pan out.

"I'm just apprehensive, because I just think that when they get inside that truck, and they have to show up to work at 6 a.m. every single day – be it rain, or cold – I pray that they just would keep coming back," she said.

Webber said the proof will be in whether any of those people get the jobs and show up for work on a regular basis. She said she's had people tell her before they were excited about getting a job with her company, only to stop showing up altogether after only a few days.

"It's sort of like, 'I've got a job, but I kind of forgot this thing that I've got to work,'" she said.

Webber said one man confronted her and said she'd get more trustworthy workers if she paid $15 an hour to start, rather than $9.

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