The poverty pay was not just a Sea Org staff thing.
The poverty pay also occurred for most franchise mission staff.
(At least the Sea Org staff got room & board.)
True, but let's flesh that out a bit for our readers.
The room for single SO crew is often going to be a dorm shared with as many as 12 to 15 military bunks stacked three high, possibly many more. The top bunk may be only about 2 1/2 feet from the ceiling. If it has an attached bathroom the bathroom may be common to another room - in other words shared between around 30 people. Sea Org life is very transient so there is a high turnover of roommates. Many people who join the SO are young or were not financially independent or highly successful and lack good etiquette and respect for private property and dorm life.
Married couples get their own room, unless one partner was away on mission, or training or on the RPF for an extended period then the other partner would be put back in a dorm and if the quality of the room is coveted by someone who is in better favor then you can be downgraded at any time and you may share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom with a singles dorm.
Bedbugs and cockroaches were a constant problem in my experience.
The berthing building will have 24-7 security so you have to log in and out and free movement and visitation will be restricted. You generally can't have TV or phones and your mail is monitored. I'm not sure what the restrictions on computers, email and internet access are but I expect both post and personal computers are highly restricted and monitored. We now know that they record vital information from your mail such as bank accounts, credit cards and contact info which can be used to track you down if you blow or defect. If they see you have come into money in your mail you may be crush regged to donate it to the IAS.
If you are away on mission, training or the RPF your personal belongings may be haphazardly put in storage in piles with other people's stuff, including people who have long since blown. I've seen such piles that have been so dug through by people trying to find their stuff that it was like a pile of Goodwill donations.
There will be restrictions on the use of heat and A/C, whether you can open windows or open window coverings, etc. The door may or may not have a lock but security will have a key.
Security may conduct inspection for anything they consider contraband or out-security any time without notice. There will be white-glove inspections of your room and surrounding areas and you will stay up all night until you pass.
If you want to leave you must route out which requires a sec-check and security escort. If you blow you can only take what you can carry or sneak out a little at a time and they will conduct a blow drill to track you down and bring you back, after which there will be lower conditions, RPF, sec-checks, SP declare, fitness board, other people including your spouse and children may be required to divorce or disconnect, etc.
Your roommates can be expected to write ethics chits and to rat you out for any violations of policy or perceived transgression.
The institutional food was always a problem after a while because it lacks the variety and nutrition to maintain good health over time. Food is generally prepared in large kettles and gets overcooked. Often you must eat under strict time constraints. There is no allowance for special dietary needs without written orders from the Medical Liaison Officer. You can't take food to your dorm (although they still do) - ergo the cockroaches. If you try to get food from the galley without written permission or eat midrats (Midnight Rations) without being on the list you will be punished, even though you are probably routinely working 18 hour days.
Vitamin supplements are generally available and they are really big on multi-vitamins, vitamin C, calcium magnesium and B-Complex. From my observation the combination of stress, sleep deprivation and being over worked causes the body metabolism to turn on itself after several years of this and with the loss of muscle mass and pungent supplements like B-Complex the body odor gets really noxious. When I see pictures and videos of Sea Org members with dark circles under their eyes and gaunt pasty complexions it reminds me of how the whole Sea Org experience breaks a body down from the inside out.
Food is often used as a punishment. If the org's stats are down the whole org can be put on rice and beans for weeks or months, with no condiments. They go through a separate line where all other staff can see who is on rice and beans. Very rarely will there be something special as a reward. CMO and other special units get their own dining rooms, menus and permanently posted servers and chefs.
At least as non-Sea Org staff you are still kind of ruling in your own little hell as opposed to serving in Hubbard's heaven.
