Why does no-one want to work this shitty job?

[Soph0571]

Perfect. One good thing to come out of the Pandemic. Employers having to pay a living wage.
Add in for the UK that Brexit has seen an exodus of one million predominantly service workers...

[Dorian Gray]

1. The work force

won't have the upper hand for long.

But it's obvious to me that people aren't being paid enough for the menial jobs they're asked to do. That's why nobody wants to put themselves in harms way now to do them.

Pay more, you'll get bites. It's a simple equation.

[OldBaldy1701E]

7. The work force

Always has the upper hand, despite the brainwashing that has convinced a sizeable number of them that they do not. It is time to assert that 'upper hand' and bring and end to abusive employers that have convinced those who keep them afloat that they are 'just a cog in the machine'. I personally cannot wait for the 'critical mass' that should happen... unless we all decide that delusion is better than reality. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.

[Dorian Gray]

30. I would love

to see people rise up and demand better.

[smirkymonkey]

37. +1000

We have been gaslit for so long, we underestimate our own power. We have the numbers. We have the power. WE ARE THE ECONOMY!

[ZonkerHarris]

57. Agreed. Labor always has the advantage and that's why the capitalists work to destroy unions

It is the primary force to enable labor victories.

[CrackityJones75]

21. Why?

Are they going to be forced to work someplace they don’t want to?

Are they going to eliminate the jobs that people have moved onto?

[Dorian Gray]

29. They won't have the upper hand for long

because the pandemic will end, more and more foreign work visas will be given out to make ups the difference, and people will want to get back in the work place and there will be fewer openings. The billionaire owners of corporations will do the bare minimum to entice workers back, making it a more competitive market. And families who have made sacrifices not to work for the time being during a pandemic will want to get back and do the work as life normalizes.

It is interesting that two weeks after ending unemployment benefits, the work force has not ticked back up. So workers absolutely have the upper hand now. Companies that respond by fair pay and fair benefits will do better in the long run and have employee loyalty.

The rest who look for the cheap way out will suffer cyclical over employment and under employment.

[CrackityJones75]

31. Unemployment is already insanely low.

What people are going to go back to the workforce?

[Dorian Gray]

33. The reintroduction

of H-1B, H-2A, H-2B visas will create more competition for those jobs. Stricter border enforcement has also diminished the non-legal status workers in the US, and that has added to the plethora of jobs.

All of those things affect the job market.

[CrackityJones75]

41. Ok.

So how is that going to make the people that aren’t filling those jobs right now earn less?

I guess I don’t understand this concept that workers are going to just roll over and accept crap.

[Dorian Gray]

55. I didn't say they'd accept crap

I said that they won't always have the upper hand to pressure businesses into offering more money for jobs.

[CrackityJones75]

56. They have the upper hand always

They don’t have to do the jobs that don’t pay well. They never had to. They never will have to. People woke the hell up and realized that they didn’t and do not have to go back to those jobs. The jobs that want to pay people crap wages won’t find enough people through visas.

[Dorian Gray]

62. There are people who do have to work

I think that to suppose a large number of the population can just choose NOT to work is short-sighted.

But I think this is where our POV on the matter diverge.

I hope you're right and that workers can keep the upper hand. I don't believe that those who are in control will allow that to happen.

[CrackityJones75]

63. I never said that

I never said anything about people not working. I talked about people not working those jobs. Leave my goalposts where they are.

[Tommymac]

58. Workers have ALWAYS had the upper hand.

It's just that the 1% OWN the newspapers, publishing houses, MSM television news operations, politicians who vote to destroy public education, and most other traditional forms of mass media and accepted disinformation re Capitalism.

Been the same story all throughout history - a few exceptions here and there, like the Founding Fathers of the USA, the legit Labor Unions and Heroes that have been labeled (erroneously) communist or socialist by the above disinformation scams, and some enlightened monarchies way back when.

The times labor and human rights activists have prevailed - like in the Western World in the late 19th and early to mid 20th century, are times of Light that shows the vast majority of human beings CAN live happy and prosperous lives and still control their own destinies, and not be beholden to the 1%.

Those are the times most common people have been woke from slumber by very serious external events - such as a pandemics or threatening Climate/Natural events, and realize they DO have the power to limit the greed and anti social behaviors of the 1%.

We The People (the 70% that are sane, not he fake 30% crazies) are waking up now - and hopefully will stay that way for a decade at the least.

[Dorian Gray]

61. Interesting

You really believe the 1% in control will allow the workers to maintain power without a fight?

But FYI: "we the people" has been co-opted by QAnon as a rallying cry.

I know not everyone is up on Q quackery, but it feels disconcerting to read it capitalized like a Q cry in a DU post.

[arlyellowdog]

2. Reasons for seniors to do childcare

Someone posted on the local blog that “healthy seniors” should do child care for $$ and “company.” I actually do watch a grandchild toddler all day (and occasionally a grandchild baby) and, if he wasn’t related, they’d have to add a lot more $$$s and take out “company, ” in the recruitment ad.

[Ziggysmom]

3. No way in hell. Not for any money would I do childcare now that I'm over 60.

I like kids, but not other people's undisciplined tots. For company? If people think seniors need that kind of company........ my goodness.....
Childcare is one of the most difficult, yet sadly underpaid professions. We value the wrong people in US society.

[Diamond_Dog]

9. Ziggysmom

++++

And I raised 3 boys

[calimary]

25. I raised one of each. Gave up the job I loved and knew I wouldn't get back.

I gave it all up for them.

And now they’re both grown up and I’m done. Happily done. Daughter lives far enough away that I can’t easily babysit the grandkids. Son lives far enough away that I can’t easily visit him. And they both have their own lives now and everybody’s fine and happy and busily achieving in their own right, and we’re all fully on friendly speaking terms.

And I have my own life back. Which I’m liking A LOT! I got MY life back! For ME! Sometimes it feels like husband and I are back to when we met in college and it was just us. And I’m really liking it! Responsibilities complete, done, OVER! I LIKE having MY life back again.

Weird that way, but it’s tremendously satisfying, and it works.

[ProfessorGAC]

52. Superb Post!

It's great when one makes a decision, things work out well, & everybody's happy.
I'm sincerely glad for you!
Hope you greatly enjoy you golden years!
I know we do.

[hibbing]

17. My brother watches 4 grandkids all under 5

Supposedly does it to help his adult children financially, who I really dont think need it. I can't even imagine how exhausting that is. He's now 65 and has been doing it for over 4 years.

Peace

[CrackityJones75]

22. Wow.

Here’s the thing. You don’t HAVE to do it. And get this others might actually WANT to do it.

[AbnerBunny]

5. Good lord.

We watch our 5yo granddaughter one day a week and occasionally an overnight. We are healthy seniors and we are freaking exhausted when she goes home. I can’t imagine what our daughter would have to pay us to do this for a living, but the benefits would have to include a weekly massage 😂

[RVN VET71]

14. I am with you, arlyellowdog.

My wife and I love our little 3.5 year old grandson because he’s smart, energetic, funny, and love lovable. But “child care” for him is 3 full time days a week and 4 part-time --- work that, even with love, wears the hell out of us. If the little guy wasn’t our grandson, I doubt there’s money enough to pay us a child-care givers.

(Unless it’s legal to use drugs -- for us -- and a cage -- for him, or, if it becomes a matter of self preservation, us!)

[IronLionZion]

39. It's risky with COVID

[3Hotdogs]

4. I am a retired teacher. Subs are now being offered $150 per day. I could use the money but

I'd rather be hiking with my hiking club.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Subs where I live go to $190 a day after 60 days of working.

I considered it, but didn't want to deal with Covid and the anti-masker crowd.

The schools are begging for subs, especially needed for IP students.

Right, if I am going to venture out, I want to do something fun.

[carpetbagger]

45. My father made the equivalent of 250 per day in the early 60s.

He did that work when he was on shore leave as a merchant marine officer after college.

[MurrayDelph]

46. When I quit teaching for LAUSD, decades ago

I commented that it was a thin line between "if you don't like it, then leave" and "where'd everyone go?"

[nuxvomica]

6. Two local business were whining about lack of workers

During a meetup with Stefanik. They blamed the extended unemployment payments for discouraging people from working, and Stefanik assured them she was trying to end that program. What both businesses, a bowling alley and an events venue, didn't discuss was what incentives they were offering workers because it was all the Democrats' fault with their free money. I looked up the businesses at the ProPublica site and between them they had received about 300K in stimulus money but they begrudged the same for workers. No one brought up whether they offered (1) higher wages than pre-pandemic, (2) sick leave, (3) PTO, (4) a safe working conditions, (5) reasonable scheduling or (6) a non-abusive environment.

[KPN]

10. That's all public information that ought to be made public

information locally. Too many people can’t see the forest for the trees. This stuff needs to be daylighted. Too bad local media don’t do that.

[smirkymonkey]

40. This is the kind of information that needs to be shouted from the rooftops!

They all love socialism for the "haves" but when it comes to the workers they can all go to hell.

[GoCubsGo]

8. The lack of cashiers in grocery stores is deliberate, and not due to labor shortages.

They are moving to self-checkout, and want the customers to do the job for nothing. And, outside of Aldi, they don't pass the savings off to the customers.

[zeusdogmom]

18. Aldi checkers seem do their job more efficiently than the other grocery stores

Even when there is a line, it moves quickly. I suppose no clerk bagging helps speed the process along. Same effect at Costco. The local Costco does have self checkout for 10 or fewer items but how often does your cart contain fewer than 10 items? 😂. In my case once - 5 bags of potting soil on a cart. Self check out was a no brainer. Getting them in my little car was another matter.

Aldi was increasing staff pay way above minimum wage long before covid arrived on the scene.

[AllyCat]

53. Love Aldi. Quick and friendly service

Fantastic prices.

[Mariana]

38. My daughter recently left her supermarket job.

Her store has positions open for cashiers, and in other departments too. They don't drug test, they're accommodating with scheduling, and they have decent benefits even for part timers. Nevertheless, they're getting very few applications, and people are quitting in droves because they're finding better jobs.

[Diamond_Dog]

11. So many workplaces

Don’t mandate masks. Around here the vax rate isn’t even at 50%. Who wants to go out in that environment every day and risk bringing the virus home to family?

[Klaralven]

12. The grocery stores want long cashier lines so people will shift to self checkout

[Sherman A1]

59. Precisely

They really want your free labor.

[czarjak]

15. But...

“Work hard and play by the rules and you can be a success in America” is Hannity’s advice. He’s living proof. Ask him.

[Joinfortmill]

16. Yup. Humans are so judgmental, especially when they know nothing about a person's life.

In my case I was able to eventually earn a degree, but for years while raising my children I worked as a server. That was a long time ago before servers earned the modicum of respect they know enjoy.

[rickyhall]

19. My grandkids are nearly all grown, but I never see them, I'm boring.

I'd love to see my great grandkids though.

[CrackityJones75]

20. Fucking morons fought $15 an hour

Fucking morons fought $15 an hour. Workers said we don’t need the legislation we can make it happen ourselves.

[The Jungle 1]

23. The schools can't get bus drivers.

Wow I can understand that. Low pay, no healthcare, no pension and other peoples kids.
I think a lot of Americans discovered they don't really need the second income.

[maddiemom]

49. After many years of teaching, I've always had great admiration for school bus drivers.

There is NO WAY I would be responsible for a bus full of various aged children (usually single-handedly) BEHIND MY BACK while maneuvering in traffic!

[randr]

24. The American economy is reliant on immigrant labor

Always has been that way. All economic growth relies on this. Every major boon has coincided with a large immigrant movement.
We have shut the tap off for 4 years and we are suffering the consequences.
Existing work force continues move up to better jobs as it has always done.

[Dorian Gray]

34. Yes

it will correct itself, of course. Or the USA companies will pay their non immigrant workers better.

[Oneironaut]

26. Pays minimum wage, abuses their workers, doesn't try to be a competitive employer to attract talent.

🤡 Nuh one wants to werk!!1! 🤡

[Amishman]

27. wait for it, automation will be quickly eliminating those jobs that can't be filled

Supermarkets: robots to take inventory and clean up spills already exist and I expect them to quickly become common. This reduces the required staffing and allow the employees they have to focus on things the bots can't do (yet) https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/retail-hospitality/5-robots-grocery-stores-now/

Fast food: pizza and burger making robots exist already, plus going to all kiosk ordering (already done at the delis in Wawa convenience stores). Add it together and you get a lot lower staffing needs.

Warehouses: walmart and amazon are already rapidly automating these. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-09-21/inside-amazon-amzn-flagship-fulfillment-center-where-machines-run-the-show

Trucking / delivery: Dominos is testing a self driving pizza delivery vehicle https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/12/tech/dominos-pizza-delivery-robot/index.html Several companies are working on self driving trucks; with a focus on long haul trucking at first (warehouse to warehouse), leaving humans to do the trickier final delivery (for now)

[marie999]

42. If by self driving vehicles do you mean no one in the drivers seat?

[Amishman]

43. yes, that exactly

The dominos delivery vehicle doesn't even has space for a human driver, and it is on the road already in a pilot program in Texas.

For trucks, I read an article a few months back (can't find it now) that the idea is to have a driverless vehicle handle the middle leg of long distance trucking. It would go something like this: Truck gets loaded at a distribution hub along a major highway. Driverless truck gets on the road at 11pm, and drives 300 miles on that highway - never changing lanes or passing anyone. It gets to the next hub at 4am. Route is extremely simple, anyone can pass it, and due to timing it has very little traffic to contend with. I believe the company in that article was preparing for on road trials, with a human driver along just in case it has problems but otherwise doing nothing but watching.

[marie999]

44. And when it sees a police car on the side of the road with its lights on

it better not have Tesla's programs. 6 years ago I needed a new washing machine. I got one with a chip that gave me all kinds of choices and a 3-year warranty. 4 years ago I had to replace it because it stop working. 2 years ago I had to replace that washer because it stopped working. In the last 2 months, they have sent a repair person to fix this washer 4 times. The insurance company called yesterday to tell us to pick out a new one. I am so glad we spent $100 each time for an extended warranty since each washer would have cost us over $1,000. Each time we bought a different brand.

[Cosmo Blues]

28. Pay them a living wage

A safe and healthy environment, equitable healthcare, and they will come. Unlike a comment above workers have not had the upper hand in quite a while. In this window if you feel trapped in your job you can leave it, you might even be able to keep your health care and find more willing employer who won't abuse you and gives you perks

[tenderfoot]

32. Those jobs weren't meant to be professions! They're not worth $15+ an hour!

—every right wing troll on DU

[BannonsLiver]

35. Two words: feet pics

[AZLD4Candidate]

36. It's "just get a better job" until someone is personally affected by it

Then the whining and complaining starts.

[homegirl]

47. Those who don't

remember history are doomed to repeat it!

The decimation of the population due to the Black Plague i the middle Ages led to the death of serfdom. Hopefully we will experience the return of unions, living wages and secure old age.

[BobTheSubgenius]

48. I think the answer is right there in the question.

It's not even a money issue, sometimes. I could not wait to leave the job I had in the late 80s, and in my last year, from all sources, I made $70,000. That was decent cake 35 years ago....but not enough to keep me, by a LONG shot.

[bucolic_frolic]

50. Internet has empowered workers with skills, access, ideas, self-reliance

Nothing like making your own money. Not giving half of it to the man. Workers get hired because they can make more money with them than without them. Ought to tell you something.

[SWBTATTReg]

51. About time. The U.S. Congress wouldn't act and pass a higher federal min. hourly wage rate,

still stuck at an rate set in the 1980s! How pathetic is that?

Consequently, many states are setting higher minimum hourly rates, but a lot of ignorant republican legislators in many states are pushing back, preventing cities, others within the states to mandate a hgher minimum hourly wage rate (we did this in MO, in STL, we set a higher minimum hourly rate to $15 an hour, the state republicans forced the city (and KCMO too) to roll back their rates).

When you go to the ballot box, remember that republicans offered the tired and overused excuse of 'if the hourly rate goes up, everything will cost more!', tell them then why has everything still gone up over the last 30+ years, with no increase in hourly labor rates since the 1980s still?

Baloney as usual, and prices still went up, regardless of a minimum hourly rate that is still stuck at a 1980s rate. Goes to prove that republicans are in league w/ the 1%ers and business owners (and no one else), and besides, if they vote NO on higher wage rates, they'll still get to work at a fancy lobbying job after their legislative stint is over with. A giant conflict of interest.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

54. Asl homegirl said,

this is a lot like what happened in the 14th century with the Bubonic Plague, also known as The Black Death.

Anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the overall population died. Some villages lost 100%. So many died that there was a genuine labor shortage, which essentially ended the previous serf system. Peasants were no longer tied to the manor where they'd been born, but could go elsewhere and get higher wages.

That's what we're experiencing now. Workers can go elsewhere and get higher wages. And better working conditions. They deserve them. So what if my restaurant meal or my next haircut costs me more money? I'm not rich, just reasonably well off, and I can eat out less, or skip something else to afford the haircut.

Plus, of course, the super-rich really must be held accountable and pay the taxes they should be paying. It's not as though they're going to have to skip a meal.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

60. Bravo