We have a "shit jobs" problem in this country. Every job should be seen as dignified and every worker should be treated with respect. When we tried to raise the minimum wage, Republicans argued that low-payed jobs where workers are treated poorly were a necessary incentive for people to move up, and that young people need to start their working lives at a bad job so they can appreciate having a good one. Ridiculous! And very out of touch with who actually works these jobs.
If you start your working life in a job where you're treated with dignity and respect you will want to work your whole life. If you are abused and under-payed, all you'll learn is that working is unpleasant and something to avoid if possible.
Hopefully this labor shortage leads to more employers treating their workers with the respect they deserve.
You are talking to the converted (usually) with these posts. You should be writing to the general public in newspapers and tv segments. If they misrepresent the Democratic stance on issues, then we need to write and produce our own stories. The 2022 election is a year away and we need to reach the non-voter, one-issue Republican voter who don't watch or read anything. While Republicans are already airing negative campaigns, Democrats can produce short segments explaining our stance on various topics from the right and far right point of view. There is no time for door to door campaigning. We need a new version of fireside chats to explain hot button words like socialist and the history of the rise of the middle class. Explain Dems vision of the future in the 21st century with new challenges such as climate change, dwindling natural resources, etc. Your clips I've seen on YouTube are a good start for the TV segments but need to be longer and places where people who have tuned out of politics will see them. A more positive future than the doom and gloom old man Republican party. I've been hearing the word nihilist in regard to the extreme right. Try throwing that word at them when they accuse Dems of being socialists.
Thanks Robert. Seems like if there was universal child and health care and paid sick leave, it might make it easier for them to get the employees they so desperately say they need. Maybe they should be backing the Build Back Better Agenda.
I would add to your observation that workers white and blue collar I’ve come to recognize the disparity of profit and pay. The bottom line of many corporations has gotten pretty wide. Instead of saying thank you to those who helped make it that way the take away was givenTo uninvolved stockholders and grossly to upper management. The disparity between top management and anybody below uses three number percentages too often.
I write this in response to a response to a response below, but I want to make it top line: Another problem is well paid white collar workers such as myself who either perceive unionization as something we are "above" or as tantamount to complaining or having a tantrum. My job requires up to 80% travel and even though we are home-based, there are months when we only see our homes on weekends. The pandemic put many of us out of work because we couldn't travel and now that travel is possible again, companies are having trouble hiring because a year without travel made it gobsmackingly clear that we had no life before - did not see friends or family, could not have hobbies, weekends weren't for leisure but laundry and repacking and doing the office work we can't do on planes and in crowded airports. Our health went to shit because of all the crappy airport and restaurant food, and the noisy light-filled hotel rooms we can't sleep in, and the constant stress of praying the flight isn't delayed or traffic is so heavy you can't get to the airport in time. But we make six figures so it doesn't occur to anyone to unionize to, among other things, hire more people into these well-paying jobs (share the wealth!) and give us some semblance of life back. Can our job be done remotely? As it turns out yes but with difficulty, there are a lot of factors we don't have control over. But we have our friggin' lives back.
Many of the people toiling at the low wage jobs with horrible working conditions were laid off, unceremoniously dumped on the streets, when the pandemic hit. They could not help but realize that their employers did not care at all about them. Getting by on unemployment benefits through the worst of the pandemic gave them time to reflect on whether these near-slavery jobs were what they wanted to spend their lives doing. Many got better jobs. Some furthered their education or training. Others would like to return to work, but childcare costs more than they would earn.
As for the theory that the extra unemployment benefits were inducing workers to stay home, rather than get jobs, the extra $300.00 per week works out to approximately $7,800 per six months. Even if the theory were accurate, if $7,800 per six months is enough to induce people to refrain from getting jobs, what does that say about the quality of the jobs? Going to work, even without the need for child care, costs money. There is transportation and better clothing required.
To their credit, the Washington Post and PBS NewsHour did do reports on the workers to get their perspective. The top headline from the Washington Post in my inbox this morning is, "America’s unemployed are sending a message: They’ll go back to work when they feel safe – and well-compensated"
As usual, you provide the context that should be provided by the media reporting the numbers. Unless you understand the underlying story of the numbers reporting the numbers is meaningless.
I know I wouldn't go back to Walmart for lousy pay for back breaking work. And heaven forbid anyone ask for workings tools that make sense for short people like me - like step stools for simple reaching. We're forced to use BIG pieces of equipment that cause more injury than help. I'm encouraged that the working class is waking up and sticking up for itself.
I have been saying for a very long time that the,only solution is a general strike . The workers are the ones that make the economic wheel turn , and when that stops , wallstreet and Congress will start paying attention to the demands of the working class . The French proved that and now it is time for the American workers to demand fair livable wages and health care and safe working environments, and forcing employers to cut the pay of CEO's and tax the wealthy to pay their fair share instead of the average worker shouldering the tax burden.
Yes, the average American worker has had a gutful of being kicked around by bosses with unliveable wages and conditions. A National basic wage of $20 / hour would be more appropriate, & not stagnate for the next 30-40 years like the $7.25 / hour.
In the small town I live in the Ford dealercan’t schedule timely service, restaurants cannot maintain regular hours, drug stores are closing and cannot fill prescriptions. It goes on and on with the cause being cannot find workers. Your comments are spot on! Shame on the news media for giving us such lackadaisical, misleading, insufficient, and insulting “journalism”. Those employment numbers mean nothing contrasted against the reality of the true economy.
Considering the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), that passed in the House over 200 days ago and has been held up in the Senate ever since, it should come as no surprise that workers across the country are showing more and more signs of strain and discontent and are not waiting on Congress to act. Adding insult to injury, the pandemic further exposed the inequities of our society with those at the top continuing to prosper while, quoting Mehdi Hasan, “burning through our resources and burning out their workers.”
A contrast from reporting on new jobs after the 2008 crash where the media focus was on how many of the jobs created were minimum wage, low wage jobs vs. the higher wage ones people had lost. The message that people couldn't afford to work in those jobs (transportation, child care costs, etc.) was understood. Not as much of the media was owned by corporate conglomerates then who may wish to push as normative a labor marker resembling slave labor for profit.
What a great idea--a general strike! Bring the moguls to their knees! As a member of SAG/AFTRA I fully support this! With more and active unions again we may be able to create a new Bourgeois Spring such as we had from the 40's to the 80's! Let's go for it!
In March 2001 in Silicon Valley I was worried I didn't have enough cash to pay for property tax, income tax and mortgage. Then I was laid off! My severance pay and unused vacation amounted to 6 weeks of pay so I was suddenly able to pay all of my bills! I got a new job in 4 weeks. That was when Silicon Valley was going through it's biggest bust so far.
In May 2020 I was laid off due to COVID-19. I haven't worked since. I'm 63 now and companies don't seem to want to hire someone at my age. Fortunately I now have enough savings to make it if I have to but every day without work cuts into my future retirement. I have a good 7+ years of work still in me
I don't get it when everyone says that finding a job is so easy. Just look at all the jobs available...
We have a "shit jobs" problem in this country. Every job should be seen as dignified and every worker should be treated with respect. When we tried to raise the minimum wage, Republicans argued that low-payed jobs where workers are treated poorly were a necessary incentive for people to move up, and that young people need to start their working lives at a bad job so they can appreciate having a good one. Ridiculous! And very out of touch with who actually works these jobs.
If you start your working life in a job where you're treated with dignity and respect you will want to work your whole life. If you are abused and under-payed, all you'll learn is that working is unpleasant and something to avoid if possible.
Hopefully this labor shortage leads to more employers treating their workers with the respect they deserve.
You are talking to the converted (usually) with these posts. You should be writing to the general public in newspapers and tv segments. If they misrepresent the Democratic stance on issues, then we need to write and produce our own stories. The 2022 election is a year away and we need to reach the non-voter, one-issue Republican voter who don't watch or read anything. While Republicans are already airing negative campaigns, Democrats can produce short segments explaining our stance on various topics from the right and far right point of view. There is no time for door to door campaigning. We need a new version of fireside chats to explain hot button words like socialist and the history of the rise of the middle class. Explain Dems vision of the future in the 21st century with new challenges such as climate change, dwindling natural resources, etc. Your clips I've seen on YouTube are a good start for the TV segments but need to be longer and places where people who have tuned out of politics will see them. A more positive future than the doom and gloom old man Republican party. I've been hearing the word nihilist in regard to the extreme right. Try throwing that word at them when they accuse Dems of being socialists.
Thanks Robert. Seems like if there was universal child and health care and paid sick leave, it might make it easier for them to get the employees they so desperately say they need. Maybe they should be backing the Build Back Better Agenda.
I would add to your observation that workers white and blue collar I’ve come to recognize the disparity of profit and pay. The bottom line of many corporations has gotten pretty wide. Instead of saying thank you to those who helped make it that way the take away was givenTo uninvolved stockholders and grossly to upper management. The disparity between top management and anybody below uses three number percentages too often.
Yes. I love it. People are finally recognizing the value of their labor. Can I just say, I cackled at reading you say "shit jobs"? lol
I write this in response to a response to a response below, but I want to make it top line: Another problem is well paid white collar workers such as myself who either perceive unionization as something we are "above" or as tantamount to complaining or having a tantrum. My job requires up to 80% travel and even though we are home-based, there are months when we only see our homes on weekends. The pandemic put many of us out of work because we couldn't travel and now that travel is possible again, companies are having trouble hiring because a year without travel made it gobsmackingly clear that we had no life before - did not see friends or family, could not have hobbies, weekends weren't for leisure but laundry and repacking and doing the office work we can't do on planes and in crowded airports. Our health went to shit because of all the crappy airport and restaurant food, and the noisy light-filled hotel rooms we can't sleep in, and the constant stress of praying the flight isn't delayed or traffic is so heavy you can't get to the airport in time. But we make six figures so it doesn't occur to anyone to unionize to, among other things, hire more people into these well-paying jobs (share the wealth!) and give us some semblance of life back. Can our job be done remotely? As it turns out yes but with difficulty, there are a lot of factors we don't have control over. But we have our friggin' lives back.
Many of the people toiling at the low wage jobs with horrible working conditions were laid off, unceremoniously dumped on the streets, when the pandemic hit. They could not help but realize that their employers did not care at all about them. Getting by on unemployment benefits through the worst of the pandemic gave them time to reflect on whether these near-slavery jobs were what they wanted to spend their lives doing. Many got better jobs. Some furthered their education or training. Others would like to return to work, but childcare costs more than they would earn.
As for the theory that the extra unemployment benefits were inducing workers to stay home, rather than get jobs, the extra $300.00 per week works out to approximately $7,800 per six months. Even if the theory were accurate, if $7,800 per six months is enough to induce people to refrain from getting jobs, what does that say about the quality of the jobs? Going to work, even without the need for child care, costs money. There is transportation and better clothing required.
To their credit, the Washington Post and PBS NewsHour did do reports on the workers to get their perspective. The top headline from the Washington Post in my inbox this morning is, "America’s unemployed are sending a message: They’ll go back to work when they feel safe – and well-compensated"
As usual, you provide the context that should be provided by the media reporting the numbers. Unless you understand the underlying story of the numbers reporting the numbers is meaningless.
I know I wouldn't go back to Walmart for lousy pay for back breaking work. And heaven forbid anyone ask for workings tools that make sense for short people like me - like step stools for simple reaching. We're forced to use BIG pieces of equipment that cause more injury than help. I'm encouraged that the working class is waking up and sticking up for itself.
I have been saying for a very long time that the,only solution is a general strike . The workers are the ones that make the economic wheel turn , and when that stops , wallstreet and Congress will start paying attention to the demands of the working class . The French proved that and now it is time for the American workers to demand fair livable wages and health care and safe working environments, and forcing employers to cut the pay of CEO's and tax the wealthy to pay their fair share instead of the average worker shouldering the tax burden.
Yes, the average American worker has had a gutful of being kicked around by bosses with unliveable wages and conditions. A National basic wage of $20 / hour would be more appropriate, & not stagnate for the next 30-40 years like the $7.25 / hour.
K
In the small town I live in the Ford dealercan’t schedule timely service, restaurants cannot maintain regular hours, drug stores are closing and cannot fill prescriptions. It goes on and on with the cause being cannot find workers. Your comments are spot on! Shame on the news media for giving us such lackadaisical, misleading, insufficient, and insulting “journalism”. Those employment numbers mean nothing contrasted against the reality of the true economy.
Considering the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), that passed in the House over 200 days ago and has been held up in the Senate ever since, it should come as no surprise that workers across the country are showing more and more signs of strain and discontent and are not waiting on Congress to act. Adding insult to injury, the pandemic further exposed the inequities of our society with those at the top continuing to prosper while, quoting Mehdi Hasan, “burning through our resources and burning out their workers.”
A contrast from reporting on new jobs after the 2008 crash where the media focus was on how many of the jobs created were minimum wage, low wage jobs vs. the higher wage ones people had lost. The message that people couldn't afford to work in those jobs (transportation, child care costs, etc.) was understood. Not as much of the media was owned by corporate conglomerates then who may wish to push as normative a labor marker resembling slave labor for profit.
What a great idea--a general strike! Bring the moguls to their knees! As a member of SAG/AFTRA I fully support this! With more and active unions again we may be able to create a new Bourgeois Spring such as we had from the 40's to the 80's! Let's go for it!
In March 2001 in Silicon Valley I was worried I didn't have enough cash to pay for property tax, income tax and mortgage. Then I was laid off! My severance pay and unused vacation amounted to 6 weeks of pay so I was suddenly able to pay all of my bills! I got a new job in 4 weeks. That was when Silicon Valley was going through it's biggest bust so far.
In May 2020 I was laid off due to COVID-19. I haven't worked since. I'm 63 now and companies don't seem to want to hire someone at my age. Fortunately I now have enough savings to make it if I have to but every day without work cuts into my future retirement. I have a good 7+ years of work still in me
I don't get it when everyone says that finding a job is so easy. Just look at all the jobs available...