Community Chat

[proudlyfromNJ]

Just checked with a relative who needs to hire trucks and drivers to get their product cross country. They said they deal with the same company as before all this but the price has gone way up.

[VaBelle35]

There are all kinds of supply chain issues right now and we're seeing the impacts in a variety of places and ways.

Today, Starbucks was out of a lot of items, they have signs up apologizing for their limited menu.

States are now sending employers information on the process for reporting employees refusing to return to work.  I handle unemployment for my company, so I get all of the various notices.  

[Anonymous032819]

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@Sooner wrote:

People are not going to work when they get paid to stay home.  How hard is that to understand?  

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If employers paid a wage that people could actually live off of, the workers would return.

It's a no brainer that with the rising cost of everything, making $12/hr just isn't going to cut it when you have rent/mortgage to pay, + utilities + other bills.

If one takes home 2k a month working at a job they may not like vs getting more on unemployment, it's a no-brainer.

You go where the money is, where you can actually cover your bills.

Also, more people are going back to school to update their skills, so it isn't just "bums on unemployment not wanting to work".

Add to that, people aren't interested in working minimum wage jobs.

They deserve to be paid a living wage, and not paid pennies, while the CEO's make millions/billions.

[tansy]

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

People are not going to work when they get paid to stay home.  How hard is that to understand?  

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If employers paid a wage that people could actually live off of, the workers would return.

It's a no brainer that with the rising cost of everything, making $12/hr just isn't going to cut it when you have rent/mortgage to pay, + utilities + other bills.

If one takes home 2k a month working at a job they may not like vs getting more on unemployment, it's a no-brainer.

You go where the money is, where you can actually cover your bills.

Also, more people are going back to school to update their skills, so it isn't just "bums on unemployment not wanting to work".

Add to that, people aren't interested in working minimum wage jobs.

They deserve to be paid a living wage, and not paid pennies, while the CEO's make millions/billions.

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It's having a work schedule that can be relied on, too, to plan for daycare or attending classes...living life.. It's not simple.

[Sooner]

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@On It wrote:

In some states workers in grocery stores and other service industries are paid a good wage. In my state, they are not. These workers have to have more than one job to survive. No wonder they won't return to a minimum wage job or low wage job until they are out of options. I wouldn't either.

Corporations are all about the bottom line. They will not pay fair wages until they are forced to do so. Because of the worker shortage some in our area have increased their pay. Hopefully, others will follow.

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@On It Just remember--corporations don't pay people; we pay them.  So how much are you looking forward to paying in increased wages?

This costs everyone.  When minimum wages increase your wage goes down.  I'm not saying anything for or against, but we are going to see amazing increases in prices and interest rates in the very near future I believe.

I think those two things will far outpace any wage increases, social security benefit increases, or things like that.  We'll just have less money to spend outside of necessities. 

[bikerbabe]

I’ve said before some of these retail employers refuse to give you a set schedule which can make childcare impossible. It also limits the ability to get a second job.

I read a week or two ago (sorry, I don’t recall the source) that many service and retail workers moved on to different and presumably better jobs and don’t plan to go back.

I really hate these assumptions that everyone is a lazy deadbeat who refuses to work. And, if someone is getting “rich” off of measly unemployment, then that’s a pretty strong indictment of their previous employer.

[Porcelain]

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@tansy and @Anonymous032819 An additional factor is "The Great Resignation of 2021."

From CNBC:

"In what’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation,” a whopping 95% of workers are now considering changing jobs, and 92% are even willing to switch industries to find the right position, according to a recent report by jobs site Monster. com.

Most say burnout and lack of growth opportunities are what is driving the shift, Monster found. 

“When we were in the throes of the pandemic, so many people buckled down, now what we’re seeing is a sign of confidence,” said Scott Blumsack, senior vice president of research and insights at Monster.

Already, a record 4 million people quit their jobs in April alone, according to the Labor Department.

At the same time, there are more opportunities for job seekers — with the Labor Department reporting a record 9.3 million job openings as of the latest tally.

“The number of open jobs is higher than ever before, that’s absolutely contributing to why candidates are putting their toe in the water to see what’s out there,” Blumsack said."

These are people switching to other jobs and industries, not going on unemployment. If you resign, you can't get unemployment benefits. (Or as some call that, paying people to not work.) But if a job is not one people would like to do, they are going to choose to do something else. Not sure how to fix that, but it's clearly not completely a matter of money.

And if someone is desperate for cash, nowadays they can just turn to the gig economy immediately instead of taking a frontline big box job, which takes time to find and apply and interview for.

[shoesnbags]

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@Jordan2 wrote:

I went to the grocery store today, now I usually don't go on Mondays so this could be a weekend thing, but the shelves were bare. Frozen food, dairy, and produce especially ( I didn't look at the meat section). Also I have looked for Thomas Bagel Thins for three weeks at Foodtown, Stop & Shop, King Kullen, and Target no one has it, I have asked about it in three of the stores with no answer. Are we going backwards again where we won't find goods we need due to manufacturing or distribution problems ( or hoarding)?

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@Jordan2 

Try shopping on another day, instead of Monday.  I find that stock is generally very low on a Monday because people have been shopping all weekend and the stores have not had time to restock.  Go to the same store mid-week and come back and let us know what you find.

[Cakers3]

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@tansy wrote:

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@Anonymous032819 wrote:

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@Sooner wrote:

People are not going to work when they get paid to stay home.  How hard is that to understand?  

---

If employers paid a wage that people could actually live off of, the workers would return.

It's a no brainer that with the rising cost of everything, making $12/hr just isn't going to cut it when you have rent/mortgage to pay, + utilities + other bills.

If one takes home 2k a month working at a job they may not like vs getting more on unemployment, it's a no-brainer.

You go where the money is, where you can actually cover your bills.

Also, more people are going back to school to update their skills, so it isn't just "bums on unemployment not wanting to work".

Add to that, people aren't interested in working minimum wage jobs.

They deserve to be paid a living wage, and not paid pennies, while the CEO's make millions/billions.

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It's having a work schedule that can be relied on, too, to plan for daycare or attending classes...living life.. It's not simple.

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@tansy @Anonymous032819   I agree with some of your points but UE isn't supposed to be a way of life.

These issues were important before COVID, too.

I don't know why service work is now look down at because I'm sure many of us did have those jobs at one time while juggling school and perhaps children.

I supported the extend UE especially in the beginning because so many went without a paycheck until benefits started being paid.  Many fell behind.  The extra UE was meant to lift people up to gain a foothold

The argument appears to be people were not doing well before UE, are now living better on UE, and returning to work means being reduced to not doing well again.

I agree the issue is complex but it isn't about continuing UE benefits; I see signs around here offering $15+ to take a fast food order; some offer sign-on bonuses.  The jobs should be filled.

At one time service work hired students/seniors/ and part-timers looking for extra $$.  These jobs were never meant to be high paying life careers.

It is off the mark regarding the millions and billions made by CEO's-because no worker is going to earn that same salary.  It is an illogical pov.

People should be paid a decent living wage; but people should also take advantage now of the increase in wages because the UE is going to run out.

I know we see some places not treating employees well; but those issues are not supposed to be solved with UE. 

Minimum wage needs to be addressed; I believe most people want to work, to feel good about themselves, to provide for family, to feel economically safe.

But UE cannot continue to provide that safety.

[nekodaisy]

My son in law  decided to be a truck driver right before covid hit. He is on his 4th job.  The last one he had had excellent pay and benefits but he was driving constantly and got burnt out. 

He took a local job where he is at home every night.  Only thing about it his wife, my daughter,  is living with us and he is living in another state with his mother.  My daughter is going to college right now so it is working out for her.  

I don't get it but that is another story for another time. He feels the need to take care of her instead of my daughter.  She is going to Physical Therapy School so she will be self sufficent when she graduates.