Community Chat

[NYCLatinaMe]

@CrazyDaisy I don't think employers should expect employees to cover their losses.  The government is providing numerous programs with assistance for employers.  So they don't need to squeeze employees.  So yes, we disagree.  

[CrazyDaisy]

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@NYCLatinaMe wrote:

@CrazyDaisy I don't think employers should expect employees to cover their losses.  The government is providing numerous programs with assistance for employers.  So they don't need to squeeze employees.  So yes, we disagree.  

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Think you may have misunderstood what I am saying.  After more than a year of huge losses, many businesses are still not making a profit.  They need employees in order to even stay in business. So employees are not covering their losses, they are trying to keep them open.  This is mutually beneficial for all.

If you think these government assistance programs are helping most of these businesses you are sadly misinformed.  Just need to follow the money....and the businesses that need it are not getting it.

[Sooner]

Another easy target to complain about about all of us who: buy stuff we don't need; support China; take no time to complain to legislators about how their money is spent; don't care what companies throw away "charity" wise of our money and take tax deductions for it; spend more money on pet food than charity, and I could go on.

I have a very sad view of a lot of the "charity" activities in this country because I think it is more for advertising than helping people, and letting a lot of people in rural America go hungry and without education because they aren't fashionable to help.

So when people get upset about how some gazillion aire spends some money, I get irritated because so many who need help don't get our attention.  You have to be in need in the right places in this country or nobody gives squat about your situation.  

I will put away the soap box and apologize if I have offended because my intent is simply to say that we (including me) spend a lot of thought and effort on stuff that doesn't really matter.  I have not have a great day, and I am angry about something I can't do anything about and I guess this is my frustration.  

[gertrudecloset]

Here's an excerpt of a story about one segment of the work world.

Read the entire article : CNN Business 7/23/2021 ("People are just walking out in the middle of shifts': What it's like to work in the restaurant right now).

Workers interviewed by CNN Business said they're struggling in the short-staffed environment. Servers are stepping into other roles as overworked back-of-the-house employees quit, and sometimes seeing their tips ebb as they scramble to keep up with the new responsibilities. Fed-up colleagues sometimes quit in the middle of their shifts.

They're in this situation because during the pandemic, many workers were laid off, as safety measures required some restaurants to close dining entirely. Eventually, when restaurants started re-hiring, they found a smaller pool of potential employees. Some moved away, others found new jobs in other industries. Some are still staying home to care for children or other dependents. Some, fed up with what are often low wages for the arduous work, vowed never to return.

In an attempt to woo those still interested in restaurant jobs, some employers have raised wages or increased perks. The extras may help, but they can't fix the fact that when restaurants are understaffed, those coming in have to pick up a lot of extra slack.

Some are planning to stick it out, while others wonder if it's time for them to exit the industry themselves.

People quitting in the middle of their shifts

Joshuah Morton, 36, has worked as a server at a Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen in Phoenix, Arizona for about four years. Morton is diabetic, and has a four-year-old son with an immune deficiency. When the pandemic hit, he stopped working, fearing for their health. But by October he was ready to return to work.

"Sitting at home all the time was getting depressing," he said. And of course, the money was an incentive.

Back then, Morton noticed that the restaurant was having a had time bringing employees back. Once it started bringing new people on board, many of those caved under the pressure.

 

Very informative, timely and eye opening.  This is not a black and white situation we're in.

[Duckncover]

I was very much more interested in Wally Funk than Jeff Bezos; he has had more than enough attention IMO.

[Linmo]

@Duckncover At least give Bezos credit for finally giving Wally the opportunity that she was denied because of her gender.  

[occasionalrain]

@Duckncover 

If what you claim were true, you wouldn't have opened this thread. It's clearly labeled Jeff Bezos.

[NYCLatinaMe]

@CrazyDaisy It is not for the employees to accept poverty wages and harsh working conditions to help their employers make money.  If employers can't make it paying fair wages and treating their employees well, then maybe they should do something else.

[occasionalrain]

It's up to the employees to decide to accept or reject what's on offer. The employer is free to do what's in the best interest of his business. If he can't retain employees with the wages and work load he offers, he will need to make changes. 

Everyone involved is responsible to look out for themselves. 

[Sooner]

If you look up the average salary in states it varies wildly.  Cost of living and how people live varies wildly as well.

So minimum wages can't be expected to be the same from state to state in my mind.  It simply does not reflect the standard of living or the economy.