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Originally Posted by petrucci
I can certainly understand the sentiment that has been expressed regarding work ethic and working conditions. However, I believe that the outrage at Amazon and other such employers relates to inequities in working conditions and in pay. It is ironic that the jobs that have some of the worst working conditions also have low pay. Things like garbage collection and fast food come to mind. If we truly had a free market economy these undesirable jobs would have to be better paid or no one would do them. This was actually coming to pass in the USA, but the government quickly imported people from other countries who were willing to do the work for less. A surplus of workers is certainly what the companies desire.
In Amazon's case, the outrage also lies in the fact that it is a large company, and could, if it so wished, make the working conditions better. The warehouses could be cooled, and design changes could save the workers from walking long distances. Amazon could also pay the workers more. None of these things are done, and it smacks of greed.
Lastly, some companies make money off of discoveries, inventions, etc. Others make their fortunes off of the backs of poorly paid workers. People generally dislike this. It is a race to the bottom to see who can pay their workers the least.
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There was a time that fast food jobs were mainly held by teenagers looking to make some extra cash and learn about work. The idea that anyone is trying to make a living in a non-managerial position strikes me as insane. I worked at Carl's Jr and it was not easy. It wasn't hard but it was hot, repetitive and boring. I would not want it as a full time job but it gave me spending money and let me save for college. The people who were there who were not management and not in school were pretty much all people who dropped out of school or only had a high school degree. They were unskilled and were not able to compete for better jobs. I am not saying that they do not deserve a living wage but to expect that a job at a fast food place is going to pay the bills for an individual or a family is a huge stretch.
Garbage collectors in the DC area make a very nice wage. I read an article about it a few years back. I was surprised at how much they made actually.
Yes, Amazon makes enough money that they could do a ton to make life better for everyone but they also have to post a profit for the stock holders. I have never worked in a warehouse but I have never thought of them as being comfortable work places. Part of the reason manufacturing left the US is because factory workers were paid a good deal more then any where else in the work, the cost of running a factory in the US was a good deal higher, and workers simply did not have to be as productive as workers in other countries due to labor laws and state/fed law. Manufacturing jobs returning to the US are paying far less and the standards at those factories is very different.
As others have pointed out, I would suggest that $12.50 an hour is 1) above the minimum wage and 2) higher then similar wages in similar jobs in many of the locations that Amazon operates. People who make a good amount of money normally have some type of valuable skill (plumber, electrician, metal smith, dental technician) or have graduated from college or have climbed the ranks starting as the lowest person on the job.
This means that the people who work at a fast food place who are struggling should survive really should be looking to get the training needed to move to another job or excel at their job and be promoted into management. Same for folks working in a factory.
Capitalism isn't always pretty. My time delivering newspapers, working at Carl's Jr, working at a clothing store, working at a bakery sure as hell made me want to do well in college and get my degree so that I could make more doing things I thought would be more interesting. Junior College's are not that expensive. There are online courses that can be completed in free time. People have made it work and improved themselves and their situation for an awful long time because they were desperate, motivated, wanted more or whatever.
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Originally Posted by tubemonkey
Provided you're allowed to hydrate on company time  |
Are there rules that prevent you from wearing a camelback at work? Heck, load up one of those in a back pack and sip away as you walk. 15 miles a day is a lot, I walk about 6 miles day right now. I could do 15 miles a day if needed. Good shoes, a camel back and a little bit of time to adjust and I would be good to go.
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Originally Posted by Blossom
I've been doing job searching for hubby and seen a few warehouse jobs in the past weeks as in Raleigh it seems the average pay is $10-$11 an hour. So $12.50 is very good pay for such a position.
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Yup. It is, but goodness knows we won't focus on that. They should be paying more because the company makes more.
I know that there are some companies that do pay more (COSTCO comes to mind) and are great with their benefits. Perhaps the people working for Amazon should work hard, get good references and try and get hired by companies like COSTCO that pay more. They are out there.
I want everyone to make a living wage but not all jobs are meant to be careers and pay the bills for a family or individual. Not all jobs are going to let people take nice vacations, buy the newest car, Iproduct, a house and a lot of other things. If you want those things, then do what you can to get yourself to a place where you can get those jobs. There is an element of individual responsibility that is missing from this picture.
Maybe instead of blaming Amazon or other companies for doing what they are suppose to do, maximize profit, we should take a longer look at why people drop out and find ways to help people graduate from high school or allow more kids to go to votech school and gain valuable skills that pay more or make junior college and college more affordable for folks. But that would cost more in taxes and require a certain amount of political pain and we don't want that so let's just go back to blaming the greedy corporations.