I have worked in the grocery industry for 24 years. Having learned the basic skills at customer service, proper ordering, stocking and rotating shelves, produce and dairy, I consider myself skilled at my job and feel that the hard work that I put in (It has gotten twice as intensive the past five years) justifies a liveable wage. In addition, I am the Union Shop Steward for my store, and am well aware of the philosophies, guidelines, and objectives of the local union Local 7 in Colorado. With my position, I am uniquely positioned to see the pros and cons of each differing philosophy between corporate business, store management, union politics, and day to day union concerns.
Times are tough, now. Walmart is going to open 22-30 Grocery Stores which are non union shops here in Colorado within the next year or two. 4 will open in April. The union, of course, wants to picket them, but I feel that the deal is already done...these smaller stores are violating no zoning laws and everyone is quite sure that my company, safeway, may become the first casualty of such a grocery war. Yet as a 52 year old diabetic who is half as strong as a younger man, I feel that I wont be able to compete with the eager new labor coming in. I DO feel that my best chance at fighting this rests with staying with the union...there is always power in numbers ---only problem is they are not very smart as a group. Everybody is out for themselves...you should see the politics and scrambling for position as everyone in the company braces for near certain layoffs. Union wages are what saves a middle class of consumers, however...nobody can help the economy (apart from wealthy stockholders) much by making $8.00 an hour...especially with inflation being factored in. I am open to ideas concerning this grim economic situation.
Republicans crow about creating jobs, but what good are minimum wage jobs in todays economic dynamic?
... With my position, I am uniquely positioned to see the pros and cons of each differing philosophy between corporate business, store management, union politics, and day to day union concerns.
Times are tough, now. Walmart is going to open 22-30 Grocery Stores ...
Union wages are what saves a middle class of consumers, however...nobody can help the economy (apart from wealthy stockholders) much by making $8.00 an hour...especially with inflation being factored in. I am open to ideas concerning this grim economic situation.
I have only once ever earned minimum wage, and that was the first few months of my first job ever back when I was 16. Since then, even the starting pay for other jobs I've had has been above minimum wage.
Aside from fast-food restaurants, I'm not aware of any other jobs where paying minimum wage is common practice. So how much of a problem is this, really?
Why any bedrooms at all? Why not just have the whole family sleep on the couch? Hell, why even have a bathroom when you could just walk to the gas station and use the shitter there and splash some water on your face to clean up.
"Science is interesting, and if you don't agree you can fuck off." -Dawkins
I'm not aware of any other jobs where paying minimum wage is common practice.
Go to a temp agency and find a job for someone with a sporadic work history (thank you layoffs!!), no college (HS dropout perhaps) and no tangible skills and you will find PLENTY of jobs at or barely above minimum wage.
"Science is interesting, and if you don't agree you can fuck off." -Dawkins
In researching min. wage, I have found that Federal min. wage means dick and states don't necessarily have to follow it. For example: the Federal minimum wage is $7.25, while the minimum wage in GA is a paltry $5.15. Live on that.
Why any bedrooms at all? Why not just have the whole family sleep on the couch? Hell, why even have a bathroom when you could just walk to the gas station and use the shitter there and splash some water on your face to clean up.
Who said there's a whole family living in the thing?
Who said there's a whole family living in the thing?
Why would you assume there wasn't? Are families not important enough to consider when calculating living cost that you should only factor in people with no children? It is easier to measure based on at least a 1 child household (which itself is rather rare) which raises the bar for single people with no children, don't you think?
"Science is interesting, and if you don't agree you can fuck off." -Dawkins
Why would you assume there wasn't? Are families not important enough to consider when calculating living cost that you should only factor in people with no children?
Sure they are. But if we are considering them, then we need to consider the income from every member of the family.
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