The trend towards more gig work is worrying. The trend just continues the erosion of the power of labor, and lowering the value of everyone's efforts. The capital class is just fine with this.
I couldn't agree more! Ever since I had my kids, I've been mostly "self employed," although by law, several of the jobs I did should not have been classified as such. One company (mostly tech, I think) closes its ads for its gig workers with "Don't forget to tip!" Uh, NO. Pay them a reasonable wage for the duration of the job, including benefits if the contract is three months or more.
I don't begrudge people in emerging markets seeking work they're qualified for. Several Belarusians I know were able to escape the country by doing that. But the thorny issue of differences in cost of living can be really difficult to address, even within one country.
In the US, so many people focus on price as the primary criterion that work quality often doesn't seem to even occur to them until they see how shoddy the result is. The worst part of that is the clue-by-four never seems to sink in, so the cycle repeats. Competence and expertise are worth paying for.
If your business model relies on not paying your employees enough to live, then you deserve to go out of business.
Whenever I hear the "Job Creators" say that nobody wants to work, I translate that to "Nobody wants to work for the shitty wages I want to pay".
And don't get me started on the "minimum wage is only for high school students making a few extra bucks". That dog don't hunt. Fast food in particular has always had more "adults" than students working for them.
There needs to be more pitchforks, and more unionizing drives.
If you live in a "tipped wage" state, the minimum wage is $2.13 an hour.
I couldn't agree more! Ever since I had my kids, I've been mostly "self employed," although by law, several of the jobs I did should not have been classified as such. One company (mostly tech, I think) closes its ads for its gig workers with "Don't forget to tip!" Uh, NO. Pay them a reasonable wage for the duration of the job, including benefits if the contract is three months or more.
I don't begrudge people in emerging markets seeking work they're qualified for. Several Belarusians I know were able to escape the country by doing that. But the thorny issue of differences in cost of living can be really difficult to address, even within one country.
In the US, so many people focus on price as the primary criterion that work quality often doesn't seem to even occur to them until they see how shoddy the result is. The worst part of that is the clue-by-four never seems to sink in, so the cycle repeats. Competence and expertise are worth paying for.
If your business model relies on not paying your employees enough to live, then you deserve to go out of business.
Whenever I hear the "Job Creators" say that nobody wants to work, I translate that to "Nobody wants to work for the shitty wages I want to pay".
And don't get me started on the "minimum wage is only for high school students making a few extra bucks". That dog don't hunt. Fast food in particular has always had more "adults" than students working for them.
There needs to be more pitchforks, and more unionizing drives.
If you live in a "tipped wage" state, the minimum wage is $2.13 an hour.
Thank you for the inspiration for today's Music of the Day: https://musicoftheday.substack.com/p/music-of-the-day-30-july-2023 </shameless plug>