Quote from: FirstAscent on July 31, 2013, 07:53:14 PM

Quote from: the joint on July 29, 2013, 06:35:10 PM

In Chicago, IL fast food workers are striking, protesting and demanding $15/hr where the state minimum wage is $8.25/hr.

Okay.

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The average profit margin for a company is about 5-10% and these idiots want their salaries nearly doubled, arguing that they're not receiving a livable wage.

Why is their profit margin 5-10%, and are you sure of this, and you cannot think of any way this can be improved? Furthermore, are you certain that a 5-10% profit margin precludes higher wages being paid?

Also, so because people are not receiving a liveable wage, you're saying they are idiots, which may or may not be the case, but so what? They still need a liveable wage, do they not?

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Um, no. I'm getting a bit sick of this attitude of entitlement floating around the USA, and keep in mind I work in the field of social services.

Do you mean the fact that businesses feel entitled to run a sloppy business and deserve the right to succeed even when offering a product so crappy, they can't fill their stores effectively?

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When I graduated and began work as a counselor in the adult psychiatric unit of a Chicago hospital, I made $15/hr with a post-graduate degree and was sent to the emergency room twice for being assaulted on the job within a period of 6 months.

Irrelevant to the above, but thanks for sharing.

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So, what did I do? Did I bitch and complain and protest about my salary or my work conditions?

You're bitching here.

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No. Instead, I updated and revised my résumé and began sending it directly to the email addresses of the hiring managers at a variety of agencies. Within 2 months I secured a new job where I am under-qualified and overpaid, and I love my new job. I'm proud of it, and proud of myself for doing what I needed to do to adapt and thrive.

By your own admission, you're under-qualified and overpaid. Not a good thing.

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Thoughts?

I shared them.

1) Profit margin is likely 5-10% because 1) it's a food-service business, a type of business that is known for low profit-margins do to a long list of unavoidable expenses and high overhead cost and 2) they aren't being run as efficiently as possible (aka sloppily). Sure, it could be improved, but that's irrelevant to the context of the issue I'm raising.

2) No, I'm not aware of exact profit margin figures for any of the companies involved in the strike.

3) I never made any assertions relevant to the OP about the relationship between profit margins and wages. In fact, nothing at all about the companies involved in the strike is relevant to the OP other than the fact that the strikers worked for them. The OP is entirely about the general attitude of the strikers. This is why I keep telling you that you're pulling shit from nowhere in this discussion. Leave the damn company out of it! It's off-topic.

4) And, the reason I'm leaving the company out of it is because I do believe $8 or $10 or even $12 isn't what I would consider "livable." I wouldn't be satisfied with that amount, heck I'm not even satisfied with the amount I currently make. But if you want to start picking apart the lousy practices of fast food restaurants, then you have to pick apart other restaurants, and in fact all other companies who apparently treat their workers to sub-par entitlements. And at the end of it all, you're talking about capitalism which fucking necessitates competition. In competition, there are winners and losers. But I really, really, really don't want to have that discussion. It's way too complex. The OP is simple. You went wayyy too far down the rabbit hole.

Continuing on...

5) That first part about me is relevant because I was making a simple, general statement about 1) my pay at the time to set a ratio for context and 2) the implication that I was dissatisfied with both my pay and my working conditions, also to set a ratio for context.

6) Bitching isn't the only thing I was doing. But seriously, people can't dislike shit anymore or want to talk about why they dislike something? Grow up.

7) I'm under-qualified on paper. and so therefore I'm 'over-paid' in relation to where I 'should be' on paper. If I can go find better, why can't the strikers'? 'Cause I'm white? Or because of some other horseshit backed by misinterpreted statistics?

Cool

Thanks for sharing your thoughts