Average rent anywhere is roughly $1800 per month. Average salary is $15/hr. 40x15= 600 600x4= $2400 Rent is SUPPOSED to be 30% of your monthly gross income 2400x .30= $720 Let me repeat that. Rent is more than double what most people can afford ANYWHERE.

TL;DR at the bottom.

A decade ago I was in my freshman year at university working towards my bachelor's degree when I applied for one of these jobs that offered to "pay for my degree." I was racking up debt, so this seemed like a great opportunity. I was offered an interview, but it was during the final exam period in my spring semester. I talked to my professors, told them what an amazing opportunity this was, and they were willing to be flexible and let me take my finals early. I made my interview and got the job. This job was in another city from my current school, but "no problem" I thought. I just moved and started working on transferring my credits.

A month into working, I went to HR to apply for help paying for school in the subsequent fall semester. When I talked to the same person I had interviewed with (who I had told about my interest in this tuition assistance program) they only then informed me about the stipulations:

1) It was tuition reimbursement, not tuition payment. This meant I had to float the company thousands of dollars until the end of the semester. Then they'd pay for any of the classes for which I received a B- or higher. That kind of liquidity was hard to achieve given my income ($12.50/hour).

2) It was only available to employees who had been there for 6 months, so I wasn't even eligible to apply until another semester away from school.

3) They would only pay for a degree in something relevant to the company's interests. Due to the nature of our work, this meant computer science or something that'd put me in HR.

4) It would only cover $4000/semester, which was about enough to cover community college full time or state school part time.

5) It was only available to people working full time, meaning I could only go to school part time anyway. This meant that the remaining 3 years of my degree program would've taken about 6 years of my life.

6) If I left the company within 5 years of reimbursement, I would have to pay every penny back to the company. I would be indebted for half a decade after graduation. So all together this meant I'd be working at this company for the next 11 years.

7) If I was written up for any infraction at work, I wouldn't be eligible for the program.

Each stipulation on its own sounded reasonable, and I was a naive 19 year old, so I went along. After all, I had been taught that good things come to those who work hard, and I was willing to work hard. In the subsequent semester I took off from school, I picked up about 15 hours/week of overtime (on top of 40 hours/week) and was promoted twice. The OT helped me build up my nest egg to pay for classes up front.

In the following spring semester, I started a community college class with the goal of earning my degree "the right way." I wanted to ease back into school, and did well balancing my time (draining as it was). After my first semester, I received my check to help pay for my class. Woo!

For the next fall semester I signed up for three classes. It was a full load, but if I "put the work in" I could make it happen. And I was going to school for free, while meeting all of the expectations at work. I was doing it "the right way." Until I wasn't. You see, I used my phone at work to text my brother. Not about anything damaging to the company, not in front of a customer, and not something I hadn't done 1000 times in the previous 8 months while working at the company. The same 8 months in which I had exceeded every performance metric they had and earned multiple promotions and raises. Nevertheless, the company caught my violation a month into my second semester, and wrote me up. I was out thousands of dollars for tuition, and had just wasted over a year of my young adult life on this opportunity. My nest egg was gone, my bank account empty, and I had 12 credit hours to show for a year and a half's worth of work and then some.

At that point in my life, I had a positive role model that broke down my options in a way that made sense: even assuming that the company hadn't deliberately screwed me, moving through school at a snail's pace on their terms wasn't worth the delay. What they paid, plus the tuition assistance program, totaled about $30,000/year. That amount of money sounded nice to have in hand, especially at that age, but I needed to consider that the degree I was pursuing was going to afford me at least twice that salary on the open market. That meant that every year I wasn't finished with my degree was costing me a similar $30,000/year. That'd make for $90,000 in lost earnings by delaying my education an extra 3 years. Not to mention I'd be locked in at the company an extra 5 years after graduation, meaning they'd have no incentive to pay me a competitive salary. The company wouldn't have to offer competitive salaries if they were competing with no one, meaning I'd be losing even more money.

TL;DR: Don't go out your way to work for a company that offers "tuition assistance" or "corporate scholarships." They wouldn't offer you money unless it was benefiting them financially in the long term, and in the long term they're going to get their value out of you. Not to mention, they'll probably find a way to screw you and not pay you at all.

I (22f) got this job back in July and we've been short staffed (mostly due to covid) for a while. I had just recently recommended my friend (22m) to the company, he'd be working at a different location so it wouldn't be a conflict of interest.

Anyway I'm training him cuz I'm the only person on my team that trains other managers. I found out today that when he was offered the job it was with $3 more than what I'm getting. Which in all honesty pisses me off.

I have more experience in the field and a completed batchlors degree on top of the fact that my boss has me as her go to person for training and working on special projects. My friend has college credits but it's his first time in the field.

It really hits hard because he is a new hire and I've been here for months and they see I'm capable enough to train others so soon.

I definitely going to bring this up with my boss but right now I'm simply angry at this situation. Tips on how to talk to my boss would be helpful.

Edit: more background info:

I dont want to quit because I really enjoy my job, I work in the child care industry and honestly my company is pretty good at taking care of people. I'm also not in a position to just quit, I'd need something lined up for that to happen.

My current boss isn't the one that hired me, that guy doesn't work for the company anymore.

My current boss might not know of the disparity between our wages, she got her position a few months after I started.

I am also in the process of moving up in the company (hence why I'm training people). The higher ups are looking to promote me by next school year (they want me to have at least 1 year of my position under my belt)

Hello Everyone,

Hooray for the new sub, but a gentle heads up from my experience - anything that rocks the boat and weakens the status quo or threatens the power hold for those in control will be attacked and discredited.

Case-in-point: After a third acrimonious and loud stonky sub migration- one of the mods there gave a televised interview, all of the sudden out of the blue there was a mod drama honey pot sordid love affair gone sour and 'runic glory' along with harassment/shill/mole accusations attempting to split the sub again rather than focusing on educational and supportive posts. Sound somewhat familiar?

The information below has been posted a number of times and has been very helpful for the users of that particular sub to recognize what was being done and resist paid bad actors trying to shut down or split the group. So far, with the help of wonderful mods, and a community that works to prevent the items below; that sub is still functioning.

My personal advice is that the media is never on your side. Take rule #2 seriously- Be welcoming/polite and it is harder for the bad actors to operate unseen. Lastly - people demanding their fair share and rights IS a threat and will be discredited split at every opportunity. The more people are educated and the increasing number of people demanding rights can tip the balance of power. Look at how this all made international news before the blow up.

Also, do you find some of your informative posts weirdly being downvoted immediately into oblivion?Turning off your followers in settings can help.

I hope this information below is helpful and wish everyone the best:

COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of an internet forum. There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of operatives can be used to eventually and effectively gain a control of a 'uncontrolled forum.'

Technique #1 - 'FORUM SLIDING'

If a very sensitive posting of a critical nature has been posted on a forum - it can be quickly removed from public view by 'forum sliding.' In this technique a number of unrelated posts are quietly prepositioned on the forum and allowed to 'age.' Each of these misdirectional forum postings can then be called upon at will to trigger a 'forum slide.' The second requirement is that several fake accounts exist, which can be called upon, to ensure that this technique is not exposed to the public. To trigger a 'forum slide' and 'flush' the critical post out of public view it is simply a matter of logging into each account both real and fake and then 'replying' to prepositioned postings with a simple 1 or 2 line comment. This brings the unrelated postings to the top of the forum list, and the critical posting 'slides' down the front page, and quickly out of public view. Although it is difficult or impossible to censor the posting it is now lost in a sea of unrelated and unuseful postings. By this means it becomes effective to keep the readers of the forum reading unrelated and non-issue items.

Technique #2 - 'CONSENSUS CRACKING'

A second highly effective technique is 'consensus cracking.' To develop a consensus crack, the following technique is used. Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favour is slowly 'seeded in.' Thus the uninformed reader will most like develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'

Technique #3 - 'TOPIC DILUTION'

Topic dilution is not only effective in forum sliding it is also very useful in keeping the forum readers on unrelated and non-productive issues. This is a critical and useful technique to cause a 'RESOURCE BURN.' By implementing continual and non-related postings that distract and disrupt (trolling ) the forum readers they are more effectively stopped from anything of any real productivity. If the intensity of gradual dilution is intense enough, the readers will effectively stop researching and simply slip into a 'gossip mode.' In this state they can be more easily misdirected away from facts towards uninformed conjecture and opinion. The less informed they are the more effective and easy it becomes to control the entire group in the direction that you would desire the group to go in. It must be stressed that a proper assessment of the psychological capabilities and levels of education is first determined of the group to determine at what level to 'drive in the wedge.' By being too far off topic too quickly it may trigger censorship by a forum moderator.

Technique #4 - 'INFORMATION COLLECTION'

Information collection is also a very effective method to determine the psychological level of the forum members, and to gather intelligence that can be used against them. In this technique in a light and positive environment a 'show you mine so me yours' posting is initiated. From the number of replies and the answers that are provided much statistical information can be gathered. An example is to post your 'favourite weapon' and then encourage other members of the forum to showcase what they have. In this matter it can be determined by reverse proration what percentage of the forum community owns a firearm, and or a illegal weapon. This same method can be used by posing as one of the form members and posting your favourite 'technique of operation.' From the replies various methods that the group utilizes can be studied and effective methods developed to stop them from their activities.

Technique #5 - 'ANGER TROLLING'

Statistically, there is always a percentage of the forum posters who are more inclined to violence. In order to determine who these individuals are, it is a requirement to present a image to the forum to deliberately incite a strong psychological reaction. From this the most violent in the group can be effectively singled out for reverse IP location and possibly local enforcement tracking. To accomplish this only requires posting a link to a video depicting a local police officer massively abusing his power against a very innocent individual. Statistically of the million or so police officers in America there is always one or two being caught abusing their powers and the taping of the activity can be then used for intelligence gathering purposes - without the requirement to 'stage' a fake abuse video. This method is extremely effective, and the more so the more abusive the video can be made to look. Sometimes it is useful to 'lead' the forum by replying to your own posting with your own statement of violent intent, and that you 'do not care what the authorities think!!' inflammation. By doing this and showing no fear it may be more effective in getting the more silent and self-disciplined violent intent members of the forum to slip and post their real intentions. This can be used later in a court of law during prosecution.

Technique #6 - 'GAINING FULL CONTROL'

It is important to also be harvesting and continually maneuvering for a forum moderator position. Once this position is obtained, the forum can then be effectively and quietly controlled by deleting unfavourable postings - and one can eventually steer the forum into complete failure and lack of interest by the general public. This is the 'ultimate victory' as the forum is no longer participated with by the general public and no longer useful in maintaining their freedoms. Depending on the level of control you can obtain, you can deliberately steer a forum into defeat by censoring postings, deleting memberships, flooding, and or accidentally taking the forum offline. By this method the forum can be quickly killed. However it is not always in the interest to kill a forum as it can be converted into a 'honey pot' gathering center to collect and misdirect newcomers and from this point be completely used for your control for your agenda purposes.

CONCLUSION

Remember these techniques are only effective if the forum participants DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM. Once they are aware of these techniques the operation can completely fail, and the forum can become uncontrolled. At this point other avenues must be considered such as initiating a false legal precedent to simply have the forum shut down and taken offline. This is not desirable as it then leaves the enforcement agencies unable to track the percentage of those in the population who always resist attempts for control against them. Many other techniques can be utilized and developed by the individual and as you develop further techniques of infiltration and control it is imperative to share then with HQ.

If we are unable to accept those with different backgrounds, ideologies, and even social beliefs, how are we going to build a big enough coalition to affect change? That is to say that the responses to this post has greatly bothered me about the stability of this movement: https://www.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/se8k24/im_right_wing_conservative/

A socially conservative individual has entered this subreddit, looking to join this movement, explaining that they like the general idea of it, they agree that something needs to be done about workers rights, however due to social issues and because they hold "tradition family values" they had gotten harassed and threatened in their Dms. To add, the conversation went in just a few hours from economic issues to social issues and a divide began to occur once more.

I know this is not the majority, that a lot of you are accepting of others even if they voted the candidate that you have enormous hate for, but we must be willing to accept those in from across the isle, otherwise we will still be fighting half the country and nothing will be done. Democrat or Republican, it should be obvious to the average voter that there is a Uniparty. 99% of those in Congress and the White House simply care about filling their pockets and impressing the wealthy elite. So if someone disagrees with you on a social issue, that is ok, let us put that to the side and solve the greater issue of a stabile life and worker rights for all.

We were told we would be paid our tips but we only get paid for our hours. It’s not legal in the UK anymore for management to keep tips for serving staff

I was thinking of messaging her about it. I don’t want to be passive about it, I don’t want to be demanding either.

Any advice on this would be great. Thanks!

I’ve been looking for a new job for about a year now. At first I just wanted something new but now they’ve changed a lot of policies and how they run the business and it seems like more work than it is worth for the pay and I just want out at this point. Every job listing I’ve looked at is either too far away or needs experience that I don’t have and have no idea how to get it. Even the entry level jobs that I’ve looked at require some experience!

I feel like I’ve learnt a lot at my job but not a lot that is transferable to other and better jobs. I don’t even know what I want to do any more. I have a degree which I half assed near the end because I was going through so much and just wanted to pass, so it is pretty much useless. Then I have experience in a small business that uses programs that I’ve never seen mentioned in a job listing. I wish I could quit in the morning and not look back but for 2 and a half years of work I have very little savings and can’t afford to move. The pay is little over minimum wage and thanks to a very difficult year for my family I haven’t been able to put as much away as I would have liked to.

It’s seriously starting to impact both my mental and physical health and I don’t know what to do any more! Do I just apply for anything and hope for the best or what?

I'm sick of reading about so many outrageous situations at work, and the OP goes to HR.

We are sold the idea that HR is some kind of angelic and perfectly impartial referee who will rush to protect you from abuse.

That's an Orwellian idea designed to make the innocent and gullible paint a blinking neon target on their backs and put their own heads in the guillotine.

Even if the situation is really egregious - say, a manager demanding a blow job - HR will carefully look at whether they can find an excuse to get rid of the problem (you) by firing you and protecting the abuser.

What you should do is gather all the evidence you can, document everything in your computer AT HOME in the SAME DAY that it happens, and bring the materials to a lawyer you consult.

Most lawyers will hear you out during an initial consultation and, if your documentation is good enough, could take your case on a contingency basis - if you don't win, you pay nothing to them.

Ask your lawyer if, in your state and in your situation, you are protected if you lose the case as a whistleblower.

But anyway, never talk to HR. They pretend to care only so they can get their mitts on your documentation and see if you have enough to get them in trouble.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO, never make the mistake of thinking they're there to look out for you.

They're not.

I work full time, paid hourly, for a local government office in Texas.

On Saturday 1/15 I came down COVID. I did the responsible thing, got tested and notified my supervisor. She was kind, let me know she hoped I would be okay and that I would need a negative test after 5 days to return to work.

By Thursday 1/20 I was feeling much better, and scheduled a test as soon as could find one, on Monday 1/24. Returned positive. Notified supervisor and she told me again that I would need a negative result and that the home tests were not accepted. So I tested again on Wednesday, still positive. On Saturday I was able to get an ID NOW rapid test done and finally tested negative. Was told I could return to work on Monday 1/31.

Now we do have sick leave but due to chronic health issues I didn't have much available. Certainly not a full 2 weeks, which my supervisor was aware of. I was told straight up that I could not return to work so I assumed that there was a policy in place to provide extra sick leave to those with a positive covid test. Just got paid $400 and asked my supervisor what happened and she said that the covid leave policy didn't go in effect until 1/28(there previously was only a policy in place for detention officers and the like but not general office employees) so I wouldn't qualify for it. Now I am freaking the fuck out. I put in an email to HR, but the offices are closed because of ice until Monday. How the fuck can I be told I CAN'T come to work and then they don't offer any compensation for that time? If I had known I just wouldn't have fucking said anything to them and just returned to work as soon as I was no longer sick. But as soon as I notified them on 1/15 that I had covid I essentially screwed myself because there was no way for me to return to the building without a negative test result. I'm literally shaking and about to cry now. I have bills and shit to pay. What the fuck even am I supposed to do?

A large and affluent middle class is the cornerstone of the American dream. A dream in which anyone with a high school diploma and hard work should easily afford a nice house in the suburbs, 2 cars and a nice vacation with the family to a cool place once a year. Americans assume that this is the way the universe should work. That things were always like this, and that Americans have the "God given right" of the American dream. However, this reality of a exceptionally wealthy and prosperous middle class by global standards is a by product of a very unique and relatively recent set of historical circumstances, specifically, the end of World war II. At the end of the second world war, the US was the only major industrial power left with its industry and infrastructure unscathed. This gave the US a dramatic economic advantage over the rest of the world, as all other nations had to buy pretty much everything they needed from the US, and use their cheap natural resources as a form of payment.

After the end of world War II, pretty anywhere in the world, if you needed tools, machines, vehicles, capital goods, aircraft, etc...you had little choice but to "buy American". So money flowed from all over the world into American businesses. But the the owners of those businesses had to negotiate labor deals with the American relatively small and highly skilled workforce. And since the owners of capital had no one else they could hire to men the factories, many concessions had to be given to the labor unions. This allowed for the phenomenal growth and prosperity of the US middle class we saw in the 50s and 60s: White picket fence houses in the suburbs, with 2 large family cars parked in front was the norm for anyone who worked hard in the many factories and businesses that dotted the American landscape back then.

However, over time, the other industrial powers rebuild themselves and started to compete with the US. German and Japanese cars, Belgian and British steel, Dutch electronics and French tools started to enter the world market and compete with American companies for market share. Not only that, but countries like Brazil, South Africa, India, China, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey, South Korea and more also became industrialized. This meant that they were no longer selling their natural resources cheaply in exchange for US made industrial goods. Quite the contrary, they themselves started to bid against the US for natural resources to fuel their own industries. And more importantly, the US work force no longer was the only one qualified to work on modern factories and to have proficiency over modern industrial processes. An Australian airline needs a new commercial jet? Brazil's EMBRAER and Europe's Airbus can offer you products as good as anything made in the US. Need power tools or an SUV? You can buy American, but you can also buy South Korean, Indian or Malaysian.

This meant that the US middle class could no longer easily outbid pretty much everyone else for natural resources, and the owners of the capital and means of production no longer were "held hostage" by this small and highly skilled workforce. Many other countries now had an industrial base that rivals or surpasses that of the US. And they had their own middle classes that are bidding against the US middle class for those limited natural resources. And manufacturers now could engage in global wage arbitrage, by moving production to a country with cheaper labor, which killed all the bargaining power of the unions.

That is where the decline of the US middle class is coming from. There are no political solutions for it, as no one, not even Trump's protectionism or the Democrat's Unions, can put the globalization genie back into a bottle. It is the way it is. Any politician who claims to be able to restore "the good old days" is lying.

We are going back to the normal, where the US middle class is not that different from the middle classes from the rest of the world. Like a return to what middle class expectations are elsewhere, including the likes of Europe, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. Their cars are smaller. They don't change cars as often. The whole family might share a single car. Some families don't even own a car and rely on public transportation instead. Their homes are smaller. They don't eat as much meat and their food portions are smaller.

They are not starving. They are not living like peasants. But their standard of living is lower than what we in the US have considered a "middle class" lifestyle since the end of World War II.

Is wealth concertation in America an issue? Sure, but no amount of taxation on the wealthy will bring back the 50s and 60s American middle class. That was a very unique historical moment that will never come back.

Can we implement policies to minimize wealth disparity? Absolutely. But no matter what, the American middle class will continue to look more like the middle classes of other countries. America's middle class disproportionally high resource consumption compared with the middle classes of rest of the world was economically possible because the US economy also represented an disproportionally large share of the global economy. As this ceases to be the case, so does America's ability to outbid and outconsume the rest of the world in terms of resources. America's middle class is returning to the global mean and that cannot be changed.

GRAPH: The U.S. Share of the Global Economy Over Time

Hey. You guys have probably seen me post here before but I'm running out of steam. I love my job I genuinely do, but I'm very recently getting to a point where I just can't do it anymore.

It really started when I got sick. It's not covid but because it was covered symptoms I have to take off the 5 shifts. That ended 3 days ago but I've called off all 3 days because I just can't get on the other side of this sickness. My parents raised me with a very suck it up and go into work attitude, comma but I work in hospitality which means I am dealing with a lot of people on a daily basis and cleaning their rooms, So that ramps up the tension for me. As well as the feeling of responsibility if I get someone sick. In the past 60 hours I've gotten about 6 hours of sleep gi ve or take, And with a bunch of personal family drama also happening right now I'm a bit On edge as far as my depression goes.

This isn't the 1st time that this has happened to me. Very often I'll work a job for a few months before I get overwhelmed by it. I've considered trying to go on some form of disability but because my issues armental I don't know if they would be counted, Especially because I have worked several jobs in the past.

As of right now I don't know what to do. I can't keep calling out of work or I will lose my job, But I can't keep doing my job, But I can't have no income either. I guess I'm somewhat venting in somewhat asking for any advice.

Tl;dr: I'm Sick and my depression is going nuts, And I've called off of work 3 days in a row, And I don't know how I can stand to go back.

UPDATE: Thank you all for your comments and advice, I have contacted my managers, asking for potential flexibility solutions, and am also in close contact with my therapist. I feel much better with a clear path forward.

It's all I've heard my entire life and it's not that fucking simple anymore. I'm at a job I absolutely hate, it's getting worse by the day because everyone around me is resigning and idiots like me that are left have to cover all of their work. It's like sitting on the Titanic while it sinks. Yes, I'm looking for a replacement, but I don't have something "READY TO GO!" and I don't think my sanity will hold out much longer.

I have a bit saved. I could get by for a little while on my savings while I pursue something new. But every boomer I speak to would literally rather die at a terrible job than leave before finding a new one. And I'm tired of being guilted into staying somewhere that makes me miserable in the meantime because I keep hearing it and I'm second guessing myself. So I stay. Like an idiot.

EDIT - Just to clarify, I'm not saying it's bad advice! It's most definitely the ideal situation when it comes to transitioning between jobs. But it's not the right move for everyone and sometimes it's worth the risk to leave a horrible place.

Hello fellow humans!

Meta: this sub seems to be quickly devolving into memes (yes!) and bickering (no!). I do hope we can come together and fill this space with awesome, helpful, personal posts and meaningful discussion. I like when posts start with a personal story, so here is my attempt at creating the world I want to live in.

Story: When I got hired at a multinational, jungle-themed distributor to cowboy boxes for Christmas, I was stoked. They promised a $3000 signing bonus for 3 months work. As in, $1000 after one months work, $2000 more after 3 months work. Like a good wage slave, I averaged this over the three months and recalculated what the effective hourly would be. It was enough for me to take the job.

Flash forward three months, and somehow the company decided that the second payment would only happen after 6 months.

They claim this is okay because the signing bonus was not in the original contract, even tho the signing bonus was explained to me while I was signing the paperwork, and I foolishly assumed it was a guaranteed thing.

I feel cheated, stupid, used and angry, but most of all I feel scared. My rent is half my income, and I can't afford to lose this job. I want to get married this year, design my own video game, buy a new car, and spend time finding myself. Starting a personal legal battle with a huge company seems like it would just ruin my life.

Request: what can I do to encourage unions at my work without outing myself, or at least what can i do that won't immediately and obviously out myself. I want to be part of the solution. I don't care about recognition, but I want the world to be a better place.

Side note: I'd love to hear any stories, good or bad, of how union forming goes. Socialization and community knowledge are key weapons in our struggle.

-Keep it going.

Hi everyone I’m just looking for a bit of advice because I’ve never been in this situation lol. I’m a full time student and work in the medical field. I’ve been at this job for 6 months and I love what I do, but we’re having issues with scheduling.

I started out with the offer letter saying I would be working 4 days a week (Tues thru Fri) and Monday would be my day off with weekends. It’s been working great so far! But recently they’ve been asking me to come in mondays (in my contract it no where says I need to come in mondays unless I am ABLE to help, which I’ve done many times before). Problem is it is super last minute and mondays are usually my appointment days and my zoom meetings with professors. My boss seems angry and said we need to have a chat about me not being a team player and helping out mondays while our other staff was out. Im wondering if anyone has any advice on what to say?

EVERY system in place relies on the people WILLINGLY participating. Thinking you can change any of it by following the rules is foolish. The rights you all want arent going to be given to you. Youre going to have to take them. The history of labor movements isnt pretty. Its full of moments of desperation and extreme circumstances. Its full of abolitionists, revolutionaries, anarchists...

The wealthy have carefully constructed a system of protections that works significantly less for average workers. It is only effective when enough people are scared to go against it, being somehow convinced they are necessary. When it comes time to enforce unjust laws in place to protect the systems very existence, punishing masses who challenge or defy it is actually impossible.

That is what they dont want people to know, what they dont want people to realize. The power held by the many isnt dangerous until they become aware of how they can change it all by just not following the rules and playing the game. Just look at what something as simple as staying home has done.

They sent everyone home and closed businesses deemed not essential during the pandemic for public safety, then had to admit that the economy relies on our labor entirely. We cant go back to the way things were before, and they cant capitalize on our labor for record profits, unless we all go back to work... interesting. Even public health takes a backseat to profits.

What if we dont want to go back to the way things were before? Then we need to acknowledge histories ugly truth about these ideas and movements. What has worked before isn't going to be enough this time.

If everyone instead of boycotting massive corporations, just decided to steal what they needed from them instead, the justice system would not be able to handle it. A corporate entity being the victim of hundreds of thousands of crimes would only lose even more money pursuing criminal proceedings against everyone. The courts would be overrun with so many cases they could never take everyone to trial. There isnt anywhere near enough space in jails to put everyone in.

If instead of wasting time rallying and marching and campaigning and then voting every 2-4 years for change, we all decided NOT to vote at all. Elected officials wouldn't be able to sell us that they represent the "people", let alone a majority. They wouldnt be able to disguise their decisions anymore as anything other than what it is, to enrich themselves and their circles. Disgustingly enough, voter participation is incredibly misrepresented already and on top of that a large percentage of the population cant even vote. Yet we are sold the idea our vote matters.

If EVERY ONE OF US instead decided to not file our taxes, or pay our rent, or stopped making our credit card payments, or decided to withdraw our money from banks, the entire economic system would be exposed for what it is... Fragile and completely dependent on the exploitation of labor.

Historically the rich and governments world wide have answered any real threat to their power with a heavy hand. I have no doubt they will this time around as well. But making examples of a few hundred or a few thousand has only been good enough up until now. They already use violence in enforcement of victimless crimes, but they cant kill everyone. They cant arrest everyone. They cant punish everyone. They cant organize retaliation against everyone.

Hyper partisan politics have made rational arguments no longer possible with elements of corporate structure and the government representatives they buy. It is not in their interests to get anything meaningful accomplished because it would undermine their control and their funding.

Politics is just a trap used to ensure nothing actually changes. There isnt really a left or a right. Theres only the haves and have nots, those at the top and everyone else. They use the middle ground to pit you against each other. We have to stop playing their game and stop thinking that we can change anything using the systems they've put in place. Engaging in activites that not just go against the establishment, but are even criminal under current law, are eventually going to be necessary in order to undermine their system.

Stop waiting for something to be done. Organize and act.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MayDayStrike/comments/se38xp/a_fox_news_intern_did_their_research_today_a_ceo/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

I work 50-60 hours a week to financially support myself and my mom.

It is my choice, though some of my friends express concern that I work too much or I need to "get a life". My friends are fortunate to have both parents alive, and in some cases, wealthy parents.

Most days I feel alright, but sometimes feel alone in this struggle.

I’ve been working at a hotel since leaving my FOH restaurant job in 2021. It’s sales- great benefits and above average pay.

My manager told me yesterday they recommended to the GM that I be a salary employee. They spoke of it as if it were a promotion but did not mention anything else as it has to get approved by finance before they offer me the salary position.

Because I work in sales my hours are flexible- I’m usually the on site contact for many events meaning I have to come in early or on weekends. Overtime (anything over 40hrs) is time and a half pay.

I am hesitant to switch to salary mostly because I do not understand the benefit besides everyone I speak to telling me it is a “good thing”.

Should I wait to get the offer before deciding if I should celebrate this? Should I expect my yearly set salary to be higher then my hourly pay x40 x52?

Any advice helps!

This movement isn’t about me, it’s about the millions of workers who are sick and tired of being treated like dirt. Far too many of us work low wage jobs that don’t cover basic living expenses. We have no health care coverage, no paid sick days, and no time off. Teachers are buying school supplies out of their own paycheck, nurses are treating patients without gloves, masks, and other basic medical supplies. Walmart, McDonald’s, and so many other companies are paying so little that their workers qualify for food stamps. Think about that for a second: we the people are subsidizing the workforce of companies that rake in billions of dollars every year.

But wait, there’s more. The covid pandemic proved to us all that so much of the low wage work force is essential to the proper functioning of our society. For months the media railed about how we’re all in this together, and how much we appreciate our essential workers. Tell me how we were materially appreciated; all I got were empty platitudes. There were no pay increases, no measures to protect people from getting sick and dying, no consideration at all to the millions of men and women who literally put themselves and their loved ones at risk so that you and everyone else could buy groceries, pump gas, or go Christmas shopping. This movement is about labor saying enough is enough. This movement is about rebalancing the power dynamic between employee and employer. This movement is about the rising tide of workers unionizing, striking, and fighting back against greed and exploitation.

If you work for a living, you deserve 3 hot meals a day, a roof over your head, and paid time off to spend holidays with your family or go on vacation to unwind. If you get sick, you deserve medical care and time off to recover without paying an arm and a leg. If you have a child or a sick family member, you deserve time off to bond with or care for that person. If your husband or sister or grandparent dies, you deserve time off to go to their funeral and grieve the person you love. If you want to raise yourself up or change careers, you deserve an education. You also deserve to have fun and enjoy your limited time on this planet. We are done spending 40, 60, 80 or even 100 hours a week selling our time and bodies just to barely scrape by.

These are the basic conditions required for human dignity, these are the conditions for liberty, equality, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness which are promised by this country; and we will not stop fighting until these concessions are realized. In the meantime, flip your own burgers, convert your own PDFs, and stock your own shelves. We are against working when all we get in exchange is shit pay, longer hours, and disrespect.

The recent influx of numerous posts like this has inspired me to make a standard template for it. Please feel free to use it.

Alternatively, be aware that this is an obvious division tactic and decide not to fall for it in the future.

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I am a <Demographic_Type> and our movement needs to <Insert_Include_Or_Exclude> <Other_Demographic_Type> if we want to make this movement work.

Insert a few paragraphs about how I love this movement and want it to get better. Cue lorem ipsum generator.

<Pre_Planned_Edit>

You know what <Random_Swear_Word> this movement. Despite all of the reasons I just gave about how important this movement is and perfectly matches my values I have decided to abandon it because I received some ‘messages’. I am now leaving the movement!!!***

*** Unstated suggestion that if you are the same <Demographic_Type> or <Other_Demographic_Type> that you should leave too.

I am no expert on economic policy. But there was a time, in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, where wages were high enough and prices were low enough, that one salary was enough to support a family and buy a home.

What happened? Is it possible to turn economy policy around and return to a time when wages and the cost of living were commensurate, or is that a pipe dream?

Obviously that era lacked even basic gender, racial and lgbt equality, so I am not nostalgic for social mores of that era, just the economic power of the average worker.