Granite_StateI'm torn. I want to see an increase in minimum wage. As someone who at one point has earned it, it is hardly substantial as a means to live. The fact of the matter is there are people who just aren't cut out for college or even HS but are hard, simple workers. They should be able to make a living.
Then again $15/hour to work fast food is ridiculous. I currently make $13/hour managing two food trailers and working finances (z-reports, payroll, bills, inputting bank deposits, receiving, creating P.O's, etc.) for a growing small business. There is no way in hell I want someone who literally flips burgers or operates a POS system to be making $2 more than me.
IDK I get inflation, working at McDonalds full time will keep you below the poverty level, but like mentioned above, when fast food workers are getting paid as much as some teachers we have a serious problem.
As far as the first part there are options to learn trades. I think it would be cool to see an increase in these programs. Make them more widespread and possibly cheaper, more accessible. Many of these trades lead to jobs that may not make you rich, but will always be in demand and therefore give you the option to make a living off of them.
I honestly wish the trades were pushed even 10% as hard as the "Go to college and you'll get rich" that seems to be ground into everyone for years. In high school we had boces off site and you could spend part time their and do some awesome programs but I really didn't know that much about it, what was offered, or how to get into it when I was there. It was just kind of a thing on the side. I feel I could have benefited much more from that than some of the classes I was in where the teachers hated me anyway.
For some reason some people still look down on trades. That's grimy work for the peasants sort of vibe. Yet some of those jobs are paying better than what many people are making now and the demand is there.
It might not always be consistent depending on the job, location, time etc, but it's a good option to have even on the side for extra income or an option between jobs.
There are a lot of things like that. You can get a job as a dishwasher and work your way into cooking, maybe a bartender waiter etc.
Hell even at mcdicks you can work your way up.
I'm not saying that it's easy or even reasonably possibly to go from the bottom to the top these days, but you most certainly can slide up above the most entry level jobs. There are lot's of jobs where hard work > any skills you may have gotten in college.
I feel like there is more of a jump to ask for more money, actually demand it, then to work for it. I wonder how these peoples performance is at work as well. Sure some of them probably do work hard. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were shitty employees. You could argue that that's because of the pay but fuck that. I've worked jobs I hated, I've worked plenty of jobs for minimum wage. If I was working a job, I took pride in it and did my best whether it was my favorite thing in the world or I couldn't stand it. If you hate it, work toward something better. Set goals, apply other places.
This just rings more like people begging for handouts than something they deserve.
/that's all rant thing whatever
