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[3Hotdogs]

1. On the other hand, if you can't run a business that pays a fair wage to employees,

the business doesn't deserve to operate.


MY daughter is getting $22 at Walmart, with benefits.

[COL Mustard]

2. I guess this is an example of Social Darwinism?

Sorry, I’ll keep my day job and see myself out now!

[Bluethroughu]

3. Well considering the company gets to write off salary and benefits of

their employees, I don't understand why it's a problem to pay a living wage.

I mean really, if the store doesn't want to pay a living wage, it should just broadcast, they prefer to pay a wage that their employees can't live on because?

Enquiring workers want to know.

[former9thward]

5. Stores have to make a profit to survive.

Writing off -- as you put it -- wages and salary means nothing if you are not making a profit.

What is a living wage?

[Takket]

7. "Fight for fifteen" was controversial three years ago

[Bluethroughu]

10. Fifteen bucks an hour couldn't even pay the rent in most of the country.

Wages have not kept up with inflation and productivity of workers since the late 1970's.

And don't get me started.on companies' investment in their workers, most do not offer benefits such as apprenticeship, Healthcare, schooling, pensions or any other perks because workers now have the burden of providing for these things for subpar wages.

Why during the greatest expansion of the Middle class and equality in wages, share the largest portion of unionized workers?

Because the union of workers collectively bargaining together for all those wages and benefits contributed to the economic stability of our country.

Facts are on the side of unions and economic prosperity for the masses.

[H2O Man]

12. Thank you!

[betsuni]

13. The Fight for Fifteen began in 2012, was adopted by others later without credit who claimed it

was considered "radical" when it wasn't and that Democrats hated it because they were "establishment" and "status quo." The usual populist nonsense.

[Bluethroughu]

9. How many stores did they own? What other real estate did they own?

I don't think they were skimming by. When they write off the salaries and benefits, it's as if they didn't have employees.

[former9thward]

22. Your posts demonstrate a severe lack of knowledge about how businesses operate.

[Scrivener7]

4. Average rent in Cambridge is $3250 per month.

https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/cambridge-ma/?bedrooms=1

Average for 1 bedroom is $2663.

A 40 hour week at $24 per hour would earn $3840 per month. Before taxes.

After taxes, in Massachusetts, it would be about $3100 per month.

And, as with all negotiations, though they were seeking those benefits, they would get something less than the ask.

What is it you would like them to learn?

[littlewolf]

15. learn this

24 per hour to make sandwiches and make coffee
is not real .. learn a skill set that the market place
will pay 24 plus ...

trade school is a good start ...

as I said the employees can buy the shops (3) of em
pay the rent and then see if they can pay themselves
those bennies and wages ...

[róisín_dubh]

16. Anti-labor Democrats...

do the party a disservice.

[Scrivener7]

18. If that sandwich shop could not pay a living wage,

it should never have been in business in the first place.

If you want to have things like sandwich shops in your town you have to pay employees a living wage. Otherwise how are the people who make your coffee and sandwiches to survive? Or does that not enter into the thinking of "That"s too much to pay because I don't much respect that work."

When you take people's working hours, you need to pay them enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

[littlewolf]

19. again buy the shop

pay all the bills and paperwork
and pay yourself whatever you want
and all the bennies you want.
if you don't like how someone is doing it to you.
start your own business and show em how its done.

[Scrivener7]

20. No. The answer is that we need to pay enough for goods and

services to allow those who provide them to survive.

Do you ever buy a sandwich from a shop? Are you good with making the person making it for you need to choose between a roof and food in their table? Do you disrespect them and the honest work they are doing so much as to force them into choices like that?

This can go two ways. Either the shop continues to be "profitable" for the owner (and who knows what level of profit the owner requires) while the workers can't survive on what they make or the profit is lower and the prices are higher and the workers get to have both a roof AND food on a regular basis. Ah, luxury!

If the latter doesn't work, the business model was never viable in the first place.

If you take all of a person's working hours and can't pay a living wage in return, the business model isn't viable. And the answer is not to starve people because we don't respect the work they do.

[former9thward]

23. So eliminate all shops and restaurants?

Yeah, that will really work.

[Scrivener7]

26. So maintain a slave class who work two and three minimum wage jobs

and still can't feed and shelter their children so that you can have a cheap sandwich?

Yeah, that will really work. Problem is, that HAS worked for a long time now. And it's disgusting.

I spent twenty years working in the Bronx. It is commonplace there to come across people who have a kid, maybe two, and work 60 hours a week at minimum wage jobs. And they don't come close to making ends meet. So they get food stamps and we call them "welfare queens." Even though they work a hell of a lot harder than most people ever dreamed of working. And we talk about them like that poster is talking about them: "They make sandwiches. That's a menial job and we don't have to respect them and they don't deserve to make a living wage."

And don't even start me on that part where they get sick or injured and they and their children end up on the street because there is no safety net whatsoever for those people.

How is this not slavery? How are they not paying - with the entire quality of their lives - for your cheap sandwich?

Are you denying that, if you take all of someone's working hours, you have to pay them a living wage? Are you really denying that?

[former9thward]

27. So get rid of all small businesses,

Because none would be able to exist in your world. Which employ the vast majority of all Americans (slaves as you call them). Now they are working for $0 a hour. What is your solution? Pay them a wage which small business can't afford?

[Scrivener7]

29. Are you really denying that, if you take all of someone's working hours,

you have to pay them a living wage?

[Scrivener7]

30. And what's my solution? Here: if your business plan requires

that you take all of your employees working hours and you don't pay them a living wage,

i.e.if your business plan says others have to live in misery, want and uncertainty so you can have your small business,

then it's time to scratch that business plan and get a better idea.

[hunter]

21. Any business that can't pay a living wage is not making the world a better place.

Darwin's failed the test. Now it is extinct and the world is ultimately a better place.

It's absurd to say "it's not real" when there are nations in this world where people are paid living wages to work less than forty hours a week, and employees are not thrown out onto the streets to fend entirely for themselves when their employers fuck up.

Sigh.

Small business come and go, and too many of these small business owners don't see how they themselves would be better off if they supported "socialist" things like universal health care, comfortable living wages, laws that protect the safety and well-being of employees, good public schools, etc..

[Maru Kitteh]

6. In this "real life" you speak of,

Does a full-time employee deserve to make enough money to shelter, clothe and feed themselves?

[Eko]

8. Ach, maybe you are right.

I mean, the fact that wages haven't followed increases in production might give people ideas, Like "Hey man, I produce more for you than before but I still get the same amount!" Obviously, they have no clue as to what is real. It also could be that corporations make more now than they ever have but still pay people 1990's wages. But what do they know right? Last but definitely least of course, businesses have paid less taxes every year for a long time and our county is pretty much falling apart, but fuck them unions amirite? I mean the middle class is getting bigger right? Fuck ya America!!!!
Of course,

[Duncan Grant]

11. Maybe they'll reopen under a new name without a union?

Nah, that would never happen.

[Solly Mack]

14. Damn

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. "Welcome to real life" -- the place where the player who holds all the cards can choose to walk away

whenever they want. The movement is certainly aware of it. It's why we fight in the first place.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

24. lol this fuckin place

[Marcus IM]

25. Welcome to dystopia is more like it.

Infantile Libertarian defenses ("real world" Dickensian econ) goes down like a turd in the punchbowl among actual liberal Dems.

[former9thward]

28. Liberal Dems don't support the things you may support.

At least the elected leaders.

[Scrivener7]

32. Lol. Welcome to DU. But why do you want to be here if "they" are all so beneath you?

[ShazzieB]

35. Easy. They're here to tell us libs how wrong we all are! 😉