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Bradical79

(4,490 posts)
85. I'm still under $11/hour after 14 years in retail
Mon Sep 2, 2013, 12:57 PM
Sep 2013

The last 8 with the same company. Got halfway through a degree before circumstances wouldn't allow me to finish so I'm saddled with that debt too. It's infuriating. I've got a plan that might help me get out of this horrible low wage and debt feedback loop that might work. It's a long shot and will probably fall apart if I get saddled with more medical bills(or need new shoes/clothes anytime soon lol).

I'm union and I made a good 6 figures last year FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #1
Funny how everything bad in this country started around 1980-1982 . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #5
The Reagan era started the war against labor. I remember B Calm Sep 2013 #60
How sad is it that literally one of his FIRST actions in his FIRST year . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #71
Actually, the ideas arose in the 1960s and 1970s. JDPriestly Sep 2013 #81
Bingo! Happy Labor Day! mountain grammy Sep 2013 #75
"Divided we Beg." That's a Keeper. i like that. JDPriestly Sep 2013 #79
Nixon opened the doors to China Jmm313 Sep 2013 #83
Reagan sign the tax loopholes for corporations FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #86
Righteous rant. Thanks. SunSeeker Sep 2013 #2
People who say that tend to be the laziest SOB's around n/t n2doc Sep 2013 #3
Here is what I don't understand: JDPriestly Sep 2013 #82
I asked this very question in the 2 for 1 special a while ago . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #87
It's absolutely a matter of class Populist_Prole Sep 2013 #99
"Meat with eyes," as Lewis Black put it. GreenEyedLefty Sep 2013 #132
I asked one of those Rt Wingers that and he said eilen Sep 2013 #103
HAH! And what's hilarious about it is that they actually BELIEVE it. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #106
Divide and Conquer Mother Muckraker Sep 2013 #4
Well said. Beer Swiller Sep 2013 #111
What, 15 bucks an hour? safeinOhio Sep 2013 #6
........ daleanime Sep 2013 #29
We don't have the money to attend. obxhead Sep 2013 #7
Thank You! Yoruhime Sep 2013 #104
Preach it brother... flying rabbit Sep 2013 #8
Yes, we are supposed to wait for the money to "trickle down" dem in texas Sep 2013 #9
Used to buy a lot more, too . . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #14
This message was self-deleted by its author Barack_America Sep 2013 #10
What gets me is when they say giving lower classes more money will raise prices for the poor. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2013 #11
Yeah, like they give a shit about the poor. nt SunSeeker Sep 2013 #15
They know America has a heart. To them, that's anti-profit. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2013 #30
Excellent gopiscrap Sep 2013 #12
I've noticed many of those "work harder" types are glowing Sep 2013 #13
You just described my in-laws. Enjoying their pensions while voting Republican. SunSeeker Sep 2013 #16
On one hand you describe my family. obxhead Sep 2013 #20
They have no clue.....Delusional people with no clue who to blame. lunasun Sep 2013 #42
Great post! nt raccoon Sep 2013 #88
Dead on - I know a few of these... polichick Sep 2013 #96
I even see this from some unionized coworkers who've since retired. "I got mine" selfish jerks Populist_Prole Sep 2013 #100
Things have improved a lot since president Obama took over golfguru Sep 2013 #17
While health care and social issues are finally progressing (albeit glacially) . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #18
Economic disparity has gotten worse, not better, under Obama. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #23
The Working Class has suffered emensly during the Obama Administration FreakinDJ Sep 2013 #28
Immaterial! What difference does that make??? golfguru Sep 2013 #34
Wtf? tazkcmo Sep 2013 #43
The problem is the middle class has dropped closer to the poor. yourout Sep 2013 #102
The poor are still poor with Obamacare. An insurance mandate does not pay the light bill. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #47
Health Care Reform had to happen Cosmocat Sep 2013 #63
Too bad we don't have a Swedish or Norwegian congress . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #72
So true. Success no matter how small is still success. juajen Sep 2013 #50
Pure fantasy............nt Enthusiast Sep 2013 #57
It makes a HUGE difference! cui bono Sep 2013 #84
CEO's belong to "private" corporations golfguru Sep 2013 #94
I'm not talking about stockholders, I'm talking about workers. cui bono Sep 2013 #114
because golfguru Sep 2013 #115
I don't think so. cui bono Sep 2013 #116
Looks like you have never been inside golfguru Sep 2013 #118
The taxes are on profit, as you say, so the incentive is to put the money back into the company. cui bono Sep 2013 #119
stop pivoting golfguru Sep 2013 #120
I absolutely am not pivoting. You changed the conversation from workers to stockholders. cui bono Sep 2013 #121
Who was the beneficiary of that $40 B profit? golfguru Sep 2013 #124
Oh, I get it. You just don't care about workers or government having funds cui bono Sep 2013 #126
The problem with "stockholders can just sell their shares if they're not happy about CEO pay" wickerwoman Sep 2013 #123
You got one thing exactly right... golfguru Sep 2013 #125
I'm not going to spend my time arguing with you, but I'd like to point something out: DisgustipatedinCA Sep 2013 #128
That is so typical of many who use that tactic golfguru Sep 2013 #129
You might have a point, if I had lost an argument to you. DisgustipatedinCA Sep 2013 #130
Oh God, not the "jealousy" canard. You're smarter than this. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #89
What has stopped YOU from becoming fabulously wealthy? golfguru Sep 2013 #95
Easy. My parents weren't wealthy and I'm not that supremely determined to step on anyone for wealth. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #107
majority of wealthy individuals in US did not golfguru Sep 2013 #127
Nor were ANY of them "Self-made millionaires". Not ONE. Google is YOUR friend. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #131
Me and you have all the same infrastructure available golfguru Sep 2013 #134
what difference does that make?? dana_b Sep 2013 #90
DO not mis-quote me...puleez golfguru Sep 2013 #97
What a load of bullshit. obxhead Sep 2013 #109
Thank you and Amen! MatthewStLouis Sep 2013 #19
Just out of curiosity... Llewlladdwr Sep 2013 #21
AA in pre-professional Journalism, BA in English, minor in Business. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #37
I used to work in a factory with a woman who had been there for 23 years. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #22
So what you're saying is that she pretty much LOST money over time. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #35
Exactly. Wages sank while the productivity of American workers has risen steadily. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #45
Yup LittleGirl Sep 2013 #39
No, she was aware she was making chump change and she didn't appreciate it. Skeeter Barnes Sep 2013 #46
I have worked at the same job since 2002. Initech Sep 2013 #24
These stories are playing out like this all over the country. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #40
Hey to quote an expression I first heard during the W administration: Initech Sep 2013 #52
grow n sell weed matt in france Sep 2013 #69
Or meth, a la Walter White. Initech Sep 2013 #80
My brother-in-law just got hit with a $9.00 pay cut bearssoapbox Sep 2013 #25
I seen this sold to employees yourmovemonkey Sep 2013 #44
Yeah, "the investment wage cut" bearssoapbox Sep 2013 #48
That's a great story yourmovemonkey Sep 2013 #49
The ONLY way trickle down can happen is if the SheilaT Sep 2013 #26
Kick And Recommend cantbeserious Sep 2013 #27
When they so smugly talk about all those poor people and their bad decisions Warpy Sep 2013 #31
"what do the simple folk do?" from "camelot" niyad Sep 2013 #33
k and r-- it saddens me that even some people who are not rwnj's can fall for the bs coming from niyad Sep 2013 #32
they seem to want to blame the little guys beneath their rung in society for being somehow slackers CTyankee Sep 2013 #66
this is what happened to the idiots that bought reagan's voovoo doo doo. pansypoo53219 Sep 2013 #36
Even GHWB knew it was a buncha hooey. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #38
Sisyphus TomClash Sep 2013 #41
Entirely Apt BrotherIvan Sep 2013 #110
I consistently received excellent performance reviews... awoke_in_2003 Sep 2013 #51
K&R Joe Shlabotnik Sep 2013 #53
Economic blackmail, exploitation, manipulation King_Klonopin Sep 2013 #54
It's like I said above . . . HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #56
Some of the hardest workers around are making minimum wage bhikkhu Sep 2013 #55
But you have freedom rpannier Sep 2013 #58
White-collar, salaried workers need to unionize as well. reformist2 Sep 2013 #59
well said. xchrom Sep 2013 #61
Excellent OP - K&R nt TBF Sep 2013 #62
These are not good times blondie58 Sep 2013 #64
"Divided we beg." 99Forever Sep 2013 #65
my parents taught me this shit matt in france Sep 2013 #67
K&R! This is all so true, but the remedy is to take back our politicians. Dustlawyer Sep 2013 #68
Much ctsnowman Sep 2013 #70
Nixon: ''We're all Keynesians now.'' Octafish Sep 2013 #73
Excellent OP theHandpuppet Sep 2013 #74
Nice post and a real American story echoed often.. mountain grammy Sep 2013 #76
k and r for Labor Day nashville_brook Sep 2013 #77
And another kick from me Nevernose Sep 2013 #78
I'm still under $11/hour after 14 years in retail Bradical79 Sep 2013 #85
Hang on, help is on the way! You'll get those new shoes, and have money to spare! lol reformist2 Sep 2013 #92
Part of the reason Florida is such a cesspool DonCoquixote Sep 2013 #91
corporate welfair Royal777 Sep 2013 #93
they're pretending it's the 50s or 70s, where the economy was managed and unionized MisterP Sep 2013 #98
K&R DeSwiss Sep 2013 #101
Ironworker in NYC LittleRock Sep 2013 #105
Thanks for sharing. It's like 1981 Reagan all over again. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #108
Blaming individuals for not working hard enough OrwellwasRight Sep 2013 #112
Oh, it's worked exactly as planned, and the useful idiots fall for it like they do Twinkies. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #113
Message auto-removed Name removed Sep 2013 #117
Excellent OP - U.S. Needs To Borrow Scandanavian Model To Improve Economic Equity drgoodword Sep 2013 #122
My son has a masters degree and makes about what I was B Calm Sep 2013 #133
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