Skilled labor pays $20 per hour? Wow. The guy who painted my house charged $80 per hour just for labor. He made 19,000 just to paint it.
So the more motivated kids can do that. When I was 15, a friend and I ran a summer day care three mornings a week, and we made $400 in 2024 dollars, which we split. Pretty good money for 12 hours of work for a kid.
Skilled labor pays more. Just look at what the dockworkers negotiated.
We live in a nation where some will look another in the eye and say hey 40 grand is middle class. That's a lie. Big time lie.
Because most of them do work full time managing the multiple outlets that they own, employing at least fifteen people at each outlet. This will become a thing of the past as many of these outlets go out of business and the ones that don't will replace half of their employees with kiosks and machines. Those employees become the new homeless, eating at soup kitchens and on the dole (as long as that lasts). Which is better? Learning to live within your means and budgeting and learning skills to improve your standing or demanding wages that are unrealistic and undeserving only to be out of a job.
I don't begrudge them that pay. Capitalism isn't about working for low wages to sacrifice. It's about garnering the most $ one can.
They haven't yet. That happens in Jan. Boeing just accepted their contract which is just as ridiculous as the longshoremen's demands. Stevedores used to do demanding, physical work. Not so much anymore. If you get into the longshoremens union now, it is because you're related to someone or know someone in the union. Nepotism at its finest.
What happened to EARNING your wage and receiving the value that you produce?
I see your point but then what's ahead is a small ruling wealthy class and a struggling working class. Somehow the strugglers are just supposed to happily accept it. Is this somewhat accurate?
Evety worker earms their wage. This is capitalism. The goal? More $. Workers are going to go for the most $ they can get. I don't blame them. Why should they sit back and keep working hard for the same wage? This is part of the system.
I know of a 30 something high school graduate that works rebuilding and installing electrical generation turbines to the tune of $350K per year. It can be done, but contrary to popular opinion, these are not easy jobs and they require a great deal of personal sacrifice in time spent in your home with your family.
No burger flipper earns $20/hr.
The way to that goal is make yourself more valuable. Produce more value, receive better compensation.
Could easily charge $500 k. That's capitalism 101. Charge as much as possible.
So the fast food put can offer minimum wage. Then offer that. Problem is solved. The wages are lower.
He can’t charge $500k if his competitors charge $350k. He’d end up earning 0. That’s also capitalism.
Maybe. But maybe he can slowly charge more. That's the goal in capitalism. Every worker seeks more. Any decent worker that is.
If workers in the US are struggling, it is their own short-sighted fault. They receive compensation that would make them wealthy in 80% of the rest of the world. Use these illegal immigrants as an example. They come here, work for the lowest wages, budget, cut corners and adapt. They persevere and if they follow the citizenship path, they usually become comfortable, productive middle class citizens. Low skilled American workers over value their contributions.
America is the only place in the world where you can find obese homeless people.
