I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, about a trend I have been noticing among things my friends have been saying, things I have been experiencing and things I have been reading in the news. There was an article a few days ago that summed up the argument the best.
Since the pandemic, many people have, of course, been out of work, which is unfortunate. However, while being out of work, many have either rethought their priorities, reconsidered the value of their own life, or found other ways to make a living aside from needing to be dependent on corporate America. They have realized that life is not work. Work is not life. Work is a means to an end, and that means has been demanding more and more and more all along, but in small enough increments we never noticed it. Death by a 1000 paper cuts, while boiling the frog, so to speak. They have realized all of this and decided they had enough, they weren’t going to rejoin corporate America.
So, for the first time in a long time in this country, businesses are dealing with something they never dreamed they would have to realize; A pool of labor that realizes their own value, and is in short supply. Before, the demand for jobs was higher than the need for workers. When that happens, people tend to work for less just for the sake of having money coming in.
Now, the need for workers is higher than the need for jobs, demand outweighs supply and the value of each worker has increased. Typically in these situations (which we haven’t seen in this country probably since the end of the Vietnam War in 75, the year I was born, wages even out or sometimes decrease as younger, hungrier people opt for less pay over no pay. Profits increased on the backs of cheaper labor.
But now, because people aren’t going back to work, their Profits are being threatened due to production limitations. So they have had to take measures.
Firstly, many states have decided to withhold the already funded additional unemployment compensation benefits for those not working. Yes, they are withholding something already paid for because those of us on unemployment just have it so luxurious on their “you shouldn’t have” level generosity…sorry, let me wipe the sarcasm from my keyboard, it’s dripping.
Yes, Suddenly, all those suit balloons on the Hill have turned into parents withholding our allowance because we’re too lazy and have it too good to want to get a job.
Yes, they think of us as spoiled, lazy, unappreciative children…and I’ll have news for you soon, so does Corporate America.
Think about that for a second…the government doesn’t have any money. They take money from us in the form of taxes. So the money that was used to fund the emergency additional unemployment benefit payouts was first; our money and second; was already paid out by the feds to the states who are choosing or being directed to withhold from those who need it.
Yes, the money they are refusing to give back to us in the form of helping those who need it during an unprecedented time in history was already paid to be disbursed, but because us lazy sons of bitches won’t get off our asses and get a goddamn job like every other kid on the block, you ain’t getting it!
This however, doesn’t address the glaring problem. like I said before, many people have realized their value and have decided they aren’t going to return to work for shit pay when there is still a very real pandemic still occurring that about half the US population so far has gotten.
This doesn’t even take into account, and this is a big part of what people aren’t grasping about this virus, that for every person who does get infected, they run the risk of passing a mutated version to another person. And maybe that mutation becomes a variant that found a way around all the vaccines out there.
So to say the Pandemic is over is stretching it if even just a bit. There is still a real risk.
And when you add to that risk the other piece, that we have proven work from home works.
But no, corporate America decided they want everyone back to work whether they like it or not, because there is money to be made and work needed to be done to make that money.
However, people have found a way to make money themselves, without having to work for another company.
And now there is more at stake for the working class than just a number on a bank statement. There is the possibility things are not safe and may not ever be again. How much are you willing to take in compensation knowing you’re heading into a war zone? Definitely not the same you found acceptable beforehand.
However, corporations, many of who flourished by once again soaking up our money, either through increased consumption due to sheer boredom, or PPP loans that weren’t intended for them but it’s worth taking the slap on the wrists for so they did it anyway, now have to figure out a way to incentivize people to take their jobs for the shitty pay they used to fill them for.
You would think they would do the obvious, offer more money.
We already saw the government’s response to it, basically shaking the tree, not bothering to address the fact that some people make more safely on unemployment than they would make at a job that puts them in danger. It’s a no brainer.
But Corporations are controlled by share holders, and the shareholders demand their dividends. So the company finds themselves having to get people to do the work and keep costs low enough not to drastically effect the bottom line.
What has their solution been? Force retirement on the older (and typically higher paid but also more experienced) workers to open up space for younger, cheaper but less experienced workers. But that was their initial response when the economy ground to a halt and they had to make cuts fast, but still needed workers who could keep the engine rolling, so they can’t do that now.
Some have gotten creative. Some have offered free cell phones as a sign on bonus. Or a one time 1000 sign on bonus. Many little one time things, things they can find a way to cover so it doesn’t effect the overall desired result of lower labor costs.
One newspaper headline said it best, to paraphrase “Corporate America will do ANYTHING but pay a living wage.”
I thought about this and after while it became apparent. There is a reason they refuse to up the minimum wage or increase wages.
Corporate America resents their workers.
They despise the fact that they are dependent on us to make them their money, and every fucking dollar they pay out in wages is like a slap In the face to them. Look at companies like Amazon and how they treat their workers. “well goddamn it if you HAVE to piss once during your 8 hour shift I GUESS it’s ok…but we’re docking you”
It just burns them up that workers have the BALLS to insist on being paid. Some are more resentful than others, I’ll admit, but all in all, I think that’s something that we as the working class need to see clearly, because it’s evident everywhere. And the companies that are successful, are the ones that value their workers. The ones who resent them, well, there’s always AI.
Let us know how that works out for you, meanwhile, we’re going to go ahead and work for the companies that give a shit.
