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Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

theguardian.com

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Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#21

Post by frgtpsswrdlame »

thanksgiving wrote: post #9
denzil_correa wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think that's something you can blame solely on Facebook. I don't think "Facebook" is solely blamed. Facebook is used as a canonical example of SV companies.

> They earn too much to qualify for state health care, but not enough to afford the health insurance offered by their employer. They frequently struggle to find enough money for basics like food and clothes for their children. Victor recently borrowed money from his mother to hold a birthday party for one of his daughters, and from a friend to pay for a dentist appointment. This one might be a little unpopular but it…

Sounds more like the problem is means-testing with strict cutoffs. Mean-testing is good in helping to even the field, the problem is that (some of) our current programs don't slowly fade out as you climb up.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#22

Post by nxsynonym »

cabaalis wrote: post #4

Serious question, politics aside. How many jobs have been prior filled by teenagers or recent college graduates, that are no longer being filled by those groups for whatever reason? Is every single type of profession required to support a family of 4? Edit: 5, per the photo on the article

It's education inflation.

a college degree is the new highschool diploma. Even with a 4 year degree in a "real" field of study (business/stem/finance/whatever) it's becoming more and more difficult to land entry level jobs. If you pay 30/60/90k for said degree, you are going to feel entitled (rightfully or not) to working in a position that's not for the "uneducated". These positions still need to be filled though, because they are generally the jobs that make day-to-day life happen. Nobody wants to flip burgers but they still want to be able to eat one at lunch.

I'm of the opinion that yes, even minimum wage jobs should be able to get the bare minimum expenses of an average family covered (housing/food/medicine), let alone two incomes making more than minimum wage.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#23

Post by icebraining »

rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #17
princekolt wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sad part is that California, being the largest state in the US, should be the last one to have this sort of housing problems...

It has been attempted, and the only thing to show for it is perhaps America's most over-hyped ghost town[0]. Few Californians or transplants to California want to live anywhere but near the coastline. California's climate is not as pleasant once you go further inland. Also, the coastline is seismically active, and does not pose as a great location for Manhattan-style skyscrapers. (For that reason, I have always found…

Also, the coastline is seismically active, and does not pose as a great location for Manhattan-style skyscrapers.

So is Tokyo, yet there's plenty of high buildings.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#24

Post by austenallred »

dpark wrote: post #11
austenallred wrote: post #2

“Back in the day, [the wage] would have been a great number,” said Victor, “but because of Facebook moving in, everything is so expensive. I have to get payday loans sometimes. We barely make it.” They make a combined (rounded) $75,000/year. The real tragedy is that you can't afford to make it in the Bay Area on $75k/yr. I don't think that's something you can blame solely on Facebook.

Where is their $75k/year going? I totally get that the bay is ridiculously expensive, but they're living in his parents' garage. Are his parents charging him that much rent? I'd think someone living in their parents' garage and earning $75k would be doing pretty well in terms of money. (Setting aside the fact that living with your family in a 2-car garage would definitely suck.)

They must be paying a lot of rent for the garage. Otherwise the numbers don't work (or... not work, as it were)

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#25

Post by mc32 »

MacDonald's is also a multibillion dollar corp., nobody in their right mind thinks they can raise a family working at MacD's without additional income or subsidy.

It's a job for teenagers to get experience and for blue collar retirees to make some money to and to their SS checks.

People should stop thinking teenager jobs sustain families. It doesn't have the value add. If you want to make a living open up a stand and maybe if you do things well, you'll survive and thrive.

Even in developing economies, this is ceasing to be the case. Never mind mature economies.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#26

Post by mattmanser »

dpark wrote: post #11
austenallred wrote: post #2

“Back in the day, [the wage] would have been a great number,” said Victor, “but because of Facebook moving in, everything is so expensive. I have to get payday loans sometimes. We barely make it.” They make a combined (rounded) $75,000/year. The real tragedy is that you can't afford to make it in the Bay Area on $75k/yr. I don't think that's something you can blame solely on Facebook.

Where is their $75k/year going? I totally get that the bay is ridiculously expensive, but they're living in his parents' garage. Are his parents charging him that much rent? I'd think someone living in their parents' garage and earning $75k would be doing pretty well in terms of money. (Setting aside the fact that living with your family in a 2-car garage would definitely suck.)

Could be that they're not getting the hours to actually earn anywhere near $75k.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#27

Post by alextheparrot »

thanksgiving wrote: post #9
denzil_correa wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think that's something you can blame solely on Facebook. I don't think "Facebook" is solely blamed. Facebook is used as a canonical example of SV companies.

> They earn too much to qualify for state health care, but not enough to afford the health insurance offered by their employer. They frequently struggle to find enough money for basics like food and clothes for their children. Victor recently borrowed money from his mother to hold a birthday party for one of his daughters, and from a friend to pay for a dentist appointment. This one might be a little unpopular but it…

Do you have any idea of a situation where means testing results in better outcomes? I tend to be wary of hard and fast rules regarding most anything, so I'm hoping you can round out your comment and, by proxy, possibly my opinion.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#28

Post by bryanlarsen »

dpark wrote: post #19
thanksgiving wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They earn too much to qualify for state health care, but not enough to afford the health insurance offered by their employer. They frequently struggle to find enough money for basics like food and clothes for their children. Victor recently borrowed money from his mother to hold a birthday party for one of his daughters, and from a friend to pay for a dentist appointment. This one might be a little unpopular but it…

> If we can afford a program to feed the poor, we can afford a program to feed everyone This isn't actually true, which is why means testing exists. If San Francisco gave every resident just $200/month for food, it would cost the city over $2 billion/year. And that's assuming only $200/month and no other assistance programs. The only way to get rid of means testing while maintaining existing social services would be…

"drastically raise taxes."

Sure, on paper it would drastically raise taxes, but the net effect would be nil. The average taxpayer would have taxes raised by $200 and receive a benefit of $200/month.

And the raise should be substantially less than $200 because you no longer have to pay for the old food assistance program, nor most of the bureaucracy for it.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#29

Post by jmcdiesel »

Facebook didn't make the area expensive. No tech company did. Those local businesses, and the chains alike, have made it expensive. So much blame gets put on the tech companies, but the tech companies aren't raising the prices, they are just paying people better, and the local businesses abuse that to the fullest extent. There is no NEED to charge $6 for a gallon of milk, when milk from those same cows is sold for $2 50 miles away... thats not a SV valley tech company problem, its a SV valley retailer problem, and the blame needs to shift that way...

[edited because splellings]

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#30

Post by falcolas »

frgtpsswrdlame wrote: post #16
cabaalis wrote: post #4

Serious question, politics aside. How many jobs have been prior filled by teenagers or recent college graduates, that are no longer being filled by those groups for whatever reason? Is every single type of profession required to support a family of 4? Edit: 5, per the photo on the article

About half of minimum wage workers are at least 25 and three-quarters are at least 20. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/09/08/who-makes-mi... >Is every single type of profession required to support a family of 4? "A man must always live by his work, and his wages must at least be sufficient to maintain him. They must even upon most occasions be somewhat more, otherwise it would be impossible for him to bring…

> the race of such workmen could not last beyond the first generation.

I don't believe people (well, the people with the influence more accurately) care about this anymore, not with the promise of automation to replace that lost generation while lining their pockets with money.

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