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Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

theguardian.com

501–510 of 546 posts

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#501

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point seemed to me, they were saying that selling a kid to pay for the others was equivalent to not being legally married.

I believe the point was that selling a kid to pay for the others is a suggestion similarly (if not identically) indifferent to emotional realities as suggesting that a committedly-married couple get a divorce to change their tax status.

It's a nasty analogy, since they are not the same class of event.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#502
post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both the contractor and Facebook share blame, there's plenty to go around. The contractor obviously doesn't pay their workers enough for the area. Facebook is also the one hiring contracted labor to work in the same building as their employees without all sorts of benefits. AKA Facebook is the one who brought that class divide that already exists into their space so that's obviously on them. Facebook has plenty of po…

I would say your edit is unfair in how you're portraying me. I didn't say "It's not that bad". I noted I had been there. As in, I was there, felt it, but had a very different idea of what entities should fix it. You're putting words in my mouth I never said. In quotes even. I feel like some kind of stand in Boogeyman for someone else that you are mad at. I'm not arguing whether it is a problem. I'm arguing that FB is…

I'm arguing that FB isn't the right place to solve it.

But in practical terms -- this is basically saying it will never be solved at all.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is East Menlo Park? Do you mean East Palo Alto?

No, East Menlo park is north of East Palo alto. It's adjacent to FB HQ and has separate services from MP.

I live in the Belle Haven neighborhood. And I love it. Go jogging frequently, always feel safe, diverse neighborhood...

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having moved across the country a few years back for my job, the idea that it costs near $10k is ridiculous. I didn't even have half that to my name when I moved. Checking U-Haul, you can geta 15' for 10 days and go from SF to NYC for under 3k. And you're probably going to be going half that distance and in less time. So let's say you go more central. Estimate U-Haul at 2k, gas at 1k, rent of new place as $500/mo (so…

You're not considering that these people are living month-to-month so they don't have 5K lying around and that the time between jobs when they are moving is time they're not getting paid. That means that you need >5K, otherwise you just erased all your savings to move to a place with a lower job prospects.

> You're not considering that these people are living month-to-month so they don't have 5K lying around

Uhhh.... I said

> I'm not trying to say that saving isn't hard, but I'm calling BS on your $10k number. A few grand is a number close to which you can save and borrow from friends/family.

I'm also suggesting that the cost (from experience and our estimate above) that it is far less than 10k to move. I also acknowledge the difficulty of the task and realize that you might not be able to do it independently. I did say that I recently did just this. So, please read the entirety of a comment before replying.

> otherwise you just erased all your savings to move to a place with a lower job prospects.

Who said that? Have a job lined up first. Consider cost of living changes. I'm not saying to just pick up your bags and determine where to move by throwing a dart at a map. You can line up a job. You can line up housing. You can line up your travel and moving so you only lose a few days of work. This is literally how I did it. No, it isn't trivial, but it also isn't that difficult. Especially if you're really open to where you move to. You're making an unreasonable assumption here, and I don't appreciate the red herring. As for erasing ALL your savings? Yeah, I've been there, done that. Sucks, but it is making an investment in yourself. And IMO a good investment.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question - Why is this down voted? Isn't living within your means a basic idea in major parts of the world?

This is a great question. Those electronics are actually rational purchases, considering their situation. The total value of the entertainment devices is around $2500. Spread out over 3 years (the length of time they've lived there), this equates to about $70/mo. These devices offer a lower-cost option than taking the family out to eat twice per month, cable television, or for each of the adults to go out to a tavern…

I can't agree with you sorry.

No yard? Try a park in town. You can have hours of fun with a $20 soccer ball or basketball or wiffleball or cornhole or horse shoes.

Need entertainment? Read a book from the library. The great thing is you might actually learn something.

You're wrong about the value of $70 a month for someone who takes payday loans. If they banked the $840 per year they could save hundreds in payday loan interest on top of that.

Then after a few years of savings one of them could take night classes and become a welder, a nurse, or learn some other trade that would boost their income.

That is the American dream.

Let's stop pretending their jobs should pay more and start looking at reality. The reality is there are plenty of opportunities out there. Stop dreaming that your current skillset is worth more and start learning one that actually is.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#506
post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say your edit is unfair in how you're portraying me. I didn't say "It's not that bad". I noted I had been there. As in, I was there, felt it, but had a very different idea of what entities should fix it. You're putting words in my mouth I never said. In quotes even. I feel like some kind of stand in Boogeyman for someone else that you are mad at. I'm not arguing whether it is a problem. I'm arguing that FB is…

I'm arguing that FB isn't the right place to solve it. But in practical terms -- this is basically saying it will never be solved at all.

I suppose there's some path where they might exert some negative PR and get a temporary win.

But any "victory" with a corporate customer of their employer wouldn't help the guy down the street behind the counter at a BBQ restaurant, making less for similar work.

I would put more energy into the union mentioned in the article. Which could grow to have leverage beyond one situation.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#507
post #371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Just move away" is not a legitimate response to these problems.

There is a limited supply of housing and they have no interest in building more. That means only a limited number of people can live there. Someone has to move. Rents will just keep increasing until they do. Paying them more will just increase rents more until someone else is forced out. And I do see it as a lifestyle choice. You can't choose a lot of things in life, but you can choose where you live. I don't have a…

> ...they have no interest in building more

"They" are easy to motivate, though. You just need to make it profitable and possible to do. "They" are actually very reliable that way.

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#508
post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The people who own the local supply of housing.

At what point do you think that the interests of citizens who don't own property supersede the interests of those who do?

In political science terms: At the point where there are enough of the former to take the property from the latter (by any given method).

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#509
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, yes. California doesn't allow tipped restaurant servers to be paid less than minimum wage like many other states. PA minimum wage is $15(10-12 take home), and you can expect another $15-30/hr cash. So yes, that's not that much. Not a living wage.

Not all the employees get tips though. Cooks, busboys, host/hostess, etc.

Often waiters will pool tips are pooled with kitchen staff, the exception being managers (managers taking tips would be illegal)

Re: Cafeteria workers at Facebook struggle to make ends meet

#510
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all the employees get tips though. Cooks, busboys, host/hostess, etc.

Often waiters will pool tips are pooled with kitchen staff, the exception being managers (managers taking tips would be illegal)

The fair labor standards act limits that basically to front-of-house in the US.

"A valid tip pool may not include employees who do not customarily and regularly received tips, such as dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and janitors."

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