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Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

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Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#31

Post by ivan_gammel »

grover35 wrote: post #5

Hopefully this is the moment we realize that capitalism is really not serving us in any meaningful way. As long as we have enough people brave enough to quit and take to the streets the working class might have a fighting chance at ending their exploitation.

As far as I can see, one particular flavor of capitalism works quite well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_market_economy

It's not like bad things do not happen, but the system continuously checks the balance between employee and employer interests and adjusts.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#33

Post by colinmhayes »

grover35 wrote: post #5

Hopefully this is the moment we realize that capitalism is really not serving us in any meaningful way. As long as we have enough people brave enough to quit and take to the streets the working class might have a fighting chance at ending their exploitation.

This isn't capitalism's fault, it's just human nature. Every economic system will have scumbags who try to exploit other people for personal gain.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#34

Post by mym1990 »

user3939382 wrote: post #23
metadat wrote: post #2

> Wayne Pankratz, executive director of operations for Applebee’s franchisee Apple Central LLC. > “The advantage this has for us is that it will increase application flow and has the potential to lower our average wage. How you ask? > “Most of our employee base and potential employee base live paycheck to paycheck. Any increase in gas price cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas pr…

My open letter to Wayne would read: your food sucks, the portions are small, and your prices are high. The service is hit-or-miss at best. You’ve bean-counted this chain into the ground, maybe spend a little less time looking at financial tricks on your balance sheet and a little more figuring out how you can make food people want to eat at a reasonable price.

I can hardly blame the hit-or-miss service when you have to worker under management like this.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#35

Post by bjterry »

WestCoastJustin wrote: post #21
oh_sigh wrote: post #14

The title should be "An email urging lower wages for new employees due to higher gas prices sparks walkout at Lawrence Applebee’s", per HN guidelines. The user-created title is also incorrect, because it was not an Applebee's exec, it was the director of operations for a company that franchises Applebees who wrote the email. I also find it interesting that the author of the email doesn't even get a smidgen of credit…

Your suggested title is too long for submission. Sometimes you need to use your best judgement in applying the HN guidelines.

The headline is deceptive as written. It's an executive at an Applebee's franchisee with 47 restaurants, not the chain itself.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#36

Post by nvahalik »

metadat wrote: post #2

> Wayne Pankratz, executive director of operations for Applebee’s franchisee Apple Central LLC. > “The advantage this has for us is that it will increase application flow and has the potential to lower our average wage. How you ask? > “Most of our employee base and potential employee base live paycheck to paycheck. Any increase in gas price cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas pr…

I think one of the overlooked pieces of the email is on the second page. I read it yesterday so my memory isn't super fresh. But he essentially says that:

* they've been hiring people at $18-20/hr

* the government pandemic aid/unemployment is dropping off and therefore they are no longer "competing with the government"

I think a lot of the "progress" with increasing wages was artificially inflated by government overspending of unemployment and COVID benefits. The people out there looking for jobs were in a sellers market. They could get a better rate because people were staying at home because "they could make more on unemployment". Now we're moving back to a buyer's market as that runs out and people are forced to re-enter the workforce.

While I think we can agree what he is saying here is cold, he has an interesting point. Ultimately the government is responsible for this and it will be interesting to see how it impacts wages and the mid-terms given what inflation is doing.

Personally, it seems like we are in for a "correction" in the labor market where we will see wages go down since more people _need_ jobs and aren't relying on government handouts. But I think he's mainly pointing out that the wages were artificially high and are going to lower back down. Perhaps to $12-15 an hour? Who knows.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#37

Post by colpabar »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #6
metadat wrote: post #2

> Wayne Pankratz, executive director of operations for Applebee’s franchisee Apple Central LLC. > “The advantage this has for us is that it will increase application flow and has the potential to lower our average wage. How you ask? > “Most of our employee base and potential employee base live paycheck to paycheck. Any increase in gas price cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas pr…

Offtopic: These people are everywhere, which is why policy guardrails to defend against sociopaths is so important.

To put this another way: any argument that boils down to “the free market will solve it” is complete bullshit because it doesn’t account for these people.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#38

Post by TaylorAlexander »

wccrawford wrote: post #28
endisneigh wrote: post #3

I wonder what the USA would look like if minimum wage was defined as; two people being able to afford a 1 bedroom apartment within a 1 hour drive without traffic. The static (both in the nominal and inflation adjusted sense) for minimum wage doesn't make sense imo. Minimum wage should be tied to some level of living (not necessarily a great living, but something ) This guy smh

That's not nearly enough detail for the setting of the wage. Companies would simply assume that they always eat the cheapest food, buy the cheapest transportation, never go on vacation, no luxuries at all, etc etc. If you don't factor all that in, they'll factor it out.

> Companies would simply assume

This could be defined by local governments with additional standards not written in to this internet comment.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#39

Post by sour-taste »

metadat wrote: post #2

> Wayne Pankratz, executive director of operations for Applebee’s franchisee Apple Central LLC. > “The advantage this has for us is that it will increase application flow and has the potential to lower our average wage. How you ask? > “Most of our employee base and potential employee base live paycheck to paycheck. Any increase in gas price cuts into their disposable income. As inflation continues to climb and gas pr…

OK, agree with the sentiment but:

> I'd even rather starve

A bit dramatic don't you think? Hyperbole and outrage doesn't usually make for productive conversations.

Re: Applebee’s exec urges using high gas prices to push lower wages, sparks walkout

#40

Post by bo1024 »

endisneigh wrote: post #3

I wonder what the USA would look like if minimum wage was defined as; two people being able to afford a 1 bedroom apartment within a 1 hour drive without traffic. The static (both in the nominal and inflation adjusted sense) for minimum wage doesn't make sense imo. Minimum wage should be tied to some level of living (not necessarily a great living, but something ) This guy smh

A universal basic income would have some advantages over a minimum wage. Minimum wage interferes with supply and demand in the labor market, which is why some economists dislike it. UBI moves the supply curve to a different place, but it allows those principles to function.
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