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I think that many corporate executives have thoughts along these lines: they want employees to be so desperate that they'll accept low wages and bad working conditions. That is, of course, why they tend to campaign against e.g. minimum wages, food stamps, and reforms that would make it easier to unionize.
The only difference is that other execs have the good sense not to put such thoughts in writing.
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
> 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. More labor being "outsourced" to cheap counties, for one. Rather than a restaurant making meals on site, they'll do most of the prep work 50 miles away where the CoL (and minimum wage) is cheap and truck it in.
> 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…
This is the economic model they operate within. It’s dangerous to paint systemic issues as bad individual actors because it gives false relief when individuals happen to appear dealt with or reformed but the structural issues and powers remain. See for example the false relief of On the Waterfront’s ending (an incredibly and subversively anti-worker film for this reason)
But also, these people do have a choice. They could work elsewhere, they could be more ethical. It is more that the system picks and rewards people like this.
What is often forgotten are many people who reject positions and situations and systems like this. And work elsewhere, for less money and less power, because they made active choice to not be like this.
> 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…
prbly thought he came up with a genius insight
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the economic model they operate within. It’s dangerous to paint systemic issues as bad individual actors because it gives false relief when individuals happen to appear dealt with or reformed but the structural issues and powers remain. See for example the false relief of On the Waterfront’s ending (an incredibly and subversively anti-worker film for this reason)
I mean, yes. But also, these people do have a choice. They could work elsewhere, they could be more ethical. It is more that the system picks and rewards people like this. What is often forgotten are many people who reject positions and situations and systems like this. And work elsewhere, for less money and less power, because they made active choice to not be like this.
> 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.
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
There'll be a bunch of cheap singular apartments spread all over the US - let's for convenience's sake assume they're about a one hour drive apart from each other but that's a totally random number of course. You can rent them for very cheap but just as you're about to move in they suddenly become unavailable for whatever reason? Probably the owner lost their keys or something and then lawyers can argue for years if…
> [imagined nonsense rules-layering]
That won't happen for two reasons:
1. It requires a massive conspiracy.
2. Any law like the GP describes would most likely be written to block off the exploits that it took you five minutes to think of. Exploits that are missed can be addressed in subsequent laws.
Practically, a minimum wage defined like the GP's would require a detailed census of actually-paid one bedroom apartment rents, which would be immune to your exploits.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think the reasoning of this individual deserves any other consideration than disgust.
Sure. I agree. But a thread-full of that disgust doesn't have any value as a conversation. We already all know how we all feel about this sort of treatment of other people, it's a given.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those with exploitative mindsets have learned over time that it's easier to take advantage of those who they see as weak and desperate.
See also: employees on a sponsored work visa
Ethics aside, this is bad analysis. Gas prices putting financial stress on Applebee's employees will also put financial stress on Applebee's customers, who may cut spending on things like going to Applebee's.
It will also force employees to look for higher-paying jobs, potentially causing them to leave if Applebees doesn't raise its pay. Normally inflation is associated with higher wages, not lower ones.