SouthwestAirlines' Meltdown Shows How Corporations Pit Consumers Against Workers

Post by throwawaysleep » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 1:33 AM UTC

version_five wrote: post #63

Eisenstein wrote: post #35

> Southwest Airlines ticketing agents, cashiers at Nando’s Chicken, low-wage call center workers for Verizon overseas, become corporate sin eaters This is why it is a good idea to be nice to the people you deal with on the front lines, and write a very politely worded letter to the head of the department at the company you are dealing with, and potentially letters to their boss, and their boss, etc. Mail it, if possi…

Do you think the executives care about your letter? Stop going to the place that treats you badly, and if possible write an honest critical review of them. This is not perfect, but it has more hope of getting attention than a letter to an executive who almost certainly won't even see it. For better or worse, people vote with their wallets. There are lots of low cost versions of things I would never even consider (and…

Post by phpisthebest » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 1:33 AM UTC

woodruffw wrote: post #65

phpisthebest wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem here is that workers now want to be "paid properly" (what ever that means) and still get tips. There have been restaurants have tried non-tipping models, consumers and staff both hate it. First the highly productive staff often make less under that model (where poor performers make more), consumers hate it because the menu prices increase, and you end up with McD's level customer service where drinks are…

> The problem here is that workers now want to be "paid properly" (what ever that means) and still get tips. One sensible metric is that you should be able to support yourself while living in the area you work (or an area nearby such that it isn't a significant financial hardship or timesink to commute to work). Service jobs largely fail on that metric, effectively using government money and family support structures…

Post by rx_bandit » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 1:34 AM UTC

gearsandbeers wrote: post #77

jmugan wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, I've had pretty bad service recently at places where you tip. I still top 20% out of guilt, but it might be that service in general is poorer now.

When did tipping 20% become standard in the US? I was talking to a colleague about this recently and they mentioned it but I could’ve sworn it used to be 15%

Post by jmbwell » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 1:35 AM UTC

JamisonM wrote: post #29

There is a tension in the article between "the capitalists are pitting the consumers against the front line workers" premise and the "the capitalists are eliminating the front line workers" point made in the article. Southwest's meltdown was about computer systems that coordinate "offline" based on assumptions instead of online based on passing information back and forth on a regular basis. Southwest was a very relia…

Post by adra » Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 1:35 AM UTC

Consultant32452 wrote: post #75

rqtwteye wrote: post #13

It’s the same with the tipping that seems almost everywhere these days. Instead of the workers being paid properly by the company the customer gets guilt tripped to tip and when you don’t tip the worker is angry at the customer, not the company.

I prefer systems that encourage near universal tax fraud. That is why tipping culture is a feature, not a bug. If someone can propose another way of compensating workers that provides equal ease through which workers can skirt the law, I could easily be swayed, but this feature must remain.