The Worker Thread

[Vrede too]

Give millions of Americans a raise



Petition to Congress:

"Support the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, which would give more than one in four Americans a raise."

[1 CAT FAN]

To attract quality workers, yes. Guess that counts you out.

[Vrede too]

The US Women's Soccer Team Deserves Equal Pay
Sign the petition to U.S. Soccer:
Paying women less than men for doing a BETTER job is wrong. Pay players on the U.S. Women's National Soccer team equal to the men!

[O Really]

The US Women's Soccer Team Deserves Equal Pay
Sign the petition to U.S. Soccer:
Paying women less than men for doing a BETTER job is wrong. Pay players on the U.S. Women's National Soccer team equal to the men!

Yeah, yeah, but there is more to the issue than is usually mentioned. F'rinstance, the women get paid if they play or if they're on the bench. Men only get paid if they play. Women get a guaranteed base of $100K, plus whatever bonuses they earn. Men get only bonuses, no base. But still...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... ost&wpmm=1

[Vrede too]

Yeah, yeah, but there is more to the issue than is usually mentioned. F'rinstance, the women get paid if they play or if they're on the bench. Men only get paid if they play. Women get a guaranteed base of $100K, plus whatever bonuses they earn. Men get only bonuses, no base. But still...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... ost&wpmm=1

My guess is that the USWNT and their allies would accept relative pay equity that took all compensation scheme differences into account. We're so very far from equality that we don't have to take these demands literally, anyhow. They're just pushing a debate that will take decades to resolve. I'm not sure what the gap is here in the US, but the FIFA WC prizes gap is slated to WIDEN to $440M vs $60M.

US viewers watched women’s World Cup final in record numbers

[Vrede too]

Trump vs. Obama on jobs

Is President Trump outperforming his predecessor when it comes to job creation? He certainly thinks so. “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!” he tweeted after the latest monthly numbers showed employers created 224,000 new jobs in June.

But job growth has actually slowed under Trump....

The article neglects to mention that Obama got his results while reducing the deficit 5 years out of 8 and keeping it essentially stable one other year. In contrast, POSPOTUS' results have been financed with a massive deficit increase.

[1 CAT FAN]

Thought you already had a job.

[Boatrocker]

Trump vs. Obama on jobs

Is President Trump outperforming his predecessor when it comes to job creation? He certainly thinks so. “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!” he tweeted after the latest monthly numbers showed employers created 224,000 new jobs in June.

But job growth has actually slowed under Trump....

The article neglects to mention that Obama got his results while reducing the deficit 5 years out of 8 and keeping it essentially stable one other year. In contrast, POSPOTUS' results have been financed with a massive deficit increase.

Our employment and wage numbers are essentially meaningless, these days. I want to see a comprehensive breakdown of FT v PT jobs and the same for wage information. I want to see what income levels have the actual percentage increase and which ones are static or even falling. Let's see all this shit on DCI John Luther's whiteboard with photos and strings and notes to help illustrate how multi-layered, intermingled and incestuous the information is.
I want to see some useful info, not just bullshit metrics that only tell us how well Wall Street is doing.

[Vrede too]

Our employment and wage numbers are essentially meaningless, these days. I want to see a comprehensive breakdown of FT v PT jobs and the same for wage information. I want to see what income levels have the actual percentage increase and which ones are static or even falling. Let's see all this shit on DCI John Luther's whiteboard with photos and strings and notes to help illustrate how multi-layered, intermingled and incestuous the information is.
I want to see some useful info, not just bullshit metrics that only tell us how well Wall Street is doing.

When considering such complexities, I like to look first to analysis from Robert Reich's (and others') Economic Policy Institute. Less wonky is Jobs With Justice.

[1 CAT FAN]

Trump praises Fiat Chrysler for $4.5B Michigan investment, new Detroit plant:https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/02/trum ... plant.html President Donald Trump is praising Fiat Chrysler for its move to invest $4.5 billion into Michigan, the construction of a new assembly plant in Detroit and the creation of an estimated 6,500 jobs.
The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker confirmed the investment in its home state and in the U.S. on Tuesday, Feb. 26. In the move, FCA will spend $1.6 billion on the new plant in Detroit, with the rest going to five existing Michigan-based facilities and in other plants across the U.S.

[Vrede too]

Oxfam America: Behind the Barcodes
END HUMAN SUFFERING BEHIND OUR FOOD.

Human suffering should never be an ingredient in the food we eat–yet millions of people who produce the food on our supermarket shelves are being treated inhumanely....

2018 Scorecard

None are stores that I shop at, or even could in some cases.

[Whack9]

I used to be a Publix devotee. They have pretty bangin' subs for the South. But Harris Teeter came to town and Publix and I had to part ways.

[O Really]

We've found traveling that often one doesn't get much choice in where to buy groceries, and also that the name on the store doesn't always tell you who owns it. Want to avoid Kroger? You'll have to pass on Harris Teeter, Fred Meyers, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, City Market, Fry’s, QFC, and about 20 more. Don't like Albertson's? No Safeway, Shaws, Lucky, or a bunch others for you. I'm not sure in most places if realistically one could avoid shopping - at least some of the time and for some items - in stores on that list.

But the greater question might be, exactly what would OxFam want the stores to do? OxFam wants - An end to inhumane and dangerous working conditions, Fair pay for workers and farmers, Safe and decent work for women. None of these things are actually under the control of the grocery chains except through their purchasing power. Is it realistic for Kroger, the largest grocery chain, to try to police all its thousands of vendors for working conditions and treatment that may not even be in the US? Is it really even their responsibility to do so? And if a chain really did, say, refuse to buy goods from anybody other than "certified humane/goodpaying/pro-female" vendors, would there be food on the shelves? And if there was, would it be so much more expensive than the other stores that they couldn't sell it?

You could compare it to federal affirmative action requirements for government contractors. AA requirements are really pretty simple compared to the expectations of OxFam, and yet enforcing compliance is very complex, very expensive, and - except from a moralish standpoint - contributes nothing to the quality/value of the product or project.

[O Really]

I used to be a Publix devotee. They have pretty bangin' subs for the South. But Harris Teeter came to town and Publix and I had to part ways.

Seriously? H-T is a fine store, but I find one of the worst things about not being in Florida anymore is not having a Publix. Very few if any stores can compare, IMNVHO. Wegman's maybe. Some individual units of other chains we've found very nice. But nobody else is Publix.

[Whack9]

I used to be a Publix devotee. They have pretty bangin' subs for the South. But Harris Teeter came to town and Publix and I had to part ways.

Seriously? H-T is a fine store, but I find one of the worst things about not being in Florida anymore is not having a Publix. Very few if any stores can compare, IMNVHO. Wegman's maybe. Some individual units of other chains we've found very nice. But nobody else is Publix.

I can't resist the seduction of the HT hot food bar. I think if Publix had one I'd have to give them a spot at #1 again, but that hot food bar man, it's just so convenient. Also, I like the aesthetic of my local HT over the Publix. Feels more cozy and inviting. Plus they have a bar that I've never had a beer at nor probably ever will, but it still earns them points.

[O Really]

A bar? That's a new one for me. Can't say they're not trying to make their own shopping experience "a pleasure."

[Vrede too]

... But the greater question might be, exactly what would OxFam want the stores to do? ...

I get the feeling that you didn't explore the website. Many of your questions are directly answered. It's not like Oxfam is new to the corporate accountability game, nor has it ever shunned achievable and measurable results.

RIPE FOR CHANGE
ENDING HUMAN SUFFERING IN SUPERMARKET SUPPLY CHAINS

RIPE FOR CHANGE: METHODOLOGY NOTE

Some things I see:

The Scorecard is based on "publicly reported policies and actions". There's a separate link for real world allegations.

Oxfam directly contradicts you as to who has the power. It casts the grocers as being in the driver's seat and actual producers as being the victims. If the grocers demand low prices above all else, workers get screwed.

Oxfam is seeking global change. At times this will require regulation and/or cooperative action by the grocers to clean up their acts.

The sheer number of grocers is an advantage for responsible consumers. We have lots of options when particular ones can be singled out as being worse than the rest.

[O Really]

... But the greater question might be, exactly what would OxFam want the stores to do? ...

I get the feeling that you didn't explore the website. Many of your questions are directly answered.
...
Oxfam directly contradicts you as to who has the power. It casts the grocers as being in the driver's seat and actual producers as being the victims. If the grocers demand low prices above all else, workers get screwed.

I only read the main page article.

But the grocers power is still only through purchasing practices. And grocery profit margins are quite low on nutritious items. Not many people are going to quit shopping at their local favorite store because it or its parent company "isn't doing enough" to improve conditions of workers who aren't even their employees. On the other hand, prices noticeably higher than a similar store down the street will without doubt chase off a lot. As Whack9 demonstrated, store loyalty only goes so far. A lot of people shop at multiple stores when they can, looking for sale items or better prices. Ask consumers what's more important to them - price or downstream worker conditions and it seems unlikely that any chain will be able to afford to hold its vendors at ransom to achieve improved conditions and then compete at the higher prices. There may be lots of advantages of organic food over regular, but there's a reason the organic sections are much smaller.

I suppose if all the grocery chains agreed to buy products only from "certified" vendors that vendors would have to comply, but I think that would cause a major (even if relatively temporary) disruption of the supply chain and lots of pissed off consumers.

[Vrede too]

Given its history, I find it hard to imagine that you can come up with a criticism that Oxfam has not already considered and strategically addressed. When it comes to food, they play to win.

[O Really]

Given its history, I find it hard to imagine that you can come up with a criticism that Oxfam has not already considered and strategically addressed. When it comes to food, they play to win.

I'm not trying to criticize the organization nor its goals. So how many grocery chains have started stringent policing of their vendor chain?