this post was submitted on 31 May 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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Yeah it's weird when people typically assume you would resent people getting something you don't have, or getting it with less effort than it took you - because they would resent this and they assume your mind must work the same way theirs does.
Having more than your neighbors is a huge drive to human happiness. House size has no impact on happiness. Having the biggest house on the block is a huge happiness boost. Above the level needed for minimum sustainable food and shelter, wages have no impact on happiness. Making more money than your friends is a huge happiness boost.
It's something about how we are wired as humans. Many of us have other drivers that are stronger than the drive to have more than others in our community, but to get social support any strategy for raising the living standard floor needs to acknowledge the issue of this hard-wired drive.
That's a very broad generalization. Lots of people need to prove their prosperity with giant houses, and other people just want a house that has the room they need and isn't hard to clean. There are people who need designer label clothes and gold chains and people who are very happy with thrift shop aloha shirts. I don't think it's hardwired in at all, it's more of a personality quirk, like resistance to advertising or how spicy you like your food. Combination of genes, culture and habit.
Oddly, though, they’re all massive bootlickers and will try to find any reason why billionaires are totally fair and good hardworkers. TheyMre just pathetic.
Oddly not tho. Surprisingly I also see this very clear assumption coming from people who are very anti-billionaire.
It’s more about the owner class than anything. If you deny support to politicians seeking to raise the minimum wage and/or vote for politicians who talk about how the minimum wage concept is evil then you almost certainly are not taking any actions which are anti-billionaire/anti-owner class.
They think rich people are really smart and deserve what they “worked very hard for”. They genuinely believe that the rich “assume the risk so deserve the money” despite them never facing consequences while having incredibly basic ideas. They hate that someone “beneath” them would make money and can’t think hard enough to understand that that would mean they’d get to demand more pay, too. There are even people who think that owners can do whatever they want as long as its legal and they deliberately ignore any nuance regarding what legality is and they jump straight over the concept of baseline morality to tell you that it’s your fault for not changing jobs, as if that’s something you can just do easily(and is if there are better bosses readily available).
All of those examples are what you get when you listen to centrist and conservative media that’s shilling for aggressive capitalism(with state-funded safety nets for corporations, of course). If you say “I don’t think billionaires should be allowed, but all the systems which lead to them are fine” then you’re a complete moron.
Genuinely I think building power lines sounds like an easier job. A lot less stressful at least. Assuming that both have the exact same hours and wage, I know which one I'd choose. If anything the burger flipper should earn more.
Frankly I think having to work outside in rain or snow trumps having a clueless 19-yo assistant manager criticize how you cleaned the guac bucket lol.