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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So... Putting in effort to advance yourself should not be rewarded? I don't get it.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
It does. It also lifts all the turds.
You know how to make them boats get lifted even quicker? Join the tide. Invest in yourself. Make yourself better.
Are the "turds" referenced here actual people? Because that's really all that matters.
It's up to employers who they employ. It's not for you or I to decide what job or what person are suitable.
But if your skilled enployees are switching to burger flipping because they can make the same money then you aren't paying the new market rate.
Water is wet. As for who decides - it's normally the team members. I have been on both sides of the interview process; it's a normal thing to do.
I mean... Yes, but that's a whole new topic altogether. What are those mythical employees that are switching their careers to burger flipping?
In what way is working a more physically demanding job "advancing yourself"?
Besides, I'd also argue that most customer facing jobs are just as demanding as most physical trade jobs. They just fuck you up mentally instead of physically.
Not even degrees mean much anymore, a lot of job positions require one cause they can, not cause you'd actually benefit from that knowledge. Spending all that time and money to get a piece of paper can Aldo hardly be called "advancing yourself'.
It's not the physical part - which isn't even all that great of a difference - but getting familiar with physics. Working your brain rather than your muscle. That's an advance.
There's also a risk element - you fuck up on a powerline - you're potentially dead. Fuck up a burger? You get yelled at.
All jobs suck the soul out of you. If you don't want that - build a career. That requires one doing something one's great at. It requires an internal drive.
You're not wrong about job requirements, but I'd argue your whole world view is skewed.
You get a degree to advance your understanding of a thing you give a shit about. If you get one because your parents told to or whatever - then of course it's useless. Many reasons for that, but one of them is going that to that internal drive.
Quick personal example: I got a CS degree. Out of ~150 people who started ~40 graduated (which I think is probably usual), but of those 40 only 3 were people actually interested in computers. Others were there for all kinds of wrong reasons. Some of those people are now loudly screaming into the ether how degrees are useless. It worked out very well for the 3 of us. As of upcoming August, I will have literally 10x the income I had before starting my degree in 2016. Now, granted, small numbers are easy to get impressive multiplication on, but I'm still proud of it.
What's your point, that nobody else in your story deserves a living wage? Fuck off