That's the funniest thing about payscales and such. They're far from the meritocracy we're sold from our first birthday.

Ask France what happens when their garbage stops going out.

Or hey, you also mentioned bus drivers, I couldn't pick just one article about city and school bus drivers striking, but in road-dominated societies, that's a pretty big deal.

So really, a ton of this is simply recognizing who does the work that actually keeps society going. If people like waste management and transportation and other services were actually treated with respect, they also wouldn't have to deal with as much "shit attitudes" either.

But instead, they're constantly pointed at by the communities they serve, who say things like "You don't wanna be a garbage hauler or bus driver...study hard so you can one day sit in a corporate office and make six figures contributing nothing to society!"