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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California voters reject Prop 32, raising the state's minimum wage to $18 (abc7.com)

submitted 3 months ago by return2ozma to c/workreform

12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

California voters have rejected Prop 32, which would have raised the state's minimum wage from $16 to $18.

With 100% of the ballots tallied, the measure was rejected by a 0.8% margin (50.8 - 49.2), according to the California Secretary of State's office. The total vote difference for the proposition was 234,146.

top 12 comments

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[–] roofuskit 34 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Good thing all the people who needed it most stayed home this election.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago

It's not like the goal is to disenfranchise those people.

Sometimes very literally, mind you.

[+] [email protected] -27 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I voted against it because it tied minimum wage to the consumer price index, but not to the cost of living. CPI measures the inflation of goods and services only, not the cost of housing. Housing costs have outpaced inflation. We need to set a minimum living wage based on rent and food. If corporations and foreign investors are allowed to own housing, this problem won’t get better. We don’t need a law that is instantly outdated, and keeps people in poverty.

[–] WhatAmLemmy 25 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

You're basically saying you voted against it because it was only 3/4 of what you wanted, with zero downsides.

"You mean the poor would make ~13% more, and it's actually pegged to something, instead of relying on a plutocratic political class to decree raises when they see fit!?! Absolutely fucking not!"

This is the dumbest take I have heard in a long time. This take is so mentally deficient it is special needs.

[+] [email protected] -6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

CPI is basically half of inflation and less than half of most people’s cost of living. Do you spend more on food or rent? Does the cost of food determine where you live and how far you commute?

By passing this “once and for all” bill, legislators won’t spend additional time on this for like 10 years at least. I’d rather have them keep working on it every year until they figure it out.

[–] njm1314 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That sounds like a great point to make later on to amend the bill. However if you'll notice tying it to CPI is more than tying it to fucking nothing. You see the difference?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago

We have lawmakers for a reason. A multimillionaire, owner of Blue Apron, crafts his own bill and we should pass it? Our lawmakers should work on a real solution. Sometimes short cutting the debate and compromise process isn’t a good way to make laws. California will increase minimum wage again, worry not. Maybe they’ll have to think about it every other year. Maybe that’s a good thing for them to spend time on, until people can actually afford to life here.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

would it not have been better to do something?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If it’s a band-aid fix, raise it by $2 to kick the can a couple years. But if you tie it to inflation you’re signaling that you’ve solved the problem of minimum wage.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

i mean i get it, but at the same time people need bandaids.

[–] Badeendje 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Are you on minimum wage? Or did you help the noble savages on minimum wage with this decision?

[–] [email protected] -5 points 3 months ago

I worked for minimum wage at $7.25, at a time when I didn’t have to pay my own living expenses. Anyway adjusted for inflation/CPI that would be $13. It wasn’t anywhere close to enough then, and it’s not enough now. I don’t have the math in front of me but if you factor rent into it, minimum wage should probably be around $25/hr for a true livable wage. As it stands now minimum wage is a poverty wage suitable for secondary income only.