this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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Antiwork

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A community for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, want more information on anti-work ideas and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.

The new place for c/[email protected]

This server is no longer working, and we had to move.

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Subscribers: 2.1k

Date Created: June 21, 2023

Library copied from reddit:
The Anti-Work Library 📚
Essential Reads

Start here! These are probably the most talked-about essays on the topic.

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The main rules of the server will be enforced stringently. https://lemmy.world/

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Post must have Antiwork/Work Reform explicitly involved in some capacity. This can be talking about antiwork, work reform, laws, and ext.

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It is impossible to list every example or variation of the rules. It is also impossible to word everything perfectly. Players are expected to understand the intent of the rules and not attempt to "toe the line" or use loopholes to get around the intent of the rule.


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founded 1 year ago
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[–] BrotherL0v3 280 points 1 year ago (14 children)

Then change the business model or fail.

One could easily imagine a business that only works if they pay employees 50 cents a day. Such a business has no place in a society that respects human dignity.

If your business depends on purchasing a third of someone's waking hours but cannot afford to pay them enough to live securely and comfortably in exchange, then your "business model" depends on poverty to continue.

[–] [email protected] 82 points 1 year ago (5 children)

A McDonalds company help line used to advise their employees on how to apply for foodstamps. McDonalds is one of the largest employers of people who receive Medicaid and food stamps in the US. They've been using the social safety net as a form of government subsidies by the back door for years.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So does Walmart.

Minimum wage should pay enough to live a minimum life. It doesn’t. Not even close

[–] superduperenigma 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Walmart is especially egregious because the SNAP benefits that subsidize their employees' wages are often being used at Walmart. After all, if you need groceries why not pick them up at the store you work at after your shift?

So not only do they not pay their workers enough by letting taxpayers subsidize wages, some of that taxpayer subsidy goes right into their pockets.

[–] Adalast 26 points 1 year ago

Oh, I just realized what needs to be done. You know how many states come after the families of people who died on Medicaid to get the money back, seizing inheritance and assets? How about instead of that, they start charging businesses for employees being on government assistance? Just straight fine them for every employee who has to be on food stamps, cash assistance, or Medicaid. Idk, 10k/employee/year sounds about right. Then paying them all +9k/year becomes the cheaper option.

[–] Usernameblankface 16 points 1 year ago

Kind of like using tips to fill in for low wages, but with taking advantage of government help.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Sort of funny that a food company doesn't pay you enough to buy food so tells you to buy food stamps....

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

This is basically a subsidy for McDonalds. If the only way a company can be rich is by subsidies, maybe it shouldn't exist in the "free market".

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago

This is exactly the thing.

If a business cannot afford to pay its employees a living wage, that business is insolvent. What we have currently are a bunch of insolvent businesses that think they aren't insolvent because they've been allowed to pay poverty wages.

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[–] Adalast 140 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is 100% bullshit and they 100% know it. They pay employees in Denmark over 20$/hr and the food is actually cheaper there than it is here. If it was unsustainable, then they wouldn't be doing business in Denmark. The difference between there and here, Denmark is essentially 100% regulated by industry-wide labor unions. Starbucks employees shouldn't be trying to unionize, the entire fast-food industry should be unionizing together.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-workers-denmark/

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Interesting, I don’t think I’d heard of an industry union like that. It’s a great idea

[–] Adalast 52 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes you have, the Screen Actors Guild is an industry-wide actor's union. The Writers Guild of America is an industry-wide guild for writers. The Teamsters as well. Actually most "Blue Collar" unions are industry unions. Plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc. all have industry-wide unions. It is a recent phenomenon relegated to service and sales industries that are forcing unions to be only at single stores instead of industry or even company wide.

[–] WHYAREWEALLCAPS 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Goes to show how effective the anti-union rhetoric has been. Fucking shame. Unions built modern America.

[–] spicysoup 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

nah, slaves and otherwise oppressed people did.

[–] Jonna 7 points 1 year ago

Both are true, tho one came first.

Tho they might not experience other oppressions, all working people are still exploited and dependent upon players to exist. And most oppressed people are working people. The working class does not mean just white people, the working class is diverse.

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[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Your McDonald's franchises are unsustainable? Oh well.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most McDonald's stores are privately owned franchises. If corporate is crafting their franchise agreements such that private store owners are not able to pay a living wage to employees, then corporate is to blame.

But private owners are the ones who ultimately set wages. Franchisees need to bear some responsibility here, too. They're the ones who are in a position to pressure corporate for franchise agreements which give them a better opportunity to offer living wages, and they're not.

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[–] WHYAREWEALLCAPS 63 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Anytime a corporation says something like this what they're really saying is "It would inconvenience our executives and shareholders."

[–] ArtVandelay 14 points 1 year ago

"If I'm only able to buy two new yachts this year, and the CEO next door buys three, then that simply isn't a sustainable business model"

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[–] EpicMuch 47 points 1 year ago (12 children)

possibly, just possibly, if CEOs weren't pathologically greedy then you'd be able to pay your workers what they are worth and wouldn't have this 'it's too expensive' worry to keep you from doing the right thing

https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/mcdonalds-ceo-chris-kempczinski-got-big-raise-last-year

McDonald’s strong sales recovery and a healthy stock price performance earned its chief executive

Chris Kempczinski received a pay package of just over $20 million in 2021, according to new SEC documents filed on Monday.

That was nearly double the $10.8 million he was paid during the pandemic-plagued 2020. It was also the largest pay package received by a McDonald’s CEO since 2017, when Kempczinski’s predecessor Steve Easterbrook received $21.8 million.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I have a bigger issue with the billions they spend every year in stock buybacks. Last year, it was $4B. That's an additional 20k per employee.

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[–] BeautifulMind 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Translation: "We have decided that when given the choice between paying our workers a living wage and paying our executives lavishly, we pick the latter and think you are too dumb to notice"

[–] SMITHandWESSON 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

That might be true, but people have to stop working there as employee demand dictates pay rates. Everyone saw this during the pandemic. Short supply of workers lead to an immediate raise in pay.

You also have to remember McDonald's is a franchise business and the owner might not be taking in millions, as McDonald's has been known to mistreat franchisees from lower income neighborhoods.

https://news.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-defeats-black-franchisees-1-134243905.html

https://www.eatthis.com/news-subway-mcdonalds-and-more-are-expected-to-be-investigated-by-the-ftc/

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago

Close your disgusting business then. Please start abroad

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

Well then don't run the Business

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago
[–] Piers 26 points 1 year ago

They always say that like it's anyone's problem but their own. Figure out how to make your business model adapt to changing circumstances or die out, either way this is a problem for McDonald's to worry about internally, not for society to worry about on their behalf.

[–] Boogiepop 23 points 1 year ago

Bad business model, innit.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

But its sustainable in other countries.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

… while continuing to have a 45° profit angle year after year

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

McDonald’s sent its own letter to its restaurant system on Monday, which was viewed by CNBC. Responding to the bill, the company said it and other franchisee groups “worked tirelessly over the past year to fight these policies and protect Owner/Operators’ ability to make decisions for their businesses locally and protect their restaurants and their crew.

...

Our very-well-paid lobbyists are frantically schmoozing to ~~bribe~~ donate to whoever will take our money to vote to protect our crew from these egregious wage increases.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

mcdonalds is basically a real estate investment company that sells hamburgers.. it's that business that stands to take a hit if their franchisees start failing because they, too, are greedy af.

a fair wage and fair menu prices work elsewhere. but not in the good o' u.s. of a.

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[–] Cheems 14 points 1 year ago

Maybe they should pay their CEO 10x less

[–] FartsWithAnAccent 11 points 1 year ago

That doesn't sound very free market of you, McDonald's.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

The food is poison to a community anyway.

[–] sebinspace 11 points 1 year ago

That’s capitalism, baby! Thanks for playing!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

They've been offering $19-$22 an hour starting pay at at least one McDonald's in Sunnyvale, CA. I don't understand how $20 is unsustainable given CA prices.

[–] dangblingus 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Paying your employees a livable wage is your first priority as a business owner. You always make payroll, no matter what.

If you can't find a way to reconcile infinite growth as a company against your employees' requirement to feed and house themselves, you're a garbage business owner and should just step down.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"~~business model~~ Greedily taking 13.2 billion dollars every year for our wealthy executives can't sustain ~~$20/hr~~ matching inflation closer."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

hmmm well looks like the invisible hand of the free market says its time for your business to close since it failed or whatever capitalists fuckheads like to say

[–] curious_illusions 6 points 1 year ago

No it won't, bunch of fucking assholes who don't want to drop a fancy dinner every now and then.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How about we make every Mickey D’s a worker co-op and then everybody can verify this information.

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[–] PeckerBrown 6 points 1 year ago

Then close the fuck down.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Let's burn the place down!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Great, if they can’t pay a living wage then they are just a drain on taxpayers anyways. Happy to get these welfare queens off the government dime.

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