this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
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Work Reform

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[–] just_change_it 164 points 1 year ago (13 children)

She got a job working in a corporate office for a big company. This is pretty typical of not-retail-worker-salary beating out public sector nine times out of ten.

Why would someone ever be a teacher for <50k? Anybody with an education background can move to Seattle, Washington (or other state close to big city pay) and be a corporate trainer and move up to a director level role and get paid many times what they would ever be paid as a teacher...

...except so many want to stay near family, not be near a big city, can't move because of xyz, want a couple months off each year.. etc etc etc.

To quote somebody: Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense.

Just isn't that way today and there is a big political and economic mess in the way of getting there.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Educated young people overthrow governments. You do the math.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

They also want children to learn, which is the biggest thing that draws them to the job and gets them to accept shitty pay.

Teachers should get paid way more than they do.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

The mess is allowing decades of union-busting to be effective. Teachers in my state of Victoria (Australia) are heavily unionised, so US$50k is the starting salary. You would absolutely be making what she is now, $64k, if you’d worked for 8yrs like she had.

Edit: And that’s just for public teaching jobs. Australia has way more private schools than the US and those pay even more. With 8yrs of experience it would be easy to get one of those positions and be making $70k.

[–] AngryCommieKender 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

Those salaries still sound far too low for a teacher, especially since, as I understand it, your dollar doesn't buy you guys as much as our (US) dollar, or is that just in electronics and video games?

Either way, the vice principal in The Breakfast Club cites that he's making $35,000 a year in 1985. I'll assume that's the higher end of the scale since he's admin, and has been teaching for years at that point. The thing is that adjusted for inflation that $35,000 is closer to $87,000 today. It's not just teachers either. No essential worker has had a raise since the early 1970s, in fact we've had pay cuts when you look at inflation, and expected productivity.

Edit: just noticed you specified US dollars, sorry.

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[–] elephantium 114 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

The headline is really misleading. She now works for Costco corporate doing marketing training. The typical store employee is still around $18/hour.

This just in: Corporate jobs pay more than public school teaching jobs. Film at eleven!

[–] CosmicCleric 81 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (19 children)

The headline is really misleading. She now works for Costco corporate doing marketing training. The typical store employee is still around $18/hour.

Downvoting you, because you are mischaracterizing the article content.

The first half of it describes how she started there and the regular positions she had, before she moved up and into the teaching position she has at corporate office, which is similar to the teaching position she had before; both are of a teaching.

From the article...

At first, I made $18.50 an hour — a little less than what I earned as a teacher. I put in 40-hour workweeks, five days a week, and got a $1-per-hour raise when I hit 1,000 hours.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago

The important thing to remember is that she's still a teacher. She's just not teaching children anymore, since it doesn't pay enough. This should be a wake up call to most people...

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

You are why downvotes should be more common on Lemmy. You're grossly misrepresenting the article and story.

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[–] zell565 70 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes, we need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. Competition for the best teachers should be fierce; they should be making six figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to it citizens, just like national defense."

I hate how a 23 year old quote from the West Wing is still so relevant...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Next line that you left off speaks to that...still.

"That's my position. We just haven't figured out how to do it yet."

That hits hard. Will we ever figure out how to do it here?

This might be the most memorable quote from the entire run of the West Wing for me. Our teachers are doing their job out of good will and our society is taking advantage of them because their value far outstrips what they are paid.

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[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 year ago

When I got sick Costco graciously moved me to a food prep and service position!

<_< That's so great.....

[–] TheRealJefe 57 points 1 year ago (5 children)

This is becoming more and more common overall.

An acquaintance of mine I met while working a help desk job: He was in process of getting his degrees to become a teacher, did so and taught high school math for 5 years. As much as he loved, and took pride in, the work he did with teens and making a difference, the continued stress of a bullshit administration (at 2 different schools and districts) took its toll. He left, becoming a corporate training (see, still teaching) and I've seen a marked difference in his attitude and life. He has less stress and a fatter paycheck.

Teachers shouldn't be put though the wringer and not be expected to react. "There's no workers shortage, just a shortage of slave labor" is more evident in their profession than any other (outside possibly food service).

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[–] Mowcherie 34 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I've asked local Costco workers what it's like working for Costco. They say the company treats them very well.

[–] Worstdriver 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I work in a Costco. They treat me very well. Far better than the Walmart I worked at prior. Pay is far better too. As an example, I helped run the night shift as an Overnight Support Manager at Walmart. My topped out pay in that role was 50 cents an hour more than my starting pay at Costco. Now, 18 months later, I make more as a frontline grunt at Costco than I did in that management role.

3 years from now, as a frontline grunt, I'll be making more than the Assistant Manager I worked under at Walmart.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Everyone who can should shop there, max markup is 14%, they stand by their products, generous warrantees AND they treat their people very well

Any work reform, pro Union, ethical consumers out there should actively shun Walmart, shove a finger into Amazon's ass, and shop Costco when possible, support an ethical supply chain

I feel this story buries this: Costco above other stores is a step up from most careers

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

I bought a router from Costco once and a week later they mailed me a check for $20, explaining that they lowered the price on the item after I bought it. Like, who does that? They have an amazing return policy too. Costco is awesome. If you drive a lot, then just the gas savings alone will cover the cost of membership. If you do most of your shopping there then the executive membership rebate at the end of the year will cover the entire cost of membership plus some extra money.

Edit: oh, and they sell hearing aids and hearing aid batteries at cost, which can save people who are hard of hearing thousands of dollars. Literally thousands of dollars on a one time purchase. For example, they have the top of the line Rexton hearing aids for $1499. Those cost $6,500 at any normal audiologist office.

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[–] thorbot 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a close friend from high school who has worked there for 15 years now, she said she never thought Costco would be more than a summer job between college searching but she's happy there and they treat her well. Nothing wrong with that

[–] CryptidBestiary 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well it's nothing wrong with working at a company who treats their employees well, it's sad that there are so few companies that we can name off the top of our heads like Costco in the US. What's sadder is how poorly the teachers in this country are treated.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Far-right media and muslim extremist are going hand in hand, blaming school of turning kids transgender. I cant believe I just wrote that sentence. Here in Canada and Québec, no one wants to work in school anymore because of those brainwashed idiots, and I dont blame them. You think school teachers have a agenda because they try to teach kids about having basic human decency? Then fucking school your kids at home and let's see how that goes. I am fed up will all those idiots who chose to boycott their brain.

[–] Raiderkev 14 points 1 year ago

"Then fucking school your kids at home and let's see how that goes."

They are, and not well.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] kautau 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because it’s basically right wing propaganda very subtly pushing the message that we should privatize education and that corporations are good

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[–] uis 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Teacher in school makes half of what teacher in Costco makes sounds like endgame for scociety.

[–] Anarch157a 22 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Actually, 2/3rds. If she's earning 50% more, that means the previous wage was 100 and now is 150. 100 / 150 is 0.6666... or 66.66%, 2/3rds.

Sorry for the pedantism, but it's the kind of math that needs to be correct to avoid misunderstandings.

Still an awfully sad thing, tho. Teachers should be paid the same as doctors, IMHO.

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[–] HessiaNerd 10 points 1 year ago

If anyone here lives in California, please express your support for AB-938. It increases teacher pay and attempts to maintain it at an inflation adjusted level.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB938

Let you assembly person know we need this now.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is less of a news report and more of an ad for Costco.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Bullshit jobs are paying better than shit jobs. Might be a sign corporations are sitting on most of the money.

[–] woodenskewer 20 points 1 year ago

welcome to costco, i love you

[–] Ryan213 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good thing us Lemmings read more than just the headline, right? Right??

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

Top comment says NOOOOOOO

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

An inspiration, all teachers should do this!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Not only that, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's more job satisfaction in retail than teaching. Teaching in the US is a dog, and I'm frankly amazed they haven't already run out of teachers.

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[–] PP_BOY_ 14 points 1 year ago (9 children)

A Costco recruiter wrote this article (and probably made this post)

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Clearly there would be a bias there, but are they wrong?

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