Labor As Seen from Down Under: Fair Wages and Decent Benefits Profit Everyone

I see where Santa Claus was arrested at a Walmart protest.... The arrests at Walmarts across the country will probably be in the hundreds when the day is finished.

What is wrong with the USA?

And Australian was appalled by life in the US.

www.truth-out.org...

When we were visiting my son in Boston at Christmas, he had to keep reminding me to tip waiters. I couldn't see why it was necessary. Here, in the upside world of Down Under, we pay our waiters a wage but, in Boston as in the rest of the US of A, it seems they don't actually pay waiters. Remarkable. His university friends, he said, who were working in the restaurant we were patronizing, were granted the sum of $2.13 per hour by the owners to wait on their tables. If they wanted more, they had to wring it from the patrons.

I see where workers at Walmart are paid an average of $24,000 a year, and need government subsidies to live (that figure is artificially inflated by including managers, as ordinary workers struggle to earn $17,000). Meanwhile, Walmart's owners blissfully wallow in torrents of money they couldn't possibly spend in a hundred lifetimes ($115 billion as of March 2013). To my simplistic way of thinking, this means the US government is subsidizing the Walton family to the tune of about $1 billion a year. I hope they pay their taxes in gratitude. The enterprising Mr Bezos, of Amazon fame, pays his workers about the same, but makes them wait in line to be frisked after their twelve-hour shifts - on their own time. Well-paid workers don't normally steal because they don't want to lose their jobs, and they also tend to respect generous employers more than tightwads.

Nothing new there, but what I didn't know was how the Australian employment system worked or how trasparent a system could be and how benficial to all. All I can do is dream about such a system - it sounds like paradise to me after working or not in the US for 30 years:

The old Industrial Court has since been replaced by an Industrial Commission, but it functions much the same. Thus, we pay the people who sling hash a livable wage, well over twice the US minimum wage. At the click of a mouse on this site, workers can find their salaries and conditions because every type of work is covered by an enforceable award, governed by the Fair Work Commission. Everybody has to be paid a reasonable wage, determined by a judicial body, and all conditions of work are set out in enormous detail. Full-time workers in the fast food industry get about $17.50 an hour, as well as two weeks cumulative sick leave a year, four weeks annual leave plus public holidays, employer contributions to their pensions equivalent to 9 percent of their salaries (soon to rise to 12 percent), generous overtime rates, and are protected against unfair dismissal or any improper behavior by any person on the work site. Discriminatory behavior of any sort is subject to severe legal sanctions, all of which adds to an idea of a (perhaps imperfect) "civilized community." Casual employees generally don't get all those benefits, but they get more in their pay packets to make up for it. To top it off, if a worker loses his job, he is entitled to long-term unemployment benefits, currently $248.50 per week for a single person (the rates are here; scroll down to Payment Rates for Newstart Allowance). Retraining and vocational education grants are also available.

So what does this mean in economic terms? Surely our struggling business owners must be on the brink of bankruptcy supporting their slothful and grossly overpaid workers? Well, no, they aren't. McDonalds franchisees just about have a license to print money. Sure, there are restaurants here that struggle; there are even restaurants that close, but that happens everywhere: It's a highly competitive industry. Aha, you say, prices in Aussie hash houses must be off the planet, that's how those poor, downtrodden owners survive. No, not at all. At present, a Big Mac here in Brisbane costs AU $4.95, about US $4.60, compared with US $4.20 in Boston, so paying generous wages to staff adds about 10 percent to the cost of a meal (and no need to tip). That's not a lot to pay to know that your waitpersons don't have to sell their children into slavery to survive.

Again, I ask WTF is wrong with the USA. The 'american dream' is a delusion.

reply to post by FyreByrd


I don't know how or why, the US achieves, ministrates and justifies its twisted...'fair days work for a fair days pay'...

If 'incentive' is pay alone...the US would seem to be utilising a kind of slave labour model, that, requires the worker to be eminently grateful for what they are given...and this seems to fly in the face of 'anyone can make it' - platitudes.

I'm not familiar with the internal workings of the labour model in the US, so, have very little to go on, or care for, since it is contradictory.

Aussies tend to have a secret pride in the 'convict' mentality - especially when you learn that, most of these 'convicts' were deemed so by dent of hunger, or, necessity (from the old country)...there is a healthy string of fairness running through its...sensibility - and yet, Liberal-minded factions always try to usurp that fairness, by, adopting the royal 'We'...and trying to pass it off as wealth for the common man, when, in reality, legislation can bog that message to the Nth...

Å99

reply to post by FyreByrd


what is wrong?

All the slimeballs that have went along with the current system, went to some computer tech school or something.
All those that chose to work within the corrupted system are the ones against it, because sure, they aren't at the top. But they feel good knowing there are others "doing worse".

You will see all the sheeple: nurses, IT, sales, etc.. all those people who worked a long time in the CORRUPT SYSTEM to get where they were somehow think that since they took the PUNK route, they should "be doing better than"... say someone who flips burgers.

Well, I have seen those DeVry and University of Phoenix people, their careers are no more respectable than a toilet scrubber at Wendy's. And, they do NOT deserve to be paid more..

Crap pay (if your lucky enough to have a job), the health care system, the TSA, the patriot act, mass shootings every few weeks, the FDA, untouchable lobby groups etc etc etc

The rest of the world really cant understand why you guys are so gung ho and patriotic, gotta be honest America sounds like a really sucky place right now

I am in Brisbane myself. Look 5 years ago I would have whole heartedly agreed with the sentiment of this post. Yes you are still 100% correct in in the facts and figures. But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. The figures given of the US vs Australia really aren't reflective all the other circumstances of today. For example the unemployement rates, the real rates. Not the crap they tell you.

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment. Example a young girl at my wifes work, was told to work for free for a week as a try out?
This is unheard here in Australia and regarded as illegal. However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

IkNOwSTuff
Crap pay (if your lucky enough to have a job), the health care system, the TSA, the patriot act, mass shootings every few weeks, the FDA, untouchable lobby groups etc etc etc

The rest of the world really cant understand why you guys are so gung ho and patriotic, gotta be honest America sounds like a really sucky place right now

edit on 29/11/2013 by IkNOwSTuff because: (no reason given)

unless you are rich (few million in assets, 150k/yr job) it has sucked for my entire life at least.. circa 1975


the whole country (80%+) have been brainwashed uneducated about the world Nazi-like drones. Whenever you mention how awesome an aspect of life is somewhere else, the typical American response is: Insulted, Angry, "why don't you move there"(most childish and immature response imaginable), and "look at Ethiopia, they are starving. Life in America is better than that.. therefore. America is the Best and Greatest thing since....America!"

A country where MILLIONS of third worlders have invaded... to them life is GREAT here compared to their native SQUALOR.

Americans know VERY LITTLE about other countries... the ones that don't SUCK anyway.. whenever an American runs into a foreigner here it is usually from some CRAPHOLE (that they still love/yammer on about 24/7) country.

RARELY... extremely so... will an American meet someone from Australia, Luxembourg, Scotland, Holland, Switzerland, etc.. that has moved from there to the USA on a permanent basis. Unless they are just working for some multi national corp here.
It is pretty easy to tell what countries are BETTER than the USA.. look on the map about all the countries that:

a. never hear about
b. never met any immigrants from there
c. not on African or South American continents

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

HanzHenry

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

The cry of 'immigrants' has always been the conveniently drawn excuse...(if you're speaking of Australia) the roads you're driving on were built by immigrants, the water you draw without question from the tap comes from infrastructure like the Snowy - built by immigrants, most construction work - immigrants, emerging and emergant food industries - immigrants...Let's be realistic, Australia was developed by white-bread immigrants from the old country, ousting the native population to decimation, disease, alcoholism and kidnapping on a scale that is shameful...to myopically concentrate on the man instead of the ball, is, not fair play...(in australia at least)...

It is however understandable that the 'new' (read 3-4th generational+ 'immigrants' by proxy) would be up in arms at jobs going to those who, escaped, regimes where...even getting the basics was a life pursuit...that the 'immigrants' of australia (and I'm talking about the sons and daughters of the sons and daughters of immigrants) can comfortably, and without batting eyelids, blame world affairs on thier lack of employment...

Å99

reply to post by akushla99


certain people one time past immigrated and built things FOR THEIR PEOPLE..

so, then because they did.. others should be allowed to take what was built by someone else?

Immigrants push wages down and cost of living goes UP..

deny that,, I DARE YOU!!..

why should a group of people be FORCED to SUBSIDIZE the improvement in quality of life for ANOTHER? and at THEIR OWN EXPENSE!!.. FFS!!

when one group of people builds something it IS NOT for OTHERS!! it is for THEIR OWN PEOPLE!!

ffs..

so tired of the immigrant.. played out excuse..

STAY WHERE YOU ARE FROM AND BUILD YOUR OWN..!!!

HanzHenry

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

Blame the employer not the immigrants. Nobody forces companies to hire illegals they chose to do that own their own.

buster2010

HanzHenry

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

Blame the employer not the immigrants. Nobody forces companies to hire illegals they chose to do that own their own.

employer VS employee... ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY..

ONLY WAY --> EVER through HISTORY the employee gets more from the employer is through the SUPPLY/DEMAND of a labor pool.

reply to post by HanzHenry

Immigrants push wages down and cost of living goes UP.. deny that,, I DARE YOU!!

I'll take that dare. Immigrants do not drive down wages employer greed drives down the wages. They are the ones that choose to pay the illegal a lower wage than to pay a citizen a decent wage. And inflation drives costs up you can thank the Fed Reserve for that. Illegals have no rights in this country so they can't change either wages or laws.

HanzHenry

buster2010

HanzHenry

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

Blame the employer not the immigrants. Nobody forces companies to hire illegals they chose to do that own their own.

employer VS employee... ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY..

ONLY WAY --> EVER through HISTORY the employee gets more from the employer is through the SUPPLY/DEMAND of a labor pool.

Then why are you complaining about illegals? The employers are the problem here.

reply to post by HanzHenry

why should a group of people be FORCED to SUBSIDIZE the improvement in quality of life for ANOTHER? and at THEIR OWN EXPENSE!!.. FFS!! when one group of people builds something it IS NOT for OTHERS!! it is for THEIR OWN PEOPLE!

These new immigrants will be paying road tolls, increased utility charges, reduced service, user pays water charges, future taxing of solar energy,

See do you think its fair that Govts can privatise state/federal assets infrastructure to go to hands of monopolists that our and our parents generation built up only to have us pay twice for it? Lets get to the root of the problem not the symptoms.

Why should I have to pay for health insurance levy even though I dont have private insurance after paying tax into the system for 40 years.

so tired of the immigrant.. played out excuse.. STAY WHERE YOU ARE FROM AND BUILD YOUR OWN

They are building your clothes in some chinese sweatshop so you can wear $5.00 shirts without a moral qualm as to how it is possible in this day and age to have a disposable shirt. Or do you only shop at "ethically sourced" producers? How about apples at $2.00 per kilo. Try buying food in Europe for a few weeks.

How many more hundreds of millions of dollars subsidies should go to Ford or GM so they can remain "competitive" on the world scene. They're stealing my tax dollars so some polie can retain his marginal seat in Victoia.

reply to post by FyreByrd

What is wrong?

Well, the true early American history is under attack by Obama and all socialists...

Google William Bradford to learn the trials Pilgrams faced at Plymouth Rock and sociatal experiments worked and didn't work.
We need a leader like William is all to right the ship.

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


Yeah, you pretty much nailed it.

reply to post by HanzHenry


Sorry no I didn't and you have changed the context of what I have said.

HanzHenry
reply to post by akushla99

 

certain people one time past immigrated and built things FOR THEIR PEOPLE..

so, then because they did.. others should be allowed to take what was built by someone else?

Immigrants push wages down and cost of living goes UP..

deny that,, I DARE YOU!!..

why should a group of people be FORCED to SUBSIDIZE the improvement in quality of life for ANOTHER? and at THEIR OWN EXPENSE!!.. FFS!!

when one group of people builds something it IS NOT for OTHERS!! it is for THEIR OWN PEOPLE!!

ffs..

so tired of the immigrant.. played out excuse..

STAY WHERE YOU ARE FROM AND BUILD YOUR OWN..!!!

edit on 29-11-2013 by HanzHenry because: clear

What would the 'dare' entail, my friend...going back over the contracts of immigrant workers, who built infrastructure for immigrants, that, by the glory of the queen, decided forevermore that your opinion was correct, and that you could lay claim to YOUR COUNTRY?...the one stolen by colonising agents, that you are now laying claim to against the very same procedure that landed your ancestors here, for you to be able to make ANY claim? (I'm assuming youre an aussie)...and what does this amorphous title mean, when we get down to it, when, by all accounts, recent immigrants end up fulfilling the requirements of governmental agencies, run by government you voted in (according to the great and unassailable Westminster system)...?

Discussion over on this one.

Å99

buster2010

HanzHenry

buster2010

HanzHenry

13th Zodiac
But the gap is closing, this country is circling the drain right now. The Wheels are falling off. Many would be greatful to be abused at wallmart right now. .

Workers in Australia are rapidly loosing all these earned conditions and employers are manipulating the high unemployment.

However employees are scared to do anything about it in todays employment climate and no she was not a imigrant either.

This is just scratching the Surface of the problems.

you HIT the problem SQUARE in the bullseye. Immigrants.

they upset the labor SUPPLY/DEMAND in favor of the EMPLOYER (and landlord) over those that belong there.

Welcome to the New World Order.. Life GETS WORSE for the civilized AT HOME.. so the freeloading immigrants can RAPE the societies that built BETTER COUNTRIES.. hey, at least THEY are gonna have better lives..

Blame the employer not the immigrants. Nobody forces companies to hire illegals they chose to do that own their own.

employer VS employee... ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY..

ONLY WAY --> EVER through HISTORY the employee gets more from the employer is through the SUPPLY/DEMAND of a labor pool.

Then why are you complaining about illegals? The employers are the problem here.

you are doing my work for me.. you just haven't put it ALL TOGETHER YET..

the employers --- imagine a king/emperor.
the immigrants -- the slave/conscripted soldiers sent by the ruler to sack/plunder a foreign land and bring the spoils back to the kingdom. The conscripted slaves get a piece of the pie, and the RULER GETS HIS BOOTY..

the weapon the employers use in IMMIGRANTS... the ONLY WAY --->historically that people have had ANY bargaining power is through CONTROLLING THE SUPPLY OF LABOR (their bodies)..

Scabs worked the same way.. actually, scabs and IMMIGRANTS are the SAME THING. an outside labor pool that the employer brings in to "break the strikers" (those that said, 'heck no, you are gonna pay us decent and in a safe environment where I can walk home instead of limp home"..

this is how is HAS ALWAYS BEEN... and furthermore..

IMMIGRATION is a KEY FACTOR -- hence KEY --- in the DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIZATIONS..

those that DID NOT BUILD THE CITY REAP THE REWARDS ---> at the EXPENSE of those that BUILT IT..

reply to post by akushla99


Obviously, you miss his point. Immigration made these countries. Excessive immigration, hurts it.

Rather simple really.

There's over one million LEGAL, documented workers, allowed into the U.S. each year. This does not include the illegal immigrants. IT IS A FACTOR. A little loony to let that many in and legalize the illegals when you have many millions unemployed.

I can't list all the things that have gone awry here, it's too depressing, but, take some solace in the fact that the vast, vast majority of Americans are good people and will not give up. Not their personal dreams, nor the nation's.

Whether it gets fixed or not remains to be seen. What consequences face us and the world before and if it does get fixed is scary to think about.

Wish us luck.....