Ted Rall for October 18, 2021

Seems like there are a lot of variations on this. And the covid relief payments actually let people spend some time thinking about their situation without having to bust their butt looking for the next “anything” job. I’m seeing that a lot of people have just decided to take maybe “early” retirement. I suspect the main feeling is “I’m just so OVER that!” Then there are the folks that Rall’s character is talking about… and the variant where the job is — also — toxic in other ways, from passive aggressive bosses or coworkers to various kinds of harassment, not limited to “sexual”. And then just plain awful jobs. Want to spend much time away from loved ones, work 10-hour days, deal with imbeciles and road ragers, … and probably get hemorrhoids too? Work as a long haul truck driver. Similar reasons for people who don’t want to work at other unpleasant jobs.

I saw an article in the BBC today about companies in the US who are now offering IVF treatments as part of their health package, including a discussion of one woman who deliberately took her next job with a company that offers something that SHE wants and needs. Rall’s guy wouldn’t even see the need…

There is a chunk, no one is sure how many, of the previously employed who decided not to go back to a job at all, but rather doing their own gig(s), which is what the Republican Party of Trump professes that everyone should do.

They are selling on ebay or the other equivalents, trying to start new businesses, retiring and doing other stuff, hiring out for limited time jobs, working in the underground economy, etc.

If they have found something they can get by on, it’s better than working in a damn meat packing plant with no protection from covid, OSHA, harassment and other abuses.

I can’t find it again, but someone posted on FB that in Ft Myers FL, there are a number of businesses that are very vocal about how they cannot fill jobs because ‘nobody wants to work’ because of covid relief or unemployment.

The guy called all of those businesses — only THOSE businesses and found that every one of them either had no jobs available, or they were offering substantially less pay than they advertised (‘well, you have to work your way up to the hourly rate the ad said’).

Businesses are, in general, really freaked about the prospect of having to pay higher wages and will fight back using any means they can. They are pretty bummed that they can’t hire Pinkertons as strike breakers any more, like the good old days.

not to mention the employers who refused to hire anyone with a decent education because of being “overqualified”, or hiring them to start at the bottom and stay there

Note that the therapist is carefully not saying anything, realising that Mr Scumbag isn’t prepared to accept reality yet.

If people want to only pay 2009 wages, let them only keep 2009 profits. It’s only fair.

“Gee … and after all I’ve done to — er, for — them!”

Funny that ain’t it. The “COVID” forced many to do with less.. and they found they could cope just fine. Will take a bit of time to get them all back to wanting more.

Well, just in my family, I can account for 5 of those missing employees. My Aunt decided to take early retirement when she realized that she could do what was basically a hobby from home and get by just fine. My cousin decided to go back to school after she found day care she could afford that went with her scholarship. Another cousin is still unable to work from the results of long term covid, and it killed my brother and my son. It doesn’t seem very much a mystery to me where all the workers have gone.

Correct

Bull’s eye at twelve o’clock. Very good aim today, Ted.

Is the US high-productivity/low-wage/high-profit [supply-side] economy as COVID-19 resilient as the economies in other nations?

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-resilience-ranking/

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/quality-of-life-rankings

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1039278/employment-rate-developed-countries/

Everyone who can work, should work. But they should be able to work at decent jobs, safe jobs, jobs that pay a decent wage that provides a decent life.

Our little tourist town, with all factories gone, has a small local population. So the restaurants and fast food places struggle to get enough workers. We just had a Culver’s open up and I was amazed at how many workers they had. Turns out they pay almost $20 an hour. The McDonalds, which still has not opened up inside seating, had to close one of the drive thru lanes due to so few workers. It appears as if the Culver’s is drawing all the unskilled labor in town.

Turns out I didn’t remember all of it accurately, but

In case people don’t read the replies, superposition (thanks) tracked down the original tweet:

https://i.redd.it/u1mppzwrpxr71.jpg

Many are tired for working hard and getting low pay.

The number of millionaires and billionaires pushing for everyone to get back to work proves one thing and one thing only. They don’t make their money. You do.

The social security statistics predicted this situation 25 years ago.

Tomorrow, the Powelltoon…………..rightfully so.

What is the real story here? To me, service workers feel they have power for the first time in forever! They want to have a decent wage and provide for their families and not have to collect welfare and/or SNAP cards as well. Some companies (like &Pizza here in DC) are offering decent wages and workers are coming back as a result. Also, people are also looking for a work life balance (i.e. making a living vs. having a life).