Biden Calls For The Minimum Wage To Be Raised To $15/h, And Here Are The 30 Best Reactions
President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal on Thursday. A part of it calls for a fatter paycheck for those working on federal minimum pay. Biden suggested boosting the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, arguing that "No one working 40 hours a week should still be below the poverty line."
While presenting his speech on Thursday night in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden also went ahead of the critics reluctant to believe the plan will come true. “People tell me that’s going to be hard to pass. Florida just passed it—as divided as that state is—they just passed it. The rest of the country is ready to move as well.”
The federal minimum wage hasn’t been increased since 2009, and for over 33 million workers, the proposal feels like a tipping point for the better. But the Republicans balk at the idea, which makes Biden’s plans likely to be delayed. This, of course, has stirred heated reactions on social media, with many people weighing in on the needlessly ‘dramatic’ $15 wage discourse that’s been angering those conservatives.
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The federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, has not been updated since 2009 even though it has been called an unlivable income in most parts of the country. But the newly elected president Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” gives hope after the economy lost 140,000 jobs in December and unemployment claims surged in the latest weekly count by the most since March due to the pandemic.
But the procedure to pass the $15/h boost will not be a straightforward one. According to Bloomberg, “The Biden administration, due to take office next week, would need at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to get its relief bill through Congress—unless it goes through the budget reconciliation process, where a bare majority is enough.”
Other major parts of the $1.9 trillion Biden relief plan include:
- $2,000 stimulus checks on top of the $600 that Congress approved in December;
- $20 billion national vaccine distribution program that would provide free shots to all U.S. residents regardless of immigration status;
- $350 billion in state funding, local and territorial governments, and $20 billion for public transit systems;
- extending unemployment benefits;
- requiring employers to offer paid sick leave to their workers during the pandemic (estimated to benefit 106 million workers);
- expanding tax credits for low- and middle-income families, as well as expanding child tax credit;
- $170 billion to help schools to open;
- $30 billion rental assistance for low-income households;
- financing small businesses and providing grants for such employers.
I work with homeless people. Some of them have jobs - convenience stores, meat processing, driving a snow plow. These are essential jobs and they're in a homeless shelter.
When I worked in Burger King in the UK I noticed that the average meal cost around an hour of my time. Funny that it happens world wide and that the price of the meal has gone up when wages have.
If you can't afford to pay your employees a decent wage, you're doing something wrong.
I always hear "BUT THE STOCK MARKET"! And.... people having money to buy things and stay out of debt is bad how?
Even worse, some of them might even decide to quit their second and third job.
But you don't have to pay professional athletes more. Or Senators, CEOs, talk radio hosts or plastic surgeons.
The business you work for IS supposed to pay you enough to pay your rent, bills, and other various costs of living... it's called a job. People have them so they can pay for those things specifically. Heard of it? Or are you so privileged that you've never needed to work in your life to provide for yourself.
100+ years ago, workers in US were rioting and striking for basic safety and a living wage. I'm just making an observation.
Yep and they had the perfect opportunity during this. I'm sure lots of people would villanize them for it, but the instant someone in washington spouted "essential workers" should have led to a massive walk out. After all the economy doesn't protect them why should they protect it.
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You are correct! That's why they don't publish wages in other countries. Most of them have a minimum wage of more than $20 per hour. In Scandinavian countries the say the guy that delivers the beer is as important as the guy who runs the brewery!
At 17 yo I earned $11/hr. That was amazing for the 90s. Then in 2016 I got a job purely for my academic resume. I was offered $10.73/hour. I was the highest paid employee in the kitchen. I was astonished. No way I could pay my bills.
Agreed, and how is this all suppose to happen when new keep on elect'n republicans to office.
Average pay for Congressmembers is $175,000/year. Rep. Alexandria Ocaso-Cortez, or "AOC," is one of the few who have worked as a restaurant server and bartender. She is routinely mocked by those from wealthy families whose first job was as a junior attorney in the family law firm. Over 70% of congressmembers have never worked a job that pays minimum wage.
It used to take 10,400 Hours of labor to buy a house. Let's tie minimum wage to that! Each city will have a corresponding minimum wage...
Eric Steward, if that's really how you feel, you can't go anywhere that pays their workers minimum wage. Hope you like farming! Those people sustain our economy. People like you, sir, disgust me.
it could be $25/hr, or local governments could learn to operate efficiently and stop raising property taxes above the level where people stop being able to live near to where they work, and thus their relative income improves without a raise in wages.
I love the "Undercover Boss" series where a CEO goes undercover, finds out how committed his employees are despite their terrible working conditions and in the end comes to the conclusion that he's been underpaying his employees for years. But only a few of them actually raised the wages in the entire company.
Poor American: " Yeah, but it's not actually that he's making that much money because Jeff got his expenses too and, like, you know it isn't actual money like, you know, that he can immediately draw from his bank account in cash, you know what I'm saying? And he earned that money all by himself so why should the government be allowed to, like, rob poor Jeff with a 20% tax rate? "
Unpaid internship is another thing that shouldn‘t exist. I wonder how many countries have that at all. The only unpaid internship I am aware of in my country is a mandatory two-weeks internship for all pupils in 8th grade or so, so they could see what real jobs are like.
Somehow poor people in the US get very offended when you propose a tax system where the extremely rich people pay more on taxes than the poor. The furiosity and vigor they show when they are defending the rich never ceases to amaze me.
They look back fondly to the times they didn't have to pay anything to their workers at all.
Captions are wrong. People all stare in awe when a guy manages to make millions per day over the backs of underpaid workers, but no one bats an eye when people get underpaid, exploited and have to work in the most terrible working conditions.
people who type run the world.... just try to get anything done without data entry
Note: this post originally had 36 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Some very profitable companies pay their employees much more than minimum wage. Costco is a perfect example. --- Costco average employee wage $23/hour with benefits (https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-retail-jobs-in-the-us-2019-6#2-shane-co-sales-associate-15)
EXACTLY. Businesses can profit fine if their employees have a good wage ----- b/c the employees can afford education, healthcare, etc., and aren't exhausted working 70 hours a week at three part-time jobs. Honestly, it's so weird to me that I wonder if these people really ever paid attention in Economics 101
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I don’t really understand why it bothers people that other workers get their hourly wage increased ? Would it diminish you ? Why don’t you be happy that they could now have money to get a house (instead of sleeping in their car or a trailer) and be able to pay a doctor and medecine when they need them.
I just worry that if minimum wage is increased everything else you pay for will be increased due to having to pay people more money. Making no change in the way things are right now.
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This is so sad. The people who are keeping the earth turning are apparently not worthy of $15... This world is messed up.
For the record, $15/ hr is still less than $30,000/ year BEFORE taxes. The average cost of rent in the US is $784/ month, which comes out to about $9,400/ year. That's JUST rent. There's still food, transportation, utilities, medical and a myriad of other life essentials to consider. There is a reason people can work 80 hours a week and still just barely scrape by.
I may be wrong but couldn't a person like that qualify for food stamps to help them out a little bit?
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I still think minimum wage should be at the very least $20-25 bucks an hour $15 is bullshit you can't pay rent and all other expenses for $15 bucks!
I’m college educated and I make $27 an hour. We barely scrape by, and my husband is also educated and has a good, full time job. Something needs to be done about rent and housing prices. Even if minimum wage is increased to $20 an hour, people will still struggle. Nobody should have to pay $2k a month for a 2 bed/ 2 bath town house. What it boils down to is everything is too expensive for people to survive.
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Honestly I think it should be $25/h at this point, $15/h should’ve been years ago
So what about people with college degrees that make $25 an hour? Does that mean they get $35 an hour?
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Does this mean that restaurant owners will have to pay their staff $15 or will they still have to rely on tips. I'm a Brit so apologies if I seem a bit thick on the subject.
You do realise how many people make much more than minimum wage working in restaurants. I never worked in nice places, but at the scummy bar I worked in through college, I took home over $50 in an 5 hour shift, much more than minimum wage, $2.02/ hour. Good nights were twice that. My rent was $200. NYC wait staff can't live in minimum wage. Their tips must be shared with other workers, like bus boys. The money is incredible, as are the expectations.
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This is the capitalism that Trump supporters were willing to tear down the government for. The ability of businesses and their owners to get rich on the backs of the labor force. Most likely, those supporters are being exploited, too. We are taught in this country that wealth will trickle down and that thinking people who be billions could pay their workers a bit more is socialism, even though a more socialist way of thinking would benefit more people and raise the quality of life in this country.
"Thank you for the ESSENTIAL WORKERS for risking their lives for keep everything running!!! You are HEROES! You shouldn't get paid 15$ an hour though, you are just flipping burgers."
I agree that the people who own business should pay workers more, and that cashiers, fast food workers should get paid more. Teachers and health care professionals should also get paid more. The only thing I am concerned about is my rent going to increase because the minimum wage is increased? And no, I am not saying it is a bad idea for people to be able to pull themselves out of poverty. I just hope that this helps everyone live more comfortably.
I feel for American low wage earners NZ has had it's minimum wage at 19 dollars per hour for a long time now and businesses are doing fine with covid some struggled but not because of the wage they payed out
This is where globalism kicks in. Corporations need people to work for peanuts and they do
Again, another agenda-driven political post for Bored Panda. Most of the posts have false or misleading impressions. A couple of biggies. Comparing the wealth of a few billionaires to minimum wage workers is a stawman argument. Facts are very few people make federal minimum wage (as falsely implied in one meme 33 million). "low paying" entry level jobs in the US average about $10 ph. The other thing never discussed is "wage compression" where I started out at say $10 ph but I've now worked up to $15. Now a new employee comes in at $15, does that mean my wage goes up? What about my supervisor who's making $19? And so on. It all sounds great until you get the details. Regardless of this issue, Bored Panda needs to stay away from politics.
Many of these posts are started by users, not bored panda staff. Put the blame where it belongs, mostly on the site users who generate interest and keep the post popular. AND YES, increasing minimum wage will turn business plans upside down and should force companies to restructure hourly salaries.
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I really try and look at things from both sides. I do agree that $15 is excessive. These jobs were meant for kids. But on the other hand, what are people supposed to do? They shipped all the good paying manufacturing jobs to China. I dont know the answer
How old are the employees at your grocery store? For many that is their career. Unlike the 1970's when finding a job as student was difficult and desired, today it seems many less young people work. I am wrong?
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15 bucks an hour scares me because I make 10 bucks an hour plus commission, if I am raised to 15 I will lose how much commission I make. I don't work for a big corporation and I make about 50k a year at the moment, but I know that my company can't afford to just suddenly pay everyone 5 bucks more per hour and keep afloat.
And then there should be an increase percentage each year to keep up with inflation. Make it a legal requirement for all businesses to pay their employees.
Wow...... Imagine how many small businesses are going to be shut down because of the minimum wage.
Because they are surviving on the exploitation and slave labour of their employees! Did you not read this post before commenting?!? If a business cant afford to pay its employees a LIVING WAGE, it doesnt deserce to be 8n business!
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An idea for the minimum wage. Consider the following. Tiers would be established for the total number of employee hours for which an employer pays workers in a year. For example: The tiers could be (A) up to 20000 worker-hours in a year (approximately 10 full time equivalents); (B) 20001-40000 worker hours; and (C) 40000+ worker hours The wages in these hypothetical tiers might be $10/hr, $13/hr and $15/hr *** The actual number of tiers, tier boundaries and hourly wage in each tier might different, but the approach seems valid. Of course additional detailing will be necessary. For example: (a) restaurant servers may need a different scheme (e.g. the minimums would apply after tips), (b) individual jurisdictions could set their own tiers and hourly rates above a federal minimum, (c) Workers under a certain might be paid less in each tier (d) Preventing employers with multiple locations from declaring each location a separate enterprise
There's a lot to talk about economics but let's not forget history too
History - the top tax bracket was around 80% in the US, and those people lived well. There were far less people living in billion dollar, or the equivalent, homes. Health insurance covered much, much more and most people had it. Only once has one job at minimum wage enabled people to live above the poverty line, 1969.
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When you raise the minimum wage, all it does is raise the prices of everything.
A more meaningful change to millions of workers would be the legalization of workers who are in this country illegally and provide them with the protections of the American government, and more specifically in regards to the minimum wage, enforcing the laws regarding minimum wage on employers who traditionally employ illegal residents. If it is unacceptable for an American citizen to receive less than minimum wage, then it should also be unacceptable for those companies to pay less than minimum wage to non-citizens. Also, a streamlined path to citizenship should be established so that those who come here to make a life for themselves are given the blessing of the government and not the boot.
First provide the same for all citizens. It is assumed some people are too lazy to work. It is difficult for a black, unskilled man to get a job in DC, probably other places too. And the kids in my mildly tough, Capitol Hill neighborhood want covers on their textbooks. School ceilings that dont leak. Stuff to read, at every level, is near impossible to find. (We only had one shooting on my block, many were beat up.) Some Native Americans are being screwed from every direction. So many populations are judged as inferior. People who are here already here and want to work. I talk to homeless, most are not what you expect, they desperately want jobs. My ex hired men fresh out of prison. His workforce was loyal and worked hard for the promotions they knew were within reach. We make assumptions, without facts. Our poor are not beyond help. Sure a few are, but so are some rich kids.
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Doesn't he also want to raise taxes? (Prob on the sly.) I have seen many times that if the min wage is raised, he'll also raise taxes, so that in the end, those ppl who went from $7.25/hr to $15/hr, will end up back at $7.25/hr after taxes are taken out. That's not exact, but it was something along those lines. Anyone got more info on this?
Stop, just stop. Taxes will be raised. Just like people who voted for tax cuts they didn't qualify for, people will be told their taxes will increase when they won't. The Affordable Care Act was federally funded. Some states pay more federal taxes than they receive in services. The rest goes to states that need it to pay for federal programs in their state. Some elected officials convinced their constituents to vote against the ACA to lower state income tax. Poor states! In the recent past, many of those who voted against programs paid for with federal tax money, didn't realize other states paid for those programs in their states. I would like to believe more see the vast inequalities that are unfairly presented.
Load More Replies... Go ahead and vote for a 15 minimum wage. Make me and my coworkers in automation R I C H.
Lol. The thing you forget is that if what you're implying is correct, you won't get more customers, you'll get less. You are saying that they will lay off people and put in a machine to do their jobs. But what you fail to imply is that if that were an option, they would have done so already. And say it was an even money venture where they haven't switched because they are lazy about it. By laying off their workers they are killing their own customers. So less people buying making this no longer an even money venture but a loss to go automation. Instead you should be rooting for this. More people with money means more customers which means that the equation to automate now falls under profitability to automate is higher. But I'm sure you either A already know this and are being perverse in championing a cause that keeps customers from using you or you are a peon that works on the floor making those automated machines or you are full of crap.
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Some very profitable companies pay their employees much more than minimum wage. Costco is a perfect example. --- Costco average employee wage $23/hour with benefits (https://www.businessinsider.com/highest-paid-retail-jobs-in-the-us-2019-6#2-shane-co-sales-associate-15)
EXACTLY. Businesses can profit fine if their employees have a good wage ----- b/c the employees can afford education, healthcare, etc., and aren't exhausted working 70 hours a week at three part-time jobs. Honestly, it's so weird to me that I wonder if these people really ever paid attention in Economics 101
Load More Replies... I don’t really understand why it bothers people that other workers get their hourly wage increased ? Would it diminish you ? Why don’t you be happy that they could now have money to get a house (instead of sleeping in their car or a trailer) and be able to pay a doctor and medecine when they need them.
I just worry that if minimum wage is increased everything else you pay for will be increased due to having to pay people more money. Making no change in the way things are right now.
Load More Replies... This is so sad. The people who are keeping the earth turning are apparently not worthy of $15... This world is messed up.
For the record, $15/ hr is still less than $30,000/ year BEFORE taxes. The average cost of rent in the US is $784/ month, which comes out to about $9,400/ year. That's JUST rent. There's still food, transportation, utilities, medical and a myriad of other life essentials to consider. There is a reason people can work 80 hours a week and still just barely scrape by.
I may be wrong but couldn't a person like that qualify for food stamps to help them out a little bit?
Load More Replies... I still think minimum wage should be at the very least $20-25 bucks an hour $15 is bullshit you can't pay rent and all other expenses for $15 bucks!
I’m college educated and I make $27 an hour. We barely scrape by, and my husband is also educated and has a good, full time job. Something needs to be done about rent and housing prices. Even if minimum wage is increased to $20 an hour, people will still struggle. Nobody should have to pay $2k a month for a 2 bed/ 2 bath town house. What it boils down to is everything is too expensive for people to survive.
Load More Replies... Honestly I think it should be $25/h at this point, $15/h should’ve been years ago
So what about people with college degrees that make $25 an hour? Does that mean they get $35 an hour?
Load More Replies... Does this mean that restaurant owners will have to pay their staff $15 or will they still have to rely on tips. I'm a Brit so apologies if I seem a bit thick on the subject.
You do realise how many people make much more than minimum wage working in restaurants. I never worked in nice places, but at the scummy bar I worked in through college, I took home over $50 in an 5 hour shift, much more than minimum wage, $2.02/ hour. Good nights were twice that. My rent was $200. NYC wait staff can't live in minimum wage. Their tips must be shared with other workers, like bus boys. The money is incredible, as are the expectations.
Load More Replies... This is the capitalism that Trump supporters were willing to tear down the government for. The ability of businesses and their owners to get rich on the backs of the labor force. Most likely, those supporters are being exploited, too. We are taught in this country that wealth will trickle down and that thinking people who be billions could pay their workers a bit more is socialism, even though a more socialist way of thinking would benefit more people and raise the quality of life in this country.
"Thank you for the ESSENTIAL WORKERS for risking their lives for keep everything running!!! You are HEROES! You shouldn't get paid 15$ an hour though, you are just flipping burgers."
I agree that the people who own business should pay workers more, and that cashiers, fast food workers should get paid more. Teachers and health care professionals should also get paid more. The only thing I am concerned about is my rent going to increase because the minimum wage is increased? And no, I am not saying it is a bad idea for people to be able to pull themselves out of poverty. I just hope that this helps everyone live more comfortably.
I feel for American low wage earners NZ has had it's minimum wage at 19 dollars per hour for a long time now and businesses are doing fine with covid some struggled but not because of the wage they payed out
This is where globalism kicks in. Corporations need people to work for peanuts and they do
Again, another agenda-driven political post for Bored Panda. Most of the posts have false or misleading impressions. A couple of biggies. Comparing the wealth of a few billionaires to minimum wage workers is a stawman argument. Facts are very few people make federal minimum wage (as falsely implied in one meme 33 million). "low paying" entry level jobs in the US average about $10 ph. The other thing never discussed is "wage compression" where I started out at say $10 ph but I've now worked up to $15. Now a new employee comes in at $15, does that mean my wage goes up? What about my supervisor who's making $19? And so on. It all sounds great until you get the details. Regardless of this issue, Bored Panda needs to stay away from politics.
Many of these posts are started by users, not bored panda staff. Put the blame where it belongs, mostly on the site users who generate interest and keep the post popular. AND YES, increasing minimum wage will turn business plans upside down and should force companies to restructure hourly salaries.
Load More Replies... I really try and look at things from both sides. I do agree that $15 is excessive. These jobs were meant for kids. But on the other hand, what are people supposed to do? They shipped all the good paying manufacturing jobs to China. I dont know the answer
How old are the employees at your grocery store? For many that is their career. Unlike the 1970's when finding a job as student was difficult and desired, today it seems many less young people work. I am wrong?
Load More Replies... 15 bucks an hour scares me because I make 10 bucks an hour plus commission, if I am raised to 15 I will lose how much commission I make. I don't work for a big corporation and I make about 50k a year at the moment, but I know that my company can't afford to just suddenly pay everyone 5 bucks more per hour and keep afloat.
And then there should be an increase percentage each year to keep up with inflation. Make it a legal requirement for all businesses to pay their employees.
Wow...... Imagine how many small businesses are going to be shut down because of the minimum wage.
Because they are surviving on the exploitation and slave labour of their employees! Did you not read this post before commenting?!? If a business cant afford to pay its employees a LIVING WAGE, it doesnt deserce to be 8n business!
Load More Replies... An idea for the minimum wage. Consider the following. Tiers would be established for the total number of employee hours for which an employer pays workers in a year. For example: The tiers could be (A) up to 20000 worker-hours in a year (approximately 10 full time equivalents); (B) 20001-40000 worker hours; and (C) 40000+ worker hours The wages in these hypothetical tiers might be $10/hr, $13/hr and $15/hr *** The actual number of tiers, tier boundaries and hourly wage in each tier might different, but the approach seems valid. Of course additional detailing will be necessary. For example: (a) restaurant servers may need a different scheme (e.g. the minimums would apply after tips), (b) individual jurisdictions could set their own tiers and hourly rates above a federal minimum, (c) Workers under a certain might be paid less in each tier (d) Preventing employers with multiple locations from declaring each location a separate enterprise
There's a lot to talk about economics but let's not forget history too
History - the top tax bracket was around 80% in the US, and those people lived well. There were far less people living in billion dollar, or the equivalent, homes. Health insurance covered much, much more and most people had it. Only once has one job at minimum wage enabled people to live above the poverty line, 1969.
Load More Replies... When you raise the minimum wage, all it does is raise the prices of everything.
A more meaningful change to millions of workers would be the legalization of workers who are in this country illegally and provide them with the protections of the American government, and more specifically in regards to the minimum wage, enforcing the laws regarding minimum wage on employers who traditionally employ illegal residents. If it is unacceptable for an American citizen to receive less than minimum wage, then it should also be unacceptable for those companies to pay less than minimum wage to non-citizens. Also, a streamlined path to citizenship should be established so that those who come here to make a life for themselves are given the blessing of the government and not the boot.
First provide the same for all citizens. It is assumed some people are too lazy to work. It is difficult for a black, unskilled man to get a job in DC, probably other places too. And the kids in my mildly tough, Capitol Hill neighborhood want covers on their textbooks. School ceilings that dont leak. Stuff to read, at every level, is near impossible to find. (We only had one shooting on my block, many were beat up.) Some Native Americans are being screwed from every direction. So many populations are judged as inferior. People who are here already here and want to work. I talk to homeless, most are not what you expect, they desperately want jobs. My ex hired men fresh out of prison. His workforce was loyal and worked hard for the promotions they knew were within reach. We make assumptions, without facts. Our poor are not beyond help. Sure a few are, but so are some rich kids.
Load More Replies... Doesn't he also want to raise taxes? (Prob on the sly.) I have seen many times that if the min wage is raised, he'll also raise taxes, so that in the end, those ppl who went from $7.25/hr to $15/hr, will end up back at $7.25/hr after taxes are taken out. That's not exact, but it was something along those lines. Anyone got more info on this?
Stop, just stop. Taxes will be raised. Just like people who voted for tax cuts they didn't qualify for, people will be told their taxes will increase when they won't. The Affordable Care Act was federally funded. Some states pay more federal taxes than they receive in services. The rest goes to states that need it to pay for federal programs in their state. Some elected officials convinced their constituents to vote against the ACA to lower state income tax. Poor states! In the recent past, many of those who voted against programs paid for with federal tax money, didn't realize other states paid for those programs in their states. I would like to believe more see the vast inequalities that are unfairly presented.
Load More Replies... Go ahead and vote for a 15 minimum wage. Make me and my coworkers in automation R I C H.
Lol. The thing you forget is that if what you're implying is correct, you won't get more customers, you'll get less. You are saying that they will lay off people and put in a machine to do their jobs. But what you fail to imply is that if that were an option, they would have done so already. And say it was an even money venture where they haven't switched because they are lazy about it. By laying off their workers they are killing their own customers. So less people buying making this no longer an even money venture but a loss to go automation. Instead you should be rooting for this. More people with money means more customers which means that the equation to automate now falls under profitability to automate is higher. But I'm sure you either A already know this and are being perverse in championing a cause that keeps customers from using you or you are a peon that works on the floor making those automated machines or you are full of crap.
Load More Replies... 