This Online Community Demands Work Reform, And Here Are 40 Of Their Top Posts
Interview
Everyone should be entitled to affordable food, healthcare, and homes. In short—everyone who works deserves to make ends meet without working themselves to death. That’s the main idea behind the r/WorkReform subreddit, a community of over half a million people who fight for a good quality of life for everyone and anyone who sells their labor.
Scroll down to check out some of the most powerful posts featured on r/WorkReform. Bored Panda got in touch with the moderator team at r/WorkReform who went into detail about the subreddit's history and mission. We also wanted to learn how to negotiate a good salary and work conditions, so we reached out to financial expert Sam Dogen, the founder of Financial Samurai and the author of ‘Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom.’
This post may include affiliate links.
Burgernomics
"WorkReform began as an offshoot of another popular Reddit community examining labor issues. WorkReform is now part of an activist group of subreddits, including r/NewDealAmerica and r/SandersForPresident. NDA and SFP are more political. WorkReform is focused on improving living conditions for all working-class people," the r/WorkReform mods explained to Bored Panda.
They shared that the entire team is "100% all-volunteer" and take up the job because they believe in their cause. "Our primary moderation goal is to keep the working class community cohesive and supportive of each other. 'Divide and conquer' is the primary way workforces have been oppressed throughout history. When divisive efforts are kept in check, the community self-organizes to an amazing degree," they explained.
Tweet
I hate to upvote such dire statistics, but the point this BP makes is the point all others need to really understand. We can’t can’t ever change or improve a problem if we don’t truly “get” what the problem itself is made of.
Unrig The System
According to the mods, workers "do their best bargaining" when they're part of a united block. "This is why the richest people in the world spend so much effort on stopping unions. The billionaires understand that all value is created by human labor. They know organized labor is unstoppable. This is why you see Amazon attacking union organizers by having them falsely arrested," they explained why there's a lot of anti-union sentiment in some of the larger multinational corporations.
"Organize with your fellow workers - together you are powerful!" they said. As for why employers don't want to see their workers earn fair wages and have good work conditions, it all comes down to "a culture of increasing short-term profitability at all costs."
The r/WorkReform movement is all about fairness and giving people of all wages access to the necessities of life. The group’s moderators shared a list of their beliefs, and odds are that you can get behind the majority (if not most) of them.
Corrections
There Is No Labour Shortage. Tax The Rich
Cue the : "Save the rich from paying taxes because they are basically all just as poor as a church mouse" believers.
The Food Cost Paradox
“People should not be worked to death. People should be paid a living wage for their labor. Income inequality and power inequality are the primary causes of social strife and lower living standards,” they write.
What’s more, the r/WorkReform mods believe that “workers must join together” to fight for what is “rightfully theirs.” They also urge workers not to be divided and conquered. “Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues,” they say.
Among the subreddit’s goals are: fighting for better compensation, getting better worker representation in the workforce (that includes unions and more), getting better and fewer working hours. What’s more, they aim to support political campaigns that “put workers first.”
A Positive Spin For Once!
The System Needs To Change
We Have Our Own Oligarchs
You mean a two party election where each party is a structured hierarchy, like a corporation, is not the best democracy?
LOL! And then those same elected officials keep arguing that government should be run like a business... They seem entirely incapable of understanding that governments are not businesses and cannot function like businesses - although continued subcontracting and privatization that chips away at the core functions of government is not helping that understanding either.
Load More Replies... Also look at the number of millionaire and billionaire politicians. How are they supposed to represent average people?
And it only gets worse as you get into second or third generation of families with that much wealth
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We are becoming a third world nation run by oligarchs and religious bigots. Is that what we really want?
The US Treasury made a list of Russian oligarchs totaling about 250 people. There are 1.3 million in the 1% in the US. So yeah, it's the same thing.
Oh yeah, that is very true. Only the rich in America really have a vote
the middle class does not exist anymore. the middle class is just working poor deeply in debt to emulate the riches of the oligarchs. the only two classes are the wealthy bourgeoisie and the proletariat. fight alongside and for ur neighbors. love and uplift ur neighbors. there is power in community.
Don't forget in America your earnings make you the 1% on a global level.
Wait, I thought only the greedy rich were only in capitalist nations. How are there billionaires and wealthy in Russia?
But the top 1% aren't heads of state. Most own or have created large businesses that give jobs to millions. There will always be a top 1%. Increasing government reach and size to employ more people isn't the same, and Russian oligarchs getting rich without creating goods or services or improving the lives of the populace isn't the same.
It's sad how easily propaganda influences people. That reply was nothing but cognitive dissonance
Load More Replies...Bored Panda got in touch with financial expert and author Sam, the founder of the Financial Samurai blog, to understand the nature of work negotiations better. He was happy to share with Bored Panda the main things to keep in mind when going to negotiate for a better salary, as well as better work conditions. In short, preparing for the negotiations is more than half the battle. And knowledge is power.
Pretty Simple
Worker's Rights Are Human Rights (And Vice-Versa)
Truth
According to financial expert Sam, there are a number of things that you should keep in mind when going to talk about the future of your career with your manager or boss. The first thing to keep in mind is the current competitive market environment.
“Is your industry growing or shrinking?” Sam said that employees should ask themselves this so they’re prepared for the negotiations better. Doing your research, knowing what the general trends in the job market are like, are very powerful tools in your arsenal.
“Just Get Another Job”
I met a veteran on public transit. Found out that he gets the same amount of income I do from the Veterans Administration. He lives in a tent behind the Salvation Army building. Says he prefers it so that he can have a little bit of spending money and can eat better food, that it would take his entire income to pay rent.
We Do Not All Have The Same 24 Hours, That’s For Sure
More People Should Do This
According to the expert, the next thing that you should consider is how well your company is actually doing at the moment. He noted some things to consider: “Is your company's stock price doing well? If it's a private company, is it raising funding at higher valuations? Is company morale good? Are there more benefits?”
Pilots Don't Get Paid During Boarding
This is why people charge $120 for simple tasks like fixing a leaky faucet. You're not just buying that 30 minutes of work. The worker has to get to your place, have the right tools and expertise.
Whoops, My Bad. I Should Of Been Worse!
Threaten Bankruptcy. Get Bailout. Executive Bonuses. Repeat
This is soooooo true. Bailouts are somehow always available when corporations need it but no when everyone else needs it.
Then, you should move on to evaluating your own performance. You also have to take a look at how your colleagues are performing. Do your best to try and objectively pinpoint where you are results-wise relative to other workers. If you’re consistently overperforming, you should draw attention to that.
All Power To The Workers
Well if you really compared, how the normal plebs are to the aristocrats as opposed to, the current day average employee to the "billionaires", then yeah. The wealth gap is really obscene these days, considering one person has the wealth equivalent to millions of people. I don't think lords owned millions of serfs back in the day.
Aoc: When We Say “Tax The Rich,” We Mean Nesting-Doll Yacht Rich. For-Profit Prison Rich. Betsy Devos, Student-Loan-Shark Rich. Trick-The-Country-Into-War Rich. Subsidizing-Workforce-W-Food-Stamps Rich. Because That Kind Of Rich Is Simply Not Good For Society, & It’s Like 10 People
Even people from outside the USA know that this is the problem that will never get solved because the rich simply won't allow it.
Student Debt
Education here in Sweden is (usually) free and you can take a loan from the state without any interest (except for inflation) so you don't have to work while you're studying. Also, if you can't find a job after you finish your education you can postpone paying back your loan for a maximum of five years. Yes, we pay more in taxes, but this helps the whole society in the end.
“Everything is relative in terms of performance. You should be paid based on how well you do and if you are outperforming your peers,” financial expert Sam pointed out to Bored Panda that you have to look at performance in broader terms than just how you are doing as though you were in a vacuum. Performance, after all, is relative.
Bernie Sanders Calls Out Chipotle Which Keeps Increasing Prices Citing Cost Increases In Labor ($0.50 Pay Increase?!), Freight, And Food Costs When It’s Profits And CEO Pay That Have Gone Way Up
So Bad
This Recruiter Gets It. A Simple Couple Thousand Dollar A Year Raise Would Have Saved That Employer Major Headache
Isn't it strange how businesses think that the law of supply and demand should not apply to them when it comes to hiring people so the government should step in hunt all those lazy shïts down who refuse to work for $7.25 per hour?
Finally, you should keep in mind how long you’ve worked at the company. Ironically, employees who have worked longer don’t necessarily get better conditions or wages.
“The longer you are at the company, ironically, the less you get paid compared to the market. Therefore, you need to consistently speak up for yourself each year as new employees join with higher and higher pay packages,” Sam said. You can read some of his tips on how to get paid and promoted faster right over here.
The Great Resignation Is Here And The Once Glorious Concept Of “Company Loyalty” Is A Thing Of The Past
And Some Have Super Yachts While Their Employees Are Drowning
Cut Back On Toast People
So, dear Pandas, which of these r/WorkReform posts got you thinking the most? What do you personally think is stopping employers from giving all of their employees a fair wage for their labor and giving them access to decent working conditions? What do you think it would take to eradicate poverty and exploitation? Share any thoughts that you might have in the comments.
" As Long As The Cash Rolls In, Who Cares!?"
There’s Now Way This System Won’t Lead To A Massively Unstable Society If Nothing Is Done To Fix It
I Feel This
Grocery Bill Skyrocketing
For a year I've spent 200$ a week on groceries and since January I've been getting roughly 2lbs less of everything for the same amount of money. Thank god it's only three of us and we grow a lot of our own food in the summer. Vegetables fruit and fish have really gone up. Even the crappy junk food. My daughter and I make our own oat milk now bc it sells out so quick too
Eat The Rich…
This Is Happening Right Now. Watch As The Narrative Changes In Real Time
Exactly what happened here in Australia in NSW. The justification for hammering down the well overdue pay rise from the politicians "if we give it to them the rest will want one and we can't have that happening". Why not? Every time the civil serpents in Canberra get a pay rise the politicians give themselves one too and vice versa. Major rises above inflation with NO productivity or condition reduction offsets. Usually annually if not more often. Yeah "selfish crazy unions" indeed
Not Freaked Out By UFO Sightings
Im hoping they put us in play-pens like puppies so other aliens can come and adopt us.
I Hope Humanity Becomes More Humane
There's no scarcity. There's just rich people telling poor people that other poor people are out to take their jobs. So poor people are fighting each other over the crumbs that rich people drop. Divide and conquer.
Employment And Healthcare Have Nothing To Do With Each Other. Tying Them Together Was Just A Scam To Force People To Work For Lower Wages And Make A Handful Of People Extremely Rich
The USA spends more money per capita on just Medicaid and Medicare than the other G8 countries each spend for their entire Universal Health Care programs. Also, except for Russia, USA has the lowest life expectancy of that group.
What Radicalized You?
How Much Longer Can This Last?
And Rachel Never Got The Fashion Job Because No Places Hire Without Experience
Lobby Of An Office Building. Nothing Like Reminding Your Employees Why They Hate Being There So Much As Soon As Walk In
That's like asking : Are you ready for your vacation? on the first day after your vacation. ( For Americans: Vacation= 4 weeks of paid annual leave without having to fear that your job is gone when you return to work.)
Ok, Which One Of You Works In The Produce Department?
It’s Been 40 Years Since We Were Spoon Fed Trickle Down Economics. When Is It Going To Work?
Be Kind To Each Other
They Have Enough To Pay Employees
Work Ends When You Stop Being Paid
The Housing Scam Has To Collapse
They Love The Working Class, Eh
It's A Worldwide Issue And Needs To Be Addressed At Every Level
1944. We've Been Waiting Since Nineteen F'ing Forty-Four
Amnesty international should protest against the flagrant violation of human rights in the US. After all the US did sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948.
Bernie Making Good Use Of Super Bowl
Work 1.5 Jobs, Get Paid For Just 1 Job
Still Looking…
I was told to "study to do the thing you love and you'll never work a day in your life". What I wasn't told: Because you won't find a job.
A Good Firm Handshake Should Open Up Doors
Why limit the fun to one generation? Have Baby Boomers apply for jobs. Have Gen X play 6 straight hours of fortnite. Have Millennials dig their own backyard pools. Have Gen Z send a fax and use dial-up internet. It'd be a great way to see how things have changed....and it would be hilarious to watch people of all ages struggle, flounder or surprisingly succeed.
Stop Telling Minimum Wage Causes Inflation
Color(Ado) Me Shocked
“Don’t discuss your wages amongst yourselves” says most every company. Completely illegal to make such a request. (US)
Who Needs That Much Money? The Answer: No One
She's Got A Point
If Your Yearly Raise Doesn’t Surpass Inflation, You’re Getting A Pay Cut
Found This On Linkedin, What Do You Guys Think Of It?
Had a former employer lay me off at the beginning of the Pandemic because I didn't get along with her click of buddies that worked in the student learning center (was a tutor.) The person she kept that tutored my area found out and quit. I had graduated by then and found a wonderful job in a national firm. She called me to ask me to come back...I laughed and told her...that would be a big time "nope." I feel bad for the students though.
Mission Impossible
Keepin It Real Aoc
Republicans: "Work your way through college like a true American does." Also Republicans: "Ha, ha, Look at her, she worked her way through college as a waitress."
Pto Required By Country. We Need Reform
Age Based Wage Discrimination Has No Place In Our Society
Millennial Day Dream
Anti-Capitalism Propaganda From 1911. Seems Like Nothing Has Changed Over The Last Century
There Is No Justifiable Reason To Have This Feature
You Are Not Alone
You can't fight back when joining a union is a valid reason to fire you and when company policy states that you are not to discuss your salary during work.
Congrats!
I once saw a post on here about a company owner that said he was having a hard time keeping staff because of the high turn around even though he's a great boss and chalked it up to lazy workers. The guy running the lecture said "Then you aren't a great boss. Great bosses ask their employees why they won't stay and make changes to ensure happy employees. If you are experiencing high turn around, it tells me you aren't giving a reason for your employees to stay and that they would rather go work elsewhere. You are the problem..not them."
My Dad Found This In An Old Locker At His Work
Actually a great salary for that time. I am guessing some kind of professional or certified trade.
Seems Like A Good Place For This
In other words, you guys do not deserve "best before" but the "not good enough after" lol.
All The Comments Are Complaining That No One Wants To Work..
I heard a woman bitching about how long it was taking for her order when there was obviously one person cooking and one person taking orders and serving people. One guy told her to shut up, they were obviously short staffed. She told him "then hire more people!" He laughed and said "Yeah..then your order will get here faster." I said "Feel free to strap on an apron and go help them. No? Then STFU."
Congratulations On Your 0% Raise!
Someone Put This Up In The Break Room Weeks Ago. Management Haven't Noticed Because They Don't Mix With Their Employees
The whistblower hotline is dysfunctional or else a manager would already have stormed in and removed this unethical and undermining propaganda... /S
Is This What They Call In The Industry A 'Two Sided Market'?
Also charges a $3.49 delivery fee with the express notification “This is NOT a tip for the driver, feel free to tell them how awesome they are with a little something extra!”
Don't Believe The Propaganda
"As of 1st July, 2021 the minimum wage is $20.33 per hour, or $772.60 per 38-hour week. Casual employees get at least a 25 per cent loading." https://squareup.com/au/en/townsquare/minimum-wage-australia Also Big Mac is $6.40
They Needed To Study This?!
Common sense would tell you that. But then having dealt with bureaucrats, common sense don't mean anything, without extensive number crunching for an accptable level of certainty and a further 10 meetings for a consensus that not necessarily reflect said data.
No, You Can’t Have A Break. Take This Iv Instead
The New American Dream. Work Hard Your Whole Life And Maybe You Can Get A Shed Too!
I saw one guy who bought a piece of property in Hawaii so he could build a small affordable home of his own, but the county office would not approve the plans unless he built some elaborate mess with multiple rooms. So he submitted the first part of his plan to build a detached garage...built his small home and has "never gotten around" to building the main house. Cost for building....$14,000.
Bandai Namco Treating Their Money Makers Right
This Is What $1649 Per Month Gets Me
How Do People Like This Get Put In Positions Of Authority?
They get put in that position for that exact reason. You can climb the ladder very fast if you're able to fire a man for leaving early because he needs to drive his wife to chemo or to fire a woman because her pregnancy meant that she wouldn't be able to complete a project before the deadline.
Posted In An American Eagle Outfitters Store. Get Lost, Jenny
They’re Getting Desperate
That's illegal. No employee under the age of 18 is permitted by OSHA Safety laws to operate or handle in any way power driven equipment. That includes the Deli slicer. So, how exactly are these 14 - 17 y/o Deli clerks going to do the job?
This Leaked Target "Leadership Training" Teaches Management To Look For Behavioral Cues That An Employee May Stand Up For Themselves
But (controversial opinion here), if you create an environment where they don't feel the need to unionise could be achieved by giving them benefits, pay rises, the tools to do their job well, not penalising them for taking a day off sick, encouraging them to take their vacation days. No need to unionise if you're already giving them more than the bare minimum. Right?
It's Nice To See Them Desperate
When they fear that they are going to lose their underpaid staff they suddenly have options which are normally not even discussable.
Depressing, but americans need to suffer more before they will revolt. Until they really get out of the daydream of being "temporarily inconvenienced millionaires" , they will never revolt. Part of the way the american public is kept enslaved is by the brainwashing from their tv shows which show glamourous lifestyles, houses, etc., as normal. Thus, they aspire to this and think it is feasible, plausible, possible, etc. For example, just recently, I watched 2012 - the disaster movie. The hero is a chauffeur for an oligarch. He is a novellist in his spare time having sold 400 books, so say he made $400 on that. He has a nice house in LA. There is no way he could have a house, much less pay alimony as per the story and even less likely afford to take his kids on holiday. So, nah, it's a lie. Look at the demographic statistics, median income, crime stats, burgernomics quality of life measures, etc. You guys are WELL on your way to becoming like us (Africa).
Really it doesn't take a genius to see something is FUBAR when that 1% can control 99+ % of the wealth in the world while there are people homeless and starving.
*homeless still working and still starving. It's brilliant uh? 🤬 I hate the US government. The old hags need to get out and we need more Bernie and AOC in. We the people......are about to lose our s**t.
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It gives me some comfort to see others outraged but it's mostly depressing and frustrating. Being a low-ish income working class american (50h weeks, $30k year, can't afford anywhere that isn't extremely dangerous, and my city is considered very cheap for its size) who knows and understands these things and how broken and abusive and corrupt our system is, it makes me angry and resentful at all those who are much much much closer to my position than they'll ever be to even being rich, let alone a millionaire, certainly not a billionaire, who are so brainwashed and think it's fine like this because they think someday they're somehow gonna be rich and want to protect their fictional financial status
The same people who blow a gasket when working class people want $15/hour are the people who don't bat an eye at CEOs making $5,000/hour. Tax. The. Rich.
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Greetings people. 1st post. Moderate Liberal. When Don Trump was elected I started frequenting Fox News message boards- to see what was up with the other side. OMG! You think we're pissed? Those people are simmering to a boil. And they have ALOT of weapons. My wife and I are doing OK at age 60, but we were both poor for much of our lives. Is National health care to much to ask? Living Minimum wage? Cmon. The divisions in this country are soooo deep- makes me sad.
Your healthcare system is a sham. But that's how you like it. Herein Europe we prefer our social healthcare very much. Why would you pay more than your neighbors. Also healthcare comes automatically with the job you have. Also something that is very wrong with your country. People working there uninsured. Just crazy and unresponsible.
I hate our healthcare system here in the US. I have many ailments and easily spend $4000 out of pocket each year for copays and tests. Our insurance has a maximum outlay of $4000 per person each year. It’s a lot of money!
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As an outsider looking in, I feel like the people in charge in the US actually hate their citizens. How else can one explain the way they treat the average citizen? It horrifies me and makes me so sad.
Who watches fox news? It's some right wing american propaganda channel.
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Depressing, but americans need to suffer more before they will revolt. Until they really get out of the daydream of being "temporarily inconvenienced millionaires" , they will never revolt. Part of the way the american public is kept enslaved is by the brainwashing from their tv shows which show glamourous lifestyles, houses, etc., as normal. Thus, they aspire to this and think it is feasible, plausible, possible, etc. For example, just recently, I watched 2012 - the disaster movie. The hero is a chauffeur for an oligarch. He is a novellist in his spare time having sold 400 books, so say he made $400 on that. He has a nice house in LA. There is no way he could have a house, much less pay alimony as per the story and even less likely afford to take his kids on holiday. So, nah, it's a lie. Look at the demographic statistics, median income, crime stats, burgernomics quality of life measures, etc. You guys are WELL on your way to becoming like us (Africa).
Really it doesn't take a genius to see something is FUBAR when that 1% can control 99+ % of the wealth in the world while there are people homeless and starving.
*homeless still working and still starving. It's brilliant uh? 🤬 I hate the US government. The old hags need to get out and we need more Bernie and AOC in. We the people......are about to lose our s**t.
Load More Replies... It gives me some comfort to see others outraged but it's mostly depressing and frustrating. Being a low-ish income working class american (50h weeks, $30k year, can't afford anywhere that isn't extremely dangerous, and my city is considered very cheap for its size) who knows and understands these things and how broken and abusive and corrupt our system is, it makes me angry and resentful at all those who are much much much closer to my position than they'll ever be to even being rich, let alone a millionaire, certainly not a billionaire, who are so brainwashed and think it's fine like this because they think someday they're somehow gonna be rich and want to protect their fictional financial status
The same people who blow a gasket when working class people want $15/hour are the people who don't bat an eye at CEOs making $5,000/hour. Tax. The. Rich.
Load More Replies... Greetings people. 1st post. Moderate Liberal. When Don Trump was elected I started frequenting Fox News message boards- to see what was up with the other side. OMG! You think we're pissed? Those people are simmering to a boil. And they have ALOT of weapons. My wife and I are doing OK at age 60, but we were both poor for much of our lives. Is National health care to much to ask? Living Minimum wage? Cmon. The divisions in this country are soooo deep- makes me sad.
Your healthcare system is a sham. But that's how you like it. Herein Europe we prefer our social healthcare very much. Why would you pay more than your neighbors. Also healthcare comes automatically with the job you have. Also something that is very wrong with your country. People working there uninsured. Just crazy and unresponsible.
I hate our healthcare system here in the US. I have many ailments and easily spend $4000 out of pocket each year for copays and tests. Our insurance has a maximum outlay of $4000 per person each year. It’s a lot of money!
Load More Replies... As an outsider looking in, I feel like the people in charge in the US actually hate their citizens. How else can one explain the way they treat the average citizen? It horrifies me and makes me so sad.
Who watches fox news? It's some right wing american propaganda channel.
Load More Replies...