Extra work but no extra pay: Additional thoughts

If you haven't watched the video before reading this you might be missing somethings. I would recommend however that after this post or even before you read this post that you check the video out. The video is quite long I won't deny being a little over thirty minutes. Yet, it was a really deep topic and really worth talking about. Clearly, I love talking about all kinds of things. And the truth of the fact that a lot of these things I do are sporadically. I wanted to say impulsive but that would be too dramatic if you ask me. In the little bit that I researched and read that, that I shared on the video. I started to understand more how the world really operates. I know right, almost 34 years of living and I'm just learning this. 

I would dare to say I've always had an idea of how and why companies do what they do. Especially when it come to laying additional stressors (job functions) to their employees. But, being able to research it and seeing that there are stats that truly confirm my personal thoughts is mind blowing. And I know the numbers aren't as high as some may think. Yet, they are still high regardless of our original thoughts. The fact that legally these things are possible I guess shouldn't go over our heads. This is a capitalist country, and regardless of what you think. I do think that it isn't a bad thing. I would say though that things can and should be better when it comes to labor laws. 

Yes, we want to make sure that company owners are able to profit from their business and also be able to hire more employees. More people employed means a better economy. I know it isn't that simple, still it is the simplest way to explain this particular situation. After reading the things I read I can truly say that I understand how the economy affects employees and the employers. Still, when you have companies hitting record profits we need to look deeper into that. The fact that a percentage of the total can't help raise wage pay is just crazy! How much more does the working class people need to suffer before companies get it together. 

And before I get chewed up, I'm not talking about the mom and pop spots. I'm talking the multi-million and multi-billion dollar companies. I understand that a lot of that money goes right back into the company in other ways. But lets be honest here, when upper management on the board get a massive raise while the front line gets a dollar raise. We have to truly ask the question, is this even fair? And does it actually make sense? In most cases I would dare to say that it doesn't. But there are cases that it does. For example when a company decides to buy a failing company with lots of debt. They have to not only buy that company. But to make sure that they stay afloat after the purchase they have to trim the fat. 

Only if unions were still a thing right? Well they are, and they still exist in certain industries more than others. In doing my short but very educational research I was able to see why there really aren't unions in the more customer oriented jobs. Most of the companies love to strike fear into their employees about the cost and fees of having a union. How strikes can lead to a loss of wages, and so much more. Still the one thing that caught my attention the most. Was more about how people fear to come together and truly strike for fear of losing their jobs. Most states in the U.S are a At-Will, meaning companies can practically fire you for almost no reason if they really wanted to. 

Yet, I would dare to say that companies don't always do it for the sake of keeping a somewhat decent name if they want to be able to retain good employees. Still, the truth is they can. Being that this is a case and more than often a reality to most people that fear coming together to fight for a union, most people tend to take the easy way out instead of fighting and possibly losing their jobs. What's that easy way you maybe asking? Well that easy way is just leaving the company. Which in part isn't bad, but then again doesn't look to good on the resume either. On top of that the turnover rate in these specific industries. Retail and call centers are industries with a revolving door of people leaving and coming back. 

When there is no stability in employees, it makes it harder for people to actually come together and fight against these corporations. I'm not saying that all companies should have a union. In matter in fact I think that if there were laws in place for specific industries a union wouldn't be needed or even thought about. Laws that can actually help the working person living pay check to pay check. Or in many cases barely living pay check to pay check. The truth is somethings got to change. But the question becomes, will it? And my honest answer is simply no. There are more reasons on why it more than likely wouldn't. But we'll keep till here! 

If you got to the end of this post and you haven't watched the video, I recommend you do. Also, comment your thoughts below. And remember we can agree to disagree respectfully.