Some people seem upset that certain fast food franchises have been forced to reduce hours from lack of staff.
They’ll accuse the workers of taking “free” government money (while of course conveniently ignoring that stimulus programs have an application process and that the funds are taxed), instead of dutifully, unquestioningly, and enthusiastically doing a thankless job serving indignant, petulant and selfish consumers — many of whom are not even remotely concerned about the pandemic.
These are typically the same people who expect to be served 24-7, by someone they look down on as “unskilled” and therefore unworthy of a decent living wage.
They’ll demand that a legion of underpaid, subservient grunts always be prepared to serve their needs at any given time of day or week, but will also vote for politicians who fight against increasing the minimum wage.
Here’s the thing, though.
If a peon is earning about as much, or perhaps even more, from a puny government stimulus package, than they are by toiling away serving ungrateful ingrates all day, maybe the problem isn’t the government stimulus cheque.
Maybe...just maybe...the problem is pathetic and frankly insulting wages, especially considering what these franchises are worth.
What motivation is there to sweat and break your back providing service to people who don’t care about you, all while risking the potential of contracting COVID-19, when there’s stimulus funding available to help carry you through this storm.
Many of these people pretended to applaud the “hero” frontline workers who keep society functioning while billionaires sit back and do nothing as their fortunes reach new records, but will not only never lift a finger to fight for the rights of minimum wage earners, but actively oppose any political proposals to help them.
If I was wrong, Alberta would not be run by crony conservatives who always protect the interests of corporations before people, and the minimum wage would have already many years ago — long before the NDP's brief time in power — been set at $15 an hour, with support for an increase to $20 because of inflation already building unstoppable momentum.
There also would definitely have been widespread opposition and condemnation — not cheerful support — for the UCP's shameless decisions to cut minimum wage for students and to roll back protections for workers who are hurt on the job.
On a side note, this entitled obsession with 24-7 consumption is also a huge part of the problem.
Someone who wants a coffee or snack at 11 p.m. or 2 a.m. can surely figure out how to make their own at home.
After all, it’s just unskilled work that doesn't deserve a decent wage, right? Should be a breeze for these highly superior specimens to make their own, then.
Or, since they’re so concerned and even outraged by the apparently grievous injustice of not being able to order a coffee in the middle of the night, perhaps they’ll step up to the plate and apply for the job to fill the positions?
Of course not! Who am I kidding. They don’t want to serve selfish people like themselves who couldn’t care any less about the exploited employees behind the counter, all for a few pathetic peanuts.
I had hoped this pandemic would shine a light on how badly the ownership class has for decades exploited the working class, but I'm starting to get the impression peasants who are slightly higher up on the social ladder than their lower-income counterparts, will continue to side against their own interests in favour of defending billionaires.
