Russell Brand's alternative politics

[Bonzo77 13]

Pot. Kettle. Black.

 

You aren't the worst for it by some distance, in fact you don't often resort to name calling if ever but if anyone is disagreeing with the new messiah that is Russell brand, we're often sheep, "these people", uninformed, sleepwalking, etc etc.

 

I'm not any of those things - I'm just not taking the, often long and important sounding, words of a comedian with a book to sell as though he's the best thing since sliced bread.

 

I've not called you a sheep, uninformed or mentioned sleepwalking have I?

 

Russell Brand's book profits are not going in his pocket. He's donating at all to causes he finds worthy.

 

---------- Post added 29-10-2014 at 22:26 ----------

 

And they do stay at the asdas and morrisons for years. A lot of the faces at halfway have been there years. They can't be that unhappy - aldi are always looking for staff (at a decent hourly rate) and I've only ever seen half a dozen in there at anyone time!

 

Yes, there are people at supermarkets who stay there for years. Whether those people are single parents with a mortgage, I don't know? Whether their partners are working and earning more than them, I don't know?

[pb1977 10]

As the Beatles sang " Money can't buy you love "

 

I'm in no way convinced at all that better pay = a more loyal employee.

 

I'm sure money may play some part but me personally and I'm sure for many other people it's not just all about the money.

[Harleyman 12]

Most of the employees at our local Wally are middle aged women, years past raising kids. They're very likely to be working as stock clerks and cashiers to earn some extra spare cash in addition to what their other income may be, Social Security, spouse's earnings or his pension etc.

Anyone who is aged 18-40 who signs up full time at a place like Walmart had better be ambitious enough to attend management classes in their spare time. There's no future for any individual who just wants to operate a cash register or stock up shelves 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Any chump can learn those duties with a bit of training.

 

Walmart is not a charity organization, You are paid according to your worth. If you want to earn more than the minimum then learn skills that pay more than the minimum.

15 dollars /hour for 40 hour week is 600 dollars, 31,000 p.a gross less deductions for Social Security. For a family of four with only the one adult working this would be just about at the poverty level and the Fed and State would exempt any taxes being deducted in that case. Therefore a minimum of 15 dollars an hour wouldn't even raise the chance of getting the family an apartment in an upscale neighborhood and as for a house ... forget it.

A family with that income would qualify for food stamps however and also rental assistance. I don't mind having to pay for their health benefits either. These people are at least employed and not work shy welfare recipients I already pay for illegal immigrants and their kids for free medical treatment at County Hospitals No one is turned away from these hospitals and there is no requirement to state immigration status of anyone who needs medical attention. I also pay for the kids of illegals for their schooling

 

I don't feel hard done by but I would expect anyone who is years away from retirement to have enough moxie to make the effort to do much better for themselves than just spending their lives working in a low paid dead end job.

 

It's not a crime for the Waltons to have the fortune they own. Old man Walton started off with a small retail store in Arkansas. Over the years he built the business up to what it is now. Success is not something to be ashamed of either

Edited October 30, 2014 by Harleyman

[Bonzo77 13]

Most of the employees at our local Wally are middle aged women, years past raising kids. They're very likely to be working as stock clerks and cashiers to earn some extra spare cash in addition to what their other income may be, Social Security, spouse's earnings or his pension etc.

Anyone who is aged 18-40 who signs up full time at a place like Walmart had better be ambitious enough to attend management classes in their spare time. There's no future for any individual who just wants to operate a cash register or stock up shelves 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Any chump can learn those duties with a bit of training.

 

Walmart is not a charity organization, You are paid according to your worth. If you want to earn more than the minimum then learn skills that pay more than the minimum.

15 dollars /hour for 40 hour week is 600 dollars, 31,000 p.a gross less deductions for Social Security. For a family of four with only the one adult working this would be just about at the poverty level and the Fed and State would exempt any taxes being deducted in that case. Therefore a minimum of 15 dollars an hour wouldn't even raise the chance of getting the family an apartment in an upscale neighborhood and as for a house ... forget it.

A family with that income would qualify for food stamps however and also rental assistance. I don't mind having to pay for their health benefits either. These people are at least employed and not work shy welfare recipients I already pay for illegal immigrants and their kids for free medical treatment at County Hospitals No one is turned away from these hospitals and there is no requirement to state immigration status of anyone who needs medical attention. I also pay for the kids of illegals for their schooling

 

I don't feel hard done by but I would expect anyone who is years away from retirement to have enough moxie to make the effort to do much better for themselves than just spending their lives working in a low paid dead end job.

 

It's not a crime for the Waltons to have the fortune they own. Old man Walton started off with a small retail store in Arkansas. Over the years he built the business up to what it is now. Success is not something to be ashamed of either

 

Why should someone do something they don't want to do? Why can't someone get a job at the biggest store in the world, learn the ropes and spend the rest of their working life enjoying their job and being passionate about customer service? Why should they aspire to become management or attend evening classes, (which they probably can't afford) in order to better themselves academically?

 

You're right, $15 ph, isn't a lot and it probably won't mean a life free of state help, but it would help stabilise thousands of households and have may have a ripple effect across the retail sector.

 

According to an analysis by Demos, providing a base wage of $25,000 per year for a full time, year round retail worker at retail companies employing at least 1,000 workers would amount to a pay raise of more than 25 percent for the women who typically earn less than that threshold. Although pro-business groups demonise the idea of a minimum wage hike a “job killer” that mostly affects teens, the Demos analysis projects an overall benefit for 3.2 million female retail workers and their families in addition to 2.5 million male retail workers and their families.

 

http://www.demos.org/publication/retails-choice-how-raising-wages-and-improving-schedules-women-retail-industry-would-ben

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2014 at 10:12 ----------

 

I'm in no way convinced at all that better pay = a more loyal employee.

 

Try doing some research on the subject, in that case.

[Anna B 1,401]

The debate about wages is always a good one, but this thread is about alternatives. Brand is calling out for ideas and different ways of doing things that aren't heard in the mainstream media.

 

Does anyone have experience of other workplace organisation types? Like Co-operatives, collectives, or non-hierachical methods?

 

Isn't the John Lewis Partnership supposed to be a model organisation with regards to its worker experience?

 

I agree to some extent with the poster who said an increase in pay doesn't necessarily equate to loyalty, (but it helps, we all have bills to pay,) I would say it's more about feeling appreciated and valued.

 

Marks and Spencer also had a good reputation at one time. Don't know what it's like today.

[Bonzo77 13]

I'm in no way convinced at all that better pay = a more loyal employee.

 

I am, and so are many others from leading think tanks.

 

If you worked for a small company, got paid £15,000 for a job as say, a sales estimator, and business suddenly picked up, meaning you were rushed off your feet, every day for the next 12 months, and your boss turned up to work in a new Ferrari the next day, then went on holiday to the Maldives for a month, you noticed he was wearing a £10,000 watch, his suit was worth £5,000, and you were still working your socks off for £15,000pa......I think you'd either ask for a pay rise or look for another job.

[SavannahP 10]

I am, and so are many others from leading think tanks.

 

If you worked for a small company, got paid £15,000 for a job as say, a sales estimator, and business suddenly picked up, meaning you were rushed off your feet, every day for the next 12 months, and your boss turned up to work in a new Ferrari the next day, then went on holiday to the Maldives for a month, you noticed he was wearing a £10,000 watch, his suit was worth £5,000, and you were still working your socks off for £15,000pa......I think you'd either ask for a pay rise or look for another job.

 

No I wouldn't look for a new job just because my boss had more money than I had, and the chances are that any new job wouldn't pay more and the new boss might have even more than the old boss.

[Harleyman 12]

I am, and so are many others from leading think tanks.

 

If you worked for a small company, got paid £15,000 for a job as say, a sales estimator, and business suddenly picked up, meaning you were rushed off your feet, every day for the next 12 months, and your boss turned up to work in a new Ferrari the next day, then went on holiday to the Maldives for a month, you noticed he was wearing a £10,000 watch, his suit was worth £5,000, and you were still working your socks off for £15,000pa......I think you'd either ask for a pay rise or look for another job.

 

You don't get pay raises just because business suddenly picks up. Business is often sporadic. The good years and the lean years, much of it based on how the economy is going You might get some overtime in while it's busy and your pay rate reviewed annually based on your performance. That's it

[ab6262 202]

I am, and so are many others from leading think tanks.

 

If you worked for a small company, got paid £15,000 for a job as say, a sales estimator, and business suddenly picked up, meaning you were rushed off your feet, every day for the next 12 months, and your boss turned up to work in a new Ferrari the next day, then went on holiday to the Maldives for a month, you noticed he was wearing a £10,000 watch, his suit was worth £5,000, and you were still working your socks off for £15,000pa......I think you'd either ask for a pay rise or look for another job.

 

look for another job boyo !! what your boss earns and risks his money for is nowt to do with you:thumbsup:

[Stan Tamudo 10]

look for another job boyo !! what your boss earns and risks his money for is nowt to do with you

 

Is that how it works these days fatty?

[Bonzo77 13]

No I wouldn't look for a new job just because my boss had more money than I had, and the chances are that any new job wouldn't pay more and the new boss might have even more than the old boss.

 

I'd be out like a flash. I wouldn't want to work for someone that didn't pay well while the business was earning a packet.

 

A good boss invested in there staff, treats them well, rewards them and makes them feel like they're important.

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2014 at 22:07 ----------

 

You don't get pay raises just because business suddenly picks up. Business is often sporadic. The good years and the lean years, much of it based on how the economy is going You might get some overtime in while it's busy and your pay rate reviewed annually based on your performance. That's it

 

I'd expect a pay rise if the small business I work for starts to take off, especially if my work was integral to the companies performance!

[SavannahP 10]

I'd be out like a flash. I wouldn't want to work for someone that didn't pay well while the business was earning a packet.

 

A good boss invested in there staff, treats them well, rewards them and makes them feel like they're important.

 

There will be plenty of people queuing up to take your place so the business will just carry on making money which is good for everyone.