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Wolfgang Puck can’t find waiters because of labor shortage


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6 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Not all low to minimal skilled jobs need be in the conversation about supporting a family.  Most are filled by low skilled workers and kids trying to gain experience or earn a few bucks while in schools, etc.  With the current shortage, anyone dependable and even mildly competent will move into more and more positions of responsibility and added pay.  

 

Might want to check with HR on that as policy, but I hear you.

  • Hiring practices in our nation are inefficient.
  • The labor market is out of synch with technology.
  • I suspect there is a connection.

We are seeing the bigs beginning to acknowledge the need to undergird our economy through a respectable wage. And there is a huge market for human improvement. Time is speeding up around the world. 

Urban issue primarily, though.

Not much applicability to rural areas who employ few - relatively speaking. Different tensions in rural areas that urbanites know nothing about.  That is a strength for this country. (and a dividing line).

Urban areas are expensive. To luxuriate in urban areas -  one needs those who toil. It's just economics.

Spoiler

 

Demand is there for both sides. That's healthy from an economics perspective. We never - ever - want deflation. Ever. That kills our economy as it is currently designed. That's the ledge of ledges. Deflation obliterates our peculiar economy.  Inflate or die - as predicted by Richard Russell (a famous libertarian economist, not a commie):

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2012/07/richard-russell/inflate-or-die/

 

There are ways to inflate; ergo, we inflate. 

Who are we to interfere with the invisible hand.

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Edited by washparkhorn
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On 6/22/2021 at 5:18 PM, Lhorn said:

In the Bay Area fast food places are routinely offering $15 an hour and a lot of help wanted signs out. I’ve seen restaurants that are closing some days of the week because they don’t have enough staff 

They had signs all over Burger King in San Ramon the other day offering a $500 signing bonus and $14/hour.  That would have been the honey pot back when I was in high school!

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41 minutes ago, Horn Dogg said:

They had signs all over Burger King in San Ramon the other day offering a $500 signing bonus and $14/hour.  That would have been the honey pot back when I was in high school!

If you get free Ch’King sandwiches for working there I’ll go with you to put in an application. 
I live in Pleasanton btw. Small world. 

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6 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

So a job at Chipotle should provide a living wage for a family with one income regardless of location?

If an independent hardware store had to pay a living wage in San Francisco, they would have to raise his prices. Which would be fine, but many of their potential customers will seek the cheaper price from Amazon or elsewhere. 
 

Free market at work, deal with it. 

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10 hours ago, Lhorn said:

What I want and believe are irrelevent.  If Chipotle can fill their jobs paying less than a person can live on, they'll continue to do so.  If, as we are seeing currently, retailers can't hire for those wages, then they need to pay more until they can fill their jobs.  It will be disproportionately bad for small business owners.  But don't fret, your precious big box retailers and restaurants like Applebees will still be there for you.  

If the country decides that you need to make enough wrapping up Whopper to get an apt in SF and a nice little sedan, then I'll probably be eating at home a lot more because I can't afford restaurants, but that's OK.  I don't eat out much anyway.   

I agree, but that's the crux of the issue, if we can't afford to eat at restaurants unless they hire cheap slave labor, what does that say about their business model? Restaurants do exist in the world that make money and workers are paid a living wage. But the fast food model requires temp cheap labor so you and I can eat cheap fatty foods. Without it, that model does not work. If you really cared about small business owners, you wouldn't eat at fast food chains or Applebee's, but Americans don't give a shit about the small business owner. They want cheap food they don't have to make. 

The common defense is those jobs are part time jobs meant for high schoolers and college kids, not for subsisting on. That may have been true in the 1950s and 60s but the world has changed. The market has changed. 

These arguments will be irrelevant soon, as technology will replace the fast food employee and we will talk about the lack of jobs for unskilled labor. 

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16 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

I went to the Oasis, once.

See Above

11 hours ago, immamac said:

I think it's funny how stupid everyone is in this thread. It's almost like none of you understand how any business actually functions.

See below

8 hours ago, F250 said:

That sounds reasonable considering the majority of the ingredients are pretty inexpensive. I was joking with my friend about the smuggled horse meat the real reason is I usually don't eat meat during the week and definitely don't eat cheese enchiladas.

 

 

 

8 hours ago, workswithseed said:

What's wrong with cheese enchiladas?

 

 

8 hours ago, F250 said:

The average Tex-Mex cheese enchilada while delicious is macro-nutrient chaos.

 

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8 hours ago, lmao said:

They've show time and time again they'll fuck people (for example) by cutting hours so their workers won't receive benefits like healthcare. All of a sudden they're going to play nice? And this isn't the boomer era anymore. These aren't jobs for college kids who could work one summer & pay off 4 years of tuition. Iirc I read a stat that almost half of full-time workers age 25-65 make about 30k a year or less. Cost of living is at an all-time high yet wages have been stagnant. Worker production is at an all-time high in the wealthiest country to ever exist yet wages have not caught up. You can only fuck people for so long. As we've seen during the pandemic these 'essential worker' jobs make the country run. Paying a wage to where you aren't homeless or get bankrupted & have your credit destroyed for becoming ill doesn't seem like a tall order for the greatest country on Earth. Idk. 

You sound like a communist. Are you a communist?

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13 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

Btw you didn’t address Wolfgang Puck,, his Cut restaurant in Bahrain, hiring slave labor and exploiting them.  Care to explain that?  It’s all good, they would starve in their ome country.  Might as well fuck them in the ass here, in a country that beheads people for fucking them in the ass.  

Request thread title change to -

"Wolfgang Puck can't find waiters to fuck in their ass because of labor shortage."

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9 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

We are seeing the bigs beginning to acknowledge the need to undergird our economy through a respectable wage

Is $20/hr a respectable wage for someone with almost zero skills?  Because those are some of the signs posted.  Even those seem to go unfilled.  Why?  Many are supposing that it it because there is an economic disincentive to work because you can make close to that or even more on UE.  Nor are these JUST restaurant jobs (although those are the majority, as they allow for younger and unskilled workers to enter the workforce the fastest and easiest).

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9 hours ago, lmao said:

They've show time and time again they'll fuck people (for example) by cutting hours so their workers won't receive benefits like healthcare. All of a sudden they're going to play nice? And this isn't the boomer era anymore. These aren't jobs for college kids who could work one summer & pay off 4 years of tuition. Iirc I read a stat that almost half of full-time workers age 25-65 make about 30k a year or less. Cost of living is at an all-time high yet wages have been stagnant. Worker production is at an all-time high in the wealthiest country to ever exist yet wages have not caught up. You can only fuck people for so long. As we've seen during the pandemic these 'essential worker' jobs make the country run. Paying a wage to where you aren't homeless or get bankrupted & have your credit destroyed for becoming ill doesn't seem like a tall order for the greatest country on Earth. Idk. 

3866634581_515a02827a.jpg

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6 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Is $20/hr a respectable wage for someone with almost zero skills?  Because those are some of the signs posted.  Even those seem to go unfilled.  Why?  Many are supposing that it it because there is an economic disincentive to work because you can make close to that or even more on UE.  Nor are these JUST restaurant jobs (although those are the majority, as they allow for younger and unskilled workers to enter the workforce the fastest and easiest).

they're supposing it, but are they demonstrating it?

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53 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Is $20/hr a respectable wage for someone with almost zero skills?  Because those are some of the signs posted.  Even those seem to go unfilled.  Why?  Many are supposing that it it because there is an economic disincentive to work because you can make close to that or even more on UE.  Nor are these JUST restaurant jobs (although those are the majority, as they allow for younger and unskilled workers to enter the workforce the fastest and easiest).

This has already been explained and data has already been posted that increased unemployment benefits (which have been ended in many states already) aren't responsible for the restaurant jobs shortage. 

What you don't understand is that these aren't "almost zero skill" jobs. It actually takes a lot of skill to be a good server. It actually takes a lot of skill to be a good cook. And these jobs suck and don't pay well. The pandemic gave a lot of people the opportunity to find jobs in different fields with better quality of life, and many did. The remaining labor pool is smaller. Why the fuck would who's left not demand more money?

Edited by wildcat09
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Clearly the answer is that McDonald's needs Foxcon. They need to have high-rise barracks to house all the poor people who work there, complete with anti-suicide nets, to feed and house the workers for our industrial consumption of horrible junk and fast food.

All jokes aside, the real irony here that I don't think people are considering is this:

Middle-class and above don't, generally speaking, don't eat fast food in any common, habitual or materially diet/nutrient dependent way. What I mean is there is a difference between slumming it when drunk or eating TacoBell or JITB tacos once a year or McDonalds/Wendy's in a pinch or as a worst case scenario for convenience vs. poor people who largely subsist off of the dollar menu for the entire family.

You raise the prices to pay people better at these places, you are essentially creating a consumption tax for the 75% of the TAM that fast food serves. This is why I find it incredibly hard to care about raising the wages of a subway artist or a sonic hop-- it's your own fault if you habitually eat at those places. You are already overpaying for crap.,

 

-- 

As a footnote, I understand that $4 of food is not created equal. The $4 to buy dinner is cheaper $4 of groceries that you cook and there are lots of reasons across the board that make that $4 spent at Wendy's cheaper than the $4 to cook a better meal for yourself, from ingredients/groceries cost (and availability in food deserts), to ability to cook, to having a kitchen, to having appliances and appropriate cookware, to having the luxury of time, and to culture.

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15 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

This has already been explained and data has already been posted that increased unemployment benefits (which have been ended in many states already) aren't responsible for the restaurant jobs shortage. 

What you don't understand is that these aren't "almost zero skill" jobs. It actually takes a lot of skill to be a good server. It actually takes a lot of skill to be a good cook. And these jobs suck and don't pay well. The pandemic gave a lot of people the opportunity to find jobs in different fields with better quality of life, and many did. The remaining labor pool is smaller. Why the fuck would who's left not demand more money?

No it hasn't.  One tweet from CBC intimated it didn't seem to be a factor.  Hardly conclusive and dripping with confirmation bias.  Nor are we talking about just restaurants.  A myriad of small biz owners are posting.  

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10 hours ago, lmao said:

They've show time and time again they'll fuck people (for example) by cutting hours so their workers won't receive benefits like healthcare. All of a sudden they're going to play nice? And this isn't the boomer era anymore. These aren't jobs for college kids who could work one summer & pay off 4 years of tuition. Iirc I read a stat that almost half of full-time workers age 25-65 make about 30k a year or less. Cost of living is at an all-time high yet wages have been stagnant. Worker production is at an all-time high in the wealthiest country to ever exist yet wages have not caught up. You can only fuck people for so long. As we've seen during the pandemic these 'essential worker' jobs make the country run. Paying a wage to where you aren't homeless or get bankrupted & have your credit destroyed for becoming ill doesn't seem like a tall order for the greatest country on Earth. Idk. 

All kidding aside, but why did they cut hours?  Because the ACA mandates were excessively expensive for small businesses that were never designed to be a career vector; but rather small privately owned shops that require low-skilled labor to help with basic tasks.  Forcing them to pay those rates was absurd for the work requirements.  Big box shops, that's another conversation.

Tuition?  Why is tuition so damn high?  Could it be an absolute torrent of federal student aid dollars to the tune of billions of dollars, facilitating a most significant rise in prices ever for higher education?  So now that's the small business owners problem?

Federal dollars have facilitated a tuition explosion, federal/state mandates have selectively enforced lockdowns and picked pandemic winners and losers, federal/state have forced businesses to walk through every imaginable hoop, and now federal dollars are creating an artificial price point in excess of $20/hr in many markets, and this is all the small business owners fault?  

My sons friend turned 16 and is working his first job washing dishes at a local restaurant.  He needs a "livable" wage and health care?  Not every job is a career path.  

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8 hours ago, Hmbre97 said:

Clearly the answer is all of our food service and other entry level workers will move to Waco because that makes total sense driving 1.5 hrs with added transporation/fuel costs for low wage jobs . Either that or as one poster suggested they all board together in high rent apartments with multiple roommates; the American Dream! 

COL has been outpacing wages for years and now we just had a disruption event that raised housing 20% YOY on average (50% in our area specifically) so now people will be paying even higher rents on the same low pay and have even less disposible income to keep our service-based economy propped up. Oh yeah, these low income workers just need to better themselves by enrolling in college courses which are as expensive as ever and they will definitely be able to afford to reduce their income to part time in order to have time to attend classes.  

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Is this the thread (actually, one of many) where we find excuses to blame people we disagree with to make us feel better about ourselves? Or should we actually explore the problem and then try to find solutions? Why do we cast blame on businesses that pay over twice the minimum wage for not paying a livable wage and at the same time just take it as a given that a livable wage should be so high? Maybe the cost of living in the city is a problem because people in the city who complain about the wages of these jobs (and also the people who do) don't want multifamily dwellings built in their neighborhoods? Paying people more might be the best solution to problems, but lowering the cost of living might be a better one. Maybe let's try not to get so worked up about what we think the best solution is and listen to other folks to see if there might be other aspects to the problem.

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27 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

All kidding aside, but why did they cut hours?  Because the ACA mandates were excessively expensive for small businesses that were never designed to be a career vector; but rather small privately owned shops that require low-skilled labor to help with basic tasks.  Forcing them to pay those rates was absurd for the work requirements.  Big box shops, that's another conversation.

Tuition?  Why is tuition so damn high?  Could it be an absolute torrent of federal student aid dollars to the tune of billions of dollars, facilitating a most significant rise in prices ever for higher education?  So now that's the small business owners problem?

Federal dollars have facilitated a tuition explosion, federal/state mandates have selectively enforced lockdowns and picked pandemic winners and losers, federal/state have forced businesses to walk through every imaginable hoop, and now federal dollars are creating an artificial price point in excess of $20/hr in many markets, and this is all the small business owners fault?  

My sons friend turned 16 and is working his first job washing dishes at a local restaurant.  He needs a "livable" wage and health care?  Not every job is a career path.  

My sons friend turned 16 and didn’t need to get a job at shit wages, because his healthcare, which is the largest cost component of employment for low wage workers,  was covered until he was 26, by me, my employer.  Here’s the thing,  provide universal healthcare and a safety net basic income, and shut the fuck up about everything else.  

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1 hour ago, wildcat09 said:

This has already been explained and data has already been posted that increased unemployment benefits (which have been ended in many states already) aren't responsible for the restaurant jobs shortage. 

Do you have a link to these studies from the future?

Arizona (6/10), Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri dropped their benefits on 6/12. 
 

Idaho, Alabama, Indiana dropped them on 6/19. 
 

The rest of the states (like TX on June 26th) will do so after. 

Edited by ChickenSandwich
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22 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

provide universal healthcare and a safety net basic income, and shut the fuck up about everything else.  

If it means a significant reduction of many of the wasteful current welfare programs, that I conversation I'm open to having.  

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We all know there is going to come a reckoning, we should eat a part of that now so our grandkids don’t have to.  But some selfish fucks won’t do that.   All that wealth you’ve built on the backs of others?  It’s going to get confiscated one way or another.  You might want to give some forward thought to it, rather than having your meaningless statue dragged down and pissed on, because you loved the status quo.  

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1 minute ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

We all know there is going to come a reckoning, we should eat a part of that now so our grandkids don’t have to.  But some selfish fucks won’t do that.   All that wealth you’ve built on the backs of others?  It’s going to get confiscated one way or another.  You might want to give some forward thought to it, rather than having your meaningless statue dragged down and pissed on, because you loved the status quo.  

True, but from a monetary standpoint, our idiotic federal strategy for the last few decades has been to never stop drinking......so we never have to get a hangover.  

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1 hour ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Is this the thread (actually, one of many) where we find excuses to blame people we disagree with to make us feel better about ourselves? Or should we actually explore the problem and then try to find solutions? Why do we cast blame on businesses that pay over twice the minimum wage for not paying a livable wage and at the same time just take it as a given that a livable wage should be so high? Maybe the cost of living in the city is a problem because people in the city who complain about the wages of these jobs (and also the people who do) don't want multifamily dwellings built in their neighborhoods? Paying people more might be the best solution to problems, but lowering the cost of living might be a better one. Maybe let's try not to get so worked up about what we think the best solution is and listen to other folks to see if there might be other aspects to the problem.

I think the first step is for certain people to acknowledge that it's a problem to begin with. There are certain people including some posters in this thread that see zero issues with the current state of affairs because they were able to find success :cough:flattiefatty:cough:. The problem is if anyone starts to suggest solutions to the issues, all the conservatives (including the poors) start screaming socialism so nothing can or will ever get done. 

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4 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

This is what the pandemic did for so many. When they got away from their jobs, they then realized how toxic it was for them mentally, emotionally and physically. They got a breath of fresh air and did not want to go back. And good for them. Remember the age old saying people would say when these workers spoke out about their pay and job environment? "If you don't like it, find another job". And that is exactly what they are doing. And now those same people are bitching that these people don't want to come back. Sure, they provide a mouth breathing reason that they are lazy and just want to collect govt benefits but it goes much deeper than that. There is a reason why this industry is facing a nationwide shortage and it's pretty easy to comprehend. It is not worth it to them to put up with everything that comes their way on a daily basis.

Sounds good, let’s see if it stands on its own. 
 

5 states have dropped the Covid bucks for 2 weeks now. Three more on the 19th and several more before the end of June. The numbers will tell the tale. Could be a rush of applicants to get the best jobs. Missouri saw a nearly a 30% drop in new unemployment claims for the first time in over six weeks the week directly after the cancellation. 

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On 6/23/2021 at 7:20 AM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I’m not buying that people are happier to make 50k at home doing nothing as opposed to making 120k working. I’m sure someone makes that choice but not the average person.

Seems extra silly for servers. Obviously not every restaurant would allow this, but I'm sure tons of smaller places would right now. Just let the servers work for tips only, no payroll. The hourly rate in most places is garbage anyway. Then they get the $50K plus whatever tips they pull in. Other than the whole fraud thing, it's a win-win for the restaurant and the workers.

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27 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

This is what the pandemic did for so many. When they got away from their jobs, they then realized how toxic it was for them mentally, emotionally and physically. They got a breath of fresh air and did not want to go back. And good for them. Remember the age old saying people would say when these workers spoke out about their pay and job environment? "If you don't like it, find another job". And that is exactly what they are doing. And now those same people are bitching that these people don't want to come back. Sure, they provide a mouth breathing reason that they are lazy and just want to collect govt benefits but it goes much deeper than that. There is a reason why this industry is facing a nationwide shortage and it's pretty easy to comprehend. It is not worth it to them to put up with everything that comes their way on a daily basis.

Sometimes, Occam's Razor is real.  "If you think a job sucks, you don't have to work there, go get another one!" is coming home to roost.  Which makes the cries of "why won't people come work brutal, low-paying jobs with no benefits?!" the peak of irony.

American workers are doing EXACTLY what the "let the market rule!" folks have been telling them to do for years.  And it's pissing them off.

23 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

We are the only developed nation that does not provide universal healthcare, right? Fucking pathetic. People from other countries can't fathom about the system we have and many did not know we had it. They assumed a country like the USA would for sure have universal healthcare. But nope. We purposely tie healthcare to the employers to force people to work shitty jobs they don't want. And can't quit because their healthcare is tied to it. It's a perfect system for the fat cats in charge. Our healthcare system is a the biggest crock of shit existing today. 

 

And so much this.  Want to talk about a factor that utterly warps/skews our labor market, and the willingness and mobility of labor?  Tying healthcare to employment is about as big a factor as you could think of.  If your school project was "find something to tie to the labor market that will drastically change how it functions," and you picked "healthcare," you'd get an A+.  Between its effects on mobility, or the ability to leave a job, or the ability to take a job you might otherwise prefer, but it doesn't offer healthcare and your current nightmare job does, it's a huge anchor on labor as a segment of a supposedly free market.

There are a lot of really obvious answers that have been staring us in the face for years: some jobs are shitty and don't pay enough, and healthcare/lack of healthcare utterly warps the labor market.  And when an economy goes through a "re-set," those issues really show themselves.

Sure, in the current labor market, there are lots of factors with influence, but so many people are desperately looking for some short-term boogeyman to blame when the truth is staring us in the face: these are systemic issues, come home to roost.

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Look, back in the day we had chronic shortages of agricultural workers. That was the service sector of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. So -- first we mechanized most farm work and then we started importing and exploiting Mexicans and Central Americans to take care of what few jobs were left over and the problem was fixed.

But there was an interim phase, at least in Texas and the South. That would be convict leasing. Maybe we should bring it back to the service industry economy so you owner types can have your cheap labor -- what do they get, pennies every hour? On the other hand, you would have to feed, house and clothe them, too, and I am sure you will all be more than willing to provide them with nutritious meals, durable and comfortable clothing, and comfortable and sanitary house in exchange for very cheap, mostly compliant labor. You will definitely have the upper hand -- if they dare complain or attempt to organize it's back to the old pokey for you, you little would-be Cesar Chavez.

In my view this would kill several birds with one stone. Once this program expands to fit its natural niche -- not just in the service sector, but also a return to filling jobs in the cotton and watermelon and strawberry fields of yore; and the citrus orchards of Florida, California and Texas; and hell, we never gave convict leasing a chance in the oil patch, so let's institute it there too. And wanna know why there's not a domestic sugar industry anymore? Because those jobs suck and nobody wants to do them, but remove the incentive of free will and once again there will be cane on the Brazos! I get enchubbened thinking about it and I am sure you do too!

But I am getting ahead of myself....Back in the restaurant world, the convicts will learn discipline and a trade of sorts and the more obedient yet menacing of them could be entrusted with opportunities to become drivers and overseers and entrusted with whips, the better to keep the more recalcitrant among them in line. Did I say drivers and overseers? Oh, I meant "managers." Sometimes I get carried away, dreaming this seemingly impossible dream.

As a side benefit these convict laborers will no doubt return to creating the amazing, soulful folk music that is the bedrock of American rock and roll and jazz. These melodies were once known as field hollers, but I guess now they will re-emerge as kitchen hollers. 

There are some kinks. Because real estate has become quite dear, you will have to find a way to transport these fry cooks and dishwashers from their quarters to their worksites, but again, think of the payoff on paycheck day, when you get to sign a paycheck for 80 hours of labor (overtime will be at your discretion) for around $5.60. NOW are you enchubbened? I thought so!

 

 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Look, back in the day we had chronic shortages of agricultural workers. That was the service sector of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. So -- first we mechanized most farm work and then we started importing and exploiting Mexicans and Central Americans to take care of what few jobs were left over and the problem was fixed.

But there was an interim phase, at least in Texas and the South. That would be convict leasing. Maybe we should bring it back to the service industry economy so you owner types can have your cheap labor -- what do they get, pennies every hour? On the other hand, you would have to feed, house and clothe them, too, and I am sure you will all be more than willing to provide them with nutritious meals, durable and comfortable clothing, and comfortable and sanitary house in exchange for very cheap, mostly compliant labor. You will definitely have the upper hand -- if they dare complain or attempt to organize it's back to the old pokey for you, you little would-be Cesar Chavez.

In my view this would kill several birds with one stone. Once this program expands to fit its natural niche -- not just in the service sector, but also a return to filling jobs in the cotton and watermelon and strawberry fields of yore; and the citrus orchards of Florida, California and Texas; and hell, we never gave convict leasing a chance in the oil patch, so let's institute it there too. And wanna know why there's not a domestic sugar industry anymore? Because those jobs suck and nobody wants to do them, but remove the incentive of free will and once again there will be cane on the Brazos! I get enchubbened thinking about it and I am sure you do too!

But I am getting ahead of myself....Back in the restaurant world, the convicts will learn discipline and a trade of sorts and the more obedient yet menacing of them could be entrusted with opportunities to become drivers and overseers and entrusted with whips, the better to keep the more recalcitrant among them in line. Did I say drivers and overseers? Oh, I meant "managers." Sometimes I get carried away, dreaming this seemingly impossible dream.

As a side benefit these convict laborers will no doubt return to creating the amazing, soulful folk music that is the bedrock of American rock and roll and jazz. These melodies were once known as field hollers, but I guess now they will re-emerge as kitchen hollers. 

There are some kinks. Because real estate has become quite dear, you will have to find a way to transport these fry cooks and dishwashers from their quarters to their worksites, but again, think of the payoff on paycheck day, when you get to sign a paycheck for 80 hours of labor (overtime will be at your discretion) for around $5.60. NOW are you enchubbened? I thought so!

 

 

 

 

It does occur to me that since you would be paying the states, or possibly one day, if all goes according to plan, the federal government for this convict labor, it might be confused with socialism. I do believe that your bank account will persuade you otherwise. 

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38 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Look, back in the day we had chronic shortages of agricultural workers. That was the service sector of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. So -- first we mechanized most farm work and then we started importing and exploiting Mexicans and Central Americans to take care of what few jobs were left over and the problem was fixed.

But there was an interim phase, at least in Texas and the South. That would be convict leasing. Maybe we should bring it back to the service industry economy so you owner types can have your cheap labor -- what do they get, pennies every hour? On the other hand, you would have to feed, house and clothe them, too, and I am sure you will all be more than willing to provide them with nutritious meals, durable and comfortable clothing, and comfortable and sanitary house in exchange for very cheap, mostly compliant labor. You will definitely have the upper hand -- if they dare complain or attempt to organize it's back to the old pokey for you, you little would-be Cesar Chavez.

In my view this would kill several birds with one stone. Once this program expands to fit its natural niche -- not just in the service sector, but also a return to filling jobs in the cotton and watermelon and strawberry fields of yore; and the citrus orchards of Florida, California and Texas; and hell, we never gave convict leasing a chance in the oil patch, so let's institute it there too. And wanna know why there's not a domestic sugar industry anymore? Because those jobs suck and nobody wants to do them, but remove the incentive of free will and once again there will be cane on the Brazos! I get enchubbened thinking about it and I am sure you do too!

But I am getting ahead of myself....Back in the restaurant world, the convicts will learn discipline and a trade of sorts and the more obedient yet menacing of them could be entrusted with opportunities to become drivers and overseers and entrusted with whips, the better to keep the more recalcitrant among them in line. Did I say drivers and overseers? Oh, I meant "managers." Sometimes I get carried away, dreaming this seemingly impossible dream.

As a side benefit these convict laborers will no doubt return to creating the amazing, soulful folk music that is the bedrock of American rock and roll and jazz. These melodies were once known as field hollers, but I guess now they will re-emerge as kitchen hollers. 

There are some kinks. Because real estate has become quite dear, you will have to find a way to transport these fry cooks and dishwashers from their quarters to their worksites, but again, think of the payoff on paycheck day, when you get to sign a paycheck for 80 hours of labor (overtime will be at your discretion) for around $5.60. NOW are you enchubbened? I thought so!

 

 

 

 

1 -- the idea of the cast of "Orange is the New Black" being your chipper waitresses at Applebee's is AWESOME, and I am 100% on board.

2 -- on of my dad's (a border kid) first jobs was driving a shuttle van for Braceros.  He picked them up at the bridge super-early, drove them to the fields on nearby S. Texas farms, then did the same thing at the end of the day in reverse.  Good gig.  See, we'd be creating employment!

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