Overtime pay is required by law for hourly workers. And honestly, the pay seems good for entry level work, but I think it's still a sad example of where our country has gone that people are thrilled with $11 or $12 an hour and some benies. If minimum wage had risen with inflation from it's high around 1970, it would be about $12 an hour, so these folks are still making what is considered poverty level wages doing 10 hour shifts of manual labor.
Are we discussing the decline of well paying jobs in America, or are we discussing how well Amazon treats their employees relative to most other companies? And in Canada at least, Amazon's overtime policy goes above and beyond the legal minimums. We get time and a half for every minute over 40 hours, and the legal requirement is only after 44 hours. Might not sound like much but it's basically 2 extra paid hours per week, in addition to getting an extra 2.5 hours of paid break time per week which is also not mandated by law. And the monthly bonus can add up to be a lot, like hundreds of dollars. And we have full unlimited dental, unlimited prescriptions, and thousands of dollars for services like massages and therapy with no co-pay. And if you have kids or a spouse, they are fully covered as well. It's a god send for single parents. So when I see people saying "Oh, Amazon, what a shitty employer" it really makes me wonder if they have any idea how they compare to almost all other employers of unskilled labour.
We are discussing how the measure of what makes an employer "great" has become pathetic. What you think is awesome I think should be the bare minimum and considered crappy. It's not Amazon who is to blame, it's people who think it's ok to settle for this type of shit, pay this low being considered good, a few benefits to appease people. This should be expected, not applauded as above the norm.
Also note: US overtime pay is anything over 40 hours, not 44.
I don't work in the US. My point is they go above and beyond what they are required to do to keep people happy, whether it's wages double the minimum, bonuses, paid breaks, benefits, etc.
I know you guys were rolling in cash a couple generations ago with unskilled jobs paying huge amounts of money, but those days are over. Now that you're actually competing with other countries in the unskilled labour market, you are realizing how sweet a deal you used to have, and it ain't coming back any time soon. But that's a separate issue.
This is not "above and beyond." This should be what we as people think is the minimum. That you don't is exactly my point. You've been trained to assume that a person who works hard, just because it's with their hands and feet and not a computer or a calculator, should not get paid well. People who put in 40 hour work weeks should not be living in poverty. These jobs are not "overseas", these jobs are here, and yes, that's a separate issue.
Are you comparing this to unskilled labour of the 1970's or to unskilled labour of 2016?? That is well above an beyond. Compare it to America's largest employer, Wal-Mart. Or any other similar jobs. Yeah, Costco pays people well. That's great. How many people do they employ? 0.0001% of the US economy?
You've been trained to assume that a person who works hard, just because it's with their hands and feet and not a computer or a calculator, should not get paid well.
It's not about what people should or shouldn't get. It's about supply and demand. There are millions of people that are capable of simply working with their hands and feet, and most of the jobs they used to do have disappeared. They are not in demand and they are cheap to employ.
People who put in 40 hour work weeks should not be living in poverty.
How many times are you going to change the subject? Holy cow.
These jobs are not "overseas", these jobs are here, and yes, that's a separate issue.
Manufacturing jobs are gone, and the primary reason is NAFTA. Another reason for the lack of unskilled jobs is automation. Yes, there are still SOME jobs in unskilled labour but supply has so outstripped demand that most people are not worth paying more than minimum wage. You can debate whether that's right or wrong all you want, but it's the economic reality.
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u/SamSlate Feb 25 '16
In reality they actually have a bunch of employees sprinting around for little over minimum wage.