just a wage rant.

[SFRT]

I have had a few..started out doing designs for tshirts and posters for music venues, then eventually set up a a press, then a shop, then it sort of morphed into a flatprinting silkscreen shop, which then sort of grew into a design and printing shop..then I started releasing vinyl singles for obscure bands and printed the covers then that grew into a full on record label and print biz and design biz...then I started designing toys and stuff and sold off the print and label end to concentrate on just design and now I am manufacturing (again)and designing 'art toys' and clothing and stuff. I also have a small fabrication shop ( sort of a side business) where I make 'museum grade'  1/6th-1/15th scale 1 of a kind vehicles ( mostly ww1 and ww2 armor and some sci-fi stuff) for rich guys who collect that sort of thing.

at one point I had like 20 full time employees,and was 'completely vertically integrated-design,manufacture, wharehouseing, sales and distro) but that got to be a real hassle so a few years ago I decided to 'semi-retire' and now its basically just me and 1 part time person and all the other stuff gets farmed out to larger toy companies and ditributors. So my 'volume' is really large, but I dont deal with it anymore.

[C_stripes]

OK. A few things,
1. Thanks for the advice.
2. I have been asking for a raise about every week.
3. I was NOT blaming the government. I was saying that they should step in and help. If our wages keep going down and the cost of everything keeps going up. Then even people like PONCH will go broke.  So try not to read things that are not there.    But I do agree that they need to watch why they decide the need more money and decide to tax us so that they can get a new car.

Also.  At work today, They fired 5 people.  No notice.  Nice of them huh?   

[Brock Samson]

' know how they say "a picture is worth a thousand words"?..

[nh_mopar_fan]

This sure touched a nerve in me... 
First thing is, I hate it when folks come up with a one line solution, Like "get an education", that blows,.. 
Do you know how many PhD are compeating for the same B.S. jobs?.. Today due to Affermitive Action Quotas "Young Women Of Color" and Job Applicants with friends in High Places, have the upper hand in the job market, make no mistake.
I live in one of the most competitive job/real estate markets in the world, and have seen first hand the effects of N.A.F.T.A. And the last few administration's handing the balance of power to the Major Corporations,.. they are WORLD based and not just U.S.Corporations anymore and so as the repercussions of this shift have resonated throughout the GLOBAL economy,.. we all will feel the effects. I sure did when in one year (2005) after 27 years as a loyal employee, my Cost Of Living jumped nearly 20% yet my pay was cut 12%, and my vacation was cut by a week, and i lost 4 sick days, and two holidays, and had to pay much more for my health benefits, and lost two co-workers meaning I had to pick up the slack and my union which had fought many decades for the previous gains?.. sold out my job classification to ensure the higher classification's stability, if only for the short term. So don't think that unions are the answer either... cause they'll throw you to the dogs when push comes to shove...
We are living in a time and location of lowerd expectations, the sooner we adjust by whatever means, the better we'll cope. I know unions are weak and corporations are strong and I'll have to find my own solution/s with God's help.
rant off.

Yeah, whatever. The simple and indisputable fact is that for the overwhelming majority of people an education means high income, higher standard of living and a better life. So yeah, maybe "get an education" is overly simplistic. But, it's also damn good and proven advice.

[dkn1997]

I have been a laborer, top level skilled technician, and manager.  I have sort of seen both ends of the general work food chain.  more the lower than the upper, though.  Here are a few things that I have learned, sir, that I will pass on to you and maybe it will help:

1. Nobody helps you but you. Don't count on the gov't, union (don't get me started on that one), or your boss/company to do it for you.

2. It's not even worth the time getting mad at the company or the boss for not paying you what you consider to be enough.  Let your actions speak for you and get another job lined up.  Then go in and let them know, politely, that while you like working here, you cannot continue to do so at the curent wage.  If they say no, then give the 2 weeks notice and work the full 2 weeks unless they tell you not to. 

3. Don't burn your bridges.  You never know when you may have to ask for your old job back because the new one sucks worse (I am going through this now, but my old employer was very happy to have me back partly. because I showed my integrity by busting my ass up until the moment my 2 week notice period ended)

All of this works very well if you do the things that nobody else generally will today:  Don't complain, show up every day, work as hard as you can and do what you are told and ask questions when you don't know something. 

If you combine extremely hard work, a polite manner, and balls enough to pick up and leave if you feel yourself hating your job or salary, then you will go very far.  The balls part is very effective if you put yourself in a position where they are screwed if you leave because they know they cannot get anyone else who works like you do and who they can count on. 

I am not the smartest guy by any stretch of the imagination, but everywhere I ever worked, I always worked the hardest and went to some pretty nutty lengths to get jobs done.  It has served me pretty well and I can honestly say that I would be welcome back at any employer that I have worked for in the last 20 years.  That's no joke.

The big ugly secret in the work world today is that employers are dying for people who show up every day and don't bitch and moan constantly.  That's all you need to do, you don't even have to be particularly good at what you do.  When you are reliable, you totally seperate yourself from the rest of generation "x box" whose only goal in life is to sit on mommy's couch and conquer guitar hero. 

[hemihead]

Funny how all the white collar people people hate the Unions but you NEVER hear anything about breaking up Unions like the Actor's Guild , Teachers Unions or ( Lord Forbid ) the NFL , MLB , NBA , or NHL PLAYERS UNIONS . People complain about some guy who makes $20 / hr. doing an honest days work on an assembly line but think nothing of a half educated athlete making $10 MILLION a year playing a stupid kids game . In fact , most people worship them .
And why is it when any mention of taking money from the rich , the rich right away cry communism and want less government interference ? Then , when the Banking and Real Estate markets take a dump , they want the Government to help . What about the interference that the Government ran when they sued the Tobacco companies ? I am not one for much Government control of any kind but is it asking to much for a little justice ? Wasn't anyone raised with any morality or compassion ?

[69CoronetRT]

I have been a laborer, top level skilled technician, and manager.  I have sort of seen both ends of the general work food chain.  more the lower than the upper, though.  Here are a few things that I have learned, sir, that I will pass on to you and maybe it will help:

1. Nobody helps you but you. Don't count on the gov't, union (don't get me started on that one), or your boss/company to do it for you.

2. It's not even worth the time getting mad at the company or the boss for not paying you what you consider to be enough.  Let your actions speak for you and get another job lined up.  Then go in and let them know, politely, that while you like working here, you cannot continue to do so at the curent wage.  If they say no, then give the 2 weeks notice and work the full 2 weeks unless they tell you not to. 

3. Don't burn your bridges.  You never know when you may have to ask for your old job back because the new one sucks worse (I am going through this now, but my old employer was very happy to have me back partly. because I showed my integrity by busting my ass up until the moment my 2 week notice period ended)

All of this works very well if you do the things that nobody else generally will today:  Don't complain, show up every day, work as hard as you can and do what you are told and ask questions when you don't know something. 

If you combine extremely hard work, a polite manner, and balls enough to pick up and leave if you feel yourself hating your job or salary, then you will go very far.  The balls part is very effective if you put yourself in a position where they are screwed if you leave because they know they cannot get anyone else who works like you do and who they can count on. 

I am not the smartest guy by any stretch of the imagination, but everywhere I ever worked, I always worked the hardest and went to some pretty nutty lengths to get jobs done.  It has served me pretty well and I can honestly say that I would be welcome back at any employer that I have worked for in the last 20 years.  That's no joke.

The big ugly secret in the work world today is that employers are dying for people who show up every day and don't bitch and moan constantly.  That's all you need to do, you don't even have to be particularly good at what you do.  When you are reliable, you totally seperate yourself from the rest of generation "x box" whose only goal in life is to sit on mommy's couch and conquer guitar hero. 

      

Great post!

[SFRT]

I have some deeply ingrained habits that have served me well over the years:

1. NEVER use credit. It's a trap and kills future potential

2. Multiple income sources. Even when I had 'regular jobs' I always had 2 or 1 and some sort of side gig to make extra cash.

3. Avoid complexity.

4. Get up earlier than everyone else. Get there sooner than everyone else.

5.The Government...I leave it alone, it leaves me alone. They just want money, so I have always been super uptight about taking care of the paperwork and the taxes, while using every possible legal loophole to pay the minimum. Never been audited in 20 plus years of doing corporate and individual filings. Correct paperwork.prompt payment.

6. Not afraid to fail. You win some, you lose some. Learn from the failures, then forget them emotionally.

my dumb

[nh_mopar_fan]

I have been a laborer, top level skilled technician, and manager.  I have sort of seen both ends of the general work food chain.  more the lower than the upper, though.  Here are a few things that I have learned, sir, that I will pass on to you and maybe it will help:

1. Nobody helps you but you. Don't count on the gov't, union (don't get me started on that one), or your boss/company to do it for you.

2. It's not even worth the time getting mad at the company or the boss for not paying you what you consider to be enough.  Let your actions speak for you and get another job lined up.  Then go in and let them know, politely, that while you like working here, you cannot continue to do so at the curent wage.  If they say no, then give the 2 weeks notice and work the full 2 weeks unless they tell you not to. 

3. Don't burn your bridges.  You never know when you may have to ask for your old job back because the new one sucks worse (I am going through this now, but my old employer was very happy to have me back partly. because I showed my integrity by busting my ass up until the moment my 2 week notice period ended)

All of this works very well if you do the things that nobody else generally will today:  Don't complain, show up every day, work as hard as you can and do what you are told and ask questions when you don't know something. 

If you combine extremely hard work, a polite manner, and balls enough to pick up and leave if you feel yourself hating your job or salary, then you will go very far.  The balls part is very effective if you put yourself in a position where they are screwed if you leave because they know they cannot get anyone else who works like you do and who they can count on. 

I am not the smartest guy by any stretch of the imagination, but everywhere I ever worked, I always worked the hardest and went to some pretty nutty lengths to get jobs done.  It has served me pretty well and I can honestly say that I would be welcome back at any employer that I have worked for in the last 20 years.  That's no joke.

The big ugly secret in the work world today is that employers are dying for people who show up every day and don't bitch and moan constantly.  That's all you need to do, you don't even have to be particularly good at what you do.  When you are reliable, you totally seperate yourself from the rest of generation "x box" whose only goal in life is to sit on mommy's couch and conquer guitar hero. 

Nice! 

We now return you to the whining about how unfair the world is, already in progress.

[Brock Samson]

 relevent and well written:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/01/21/onthejob.DTL

excerpt:

"Recently, it was brought to my attention that my personality sucks. Or rather, something more aggressively tepid than sucking. At the keg party of life, my personality is a plain tortilla chip that falls behind the couch and years later is swept away by a bored landlord.

That was the good news. The bad: I needed to do the hard work of improving. This was not just so I could enjoy being less of loser. No, it was for a very specific reason — the reason that had brought me to the offices of Peggy Klaus, author of the forthcoming "The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish They'd Learned Sooner," and the workplace communications expert who'd shown me the errors of my ways. I came to Klaus because I was going to ask my editor for a raise for this column, and I wanted to learn how."

[Mike DC]

 

If you lower the poor's costs of living (instead of raising the MW) then both sides win.  The businesses don't get driven to hiring more mexicans & more outsourcing.  And the poor have a little more incentive/ability to earn their own living & better themselves. 

IMHO we should take money away from social programs for the poor and dump it into trying to cheapen the poor's basic living expenses. 
 

[hemihead]

If you lower the poor's costs of living (instead of raising the MW) then both sides win.  The businesses don't get driven to hiring more mexicans & more outsourcing.  And the poor have a little more incentive/ability to earn their own living & better themselves. 

IMHO we should take money away from social programs for the poor and dump it into trying to cheapen the poor's basic living expenses. 
 

Another plus would be that the poor could buy the businesses products keeping more people working .

[twenty mike mike]

The Gov. should make it mandatory to give us all a raise of some sort.

The government doesn't set the prices of goods and services, why should it control wages?

Sounds like Shrillary is your candidate, since she wants the government to run everything, including how you raise your children, where you live and what you eat.  Have fun in the new United Socialist States.

[hutch]

You know that income tax on personal income does not cover very much at all of the federal government.   its just a way to keep people down.  its less than 10% of the total tax income the federal government takes in.  I would have 1000's in my pocket each quarter if I did not have to pay that crap.

none of what you pay in Federal tax goes to education, roads or the military or fund food stamps.  its used to fund studies on how goats have sex or studies on the growth cycle of mice.

They just burn the money we give them.   It needs to stop.

[Mike DC]

 
It's usually not popular to say this, but IMHO the military needs as much cutting as anything else you could name. 

The DOD has already made a lot of progress in this area compared to past decades, but IMHO there's still a long way to go.  We'e got many billions of dollars in never-used hardware all over the earth, and yet our recent military activities have been short all kinds of basic necessities.   
   
 

[hutch]

 
It's usually not popular to say this, but IMHO the military needs as much cutting as anything else you could name. 

The DOD has already made a lot of progress in this area compared to past decades, but IMHO there's still a long way to go.  We'e got many billions of dollars in never-used hardware all over the earth, and yet our recent military activities have been short all kinds of basic necessities.   
   
 

Yep, I love our boys and girls in uniform as much as the next guy, but we are back to the age of the million dollar hammer like we were in the 80's.

They need to cut spending all around and give us more of our money back and then you will see the auto industry and construction industry come back big time.

[The70RT]

I agree with the one's saying it is all about getting an education. My son just graduated with a bachelor's degree in business & management a month ago and already landed a 50,000 a year job. I will never make that much....too much playing when I was young..........oh well the wife is back in school to support my bad habits 

[Mike DC]

 
The education is good with the SEVERE qualification that you get educated in something that's in real demand. 

Plenty of schools are all too happy to take your $80,000 and give you a degree in advanced d*ck scratching.

 

[TK73]

 
... and give you a degree in advanced d*ck scratching.

Where do I sign up??

[hemihead]

 
It's usually not popular to say this, but IMHO the military needs as much cutting as anything else you could name. 

The DOD has already made a lot of progress in this area compared to past decades, but IMHO there's still a long way to go.  We'e got many billions of dollars in never-used hardware all over the earth, and yet our recent military activities have been short all kinds of basic necessities.   
   
 
[/quote

Yep, I love our boys and girls in uniform as much as the next guy, but we are back to the age of the million dollar hammer like we were in the 80's.

They need to cut spending all around and give us more of our money back and then you will see the auto industry and construction industry come back big time.

Which Auto Industry , the Japanese that everyone raves about ? No thanks , they can spend what they need to to keep me safe .

I agree with the one's saying it is all about getting an education. My son just graduated with a bachelor's degree in business & management a month ago and already landed a 50,000 a year job. I will never make that much....too much playing when I was young..........oh well the wife is back in school to support my bad habits 

$ 50000 a year is good but what is his Student loan payments ?

[dkn1997]

....4. Get up earlier than everyone else. Get there sooner than everyone else.....

I forgot to add that one.  That is such a great thing to do.  Especially if you get made a supervisor.  I have worked for bosses who don't show up as early as me and I did not like it at all!!

[The70RT]

....4. Get up earlier than everyone else. Get there sooner than everyone else.....

I forgot to add that one.  That is such a great thing to do.  Especially if you get made a supervisor.  I have worked for bosses who don't show up as early as me and I did not like it at all!!

I hear ya. We have 3 on our staff other than the boss and we all get there before him.........everyday. I will be glad when he is gone so we can all fight for his job.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

Don't you realize that if the government forced an increase in salary for everyone every year, they would simply be mandating accelerated inflation?

I'd say duh, but apparently common sense doesn't apply anymore.

[hemihead]

As much common sense as it takes to lay off blue collar workers that assemble a product that makes you money and keep 1 CEO that takes $100 Million in profits and does nothing . Or for the government to bail out subprime mortage holders who borrowed money for houses they couldn't afford just to keep up with the Jones .

[Vainglory, Esq.]

Propaganda non sequitur.

Colonel Mustard called.  He said: "get a clue."