I got a job.
Yep, I’m way excited, too. Or was. For about a day. I mean, it’s great that I’m going to get a paycheck, hypothetically, in a few weeks. I’m enjoying using my head for something other than remembering when to change out my virtual crops. And I’m going to keep doing it. This particular part of the 47% is trying to learn me some personal responsibility so all the condescending politicians will care about me. But here’s the thing about all those businesses that are hiring cuz we’re totally giving them incentive by not taxing them fairly: they do not have to care about the employees because we are expendable.
While I’m on the side that agrees that the job market has picked up, I know that it hasn’t picked up so much that there aren’t 100 resumes for every job opening. And I agree that the economy is hurting everyone, including businesses. However, this should not mean that employees should be routinely denied fair pay, fair hours, benefits and other basic considerations. I know too many professionals reduced to making minimum wage for jobs that once paid upwards of $30,000. This is particularly true of the IT field. Those poor bastards are biblically legend among the unemployed. Turns out computer jobs are not that damn secure, Mom. Hello, retraining. Now you’re just socially awkward.
In Orlando, there’s a debate over paid days off for the sick. You really want to make life difficult for a trained employee that typically does their job? Make sure that if their kid gets ill, it’s a choice between leaving the child alone and being able to afford feeding him. Studies, both formal and in, show happy employees are willing to make less and stay loyal. Thus, a company saves money in the long run. No searching for new, training, HR hours…
Now all this is just some entitlement-happy bitching. I mean, I have a job. Suck it up. And to a point, sure. I have one with which I will attempt to support my family of 6 so my husband can spend the last months of his mother’s life with her. This is more than so many others have. I don’t have to work as a ditch digger or in intemperate, hostile environs. I’m lucky this way. Educated and experienced, even, but still, lucky. Is it unreasonable of me to ask that I get paid for the job I applied for and that was advertised at 20,000 more than I was offered? For the same job, line by line as on the ad, different title? Apparently so. My job was reposted on ziprecruiter.com just this morning in case I had any suspicions that I was valuable. I do not know if I have benefits. I rarely see my kids, who thus far, do not know if they are going to have benefits.
I’m going to wake up again early tomorrow, and keep on doing that until they forcefully remove me from the payrolls. Desperate employees have no choices and we’re all desperate, anymore.