Antiwork

I have a deep disdain for wage labor as much as the next person. But I have trouble reconciling the notion that food, water, shelter, and healthcare are basic human rights that should be automatically provided, with the understanding that labor is required to accommodate those needs. In order for you to eat, someone has to grow crops and tend to livestock. The bed you sleep on won't build itself, nor will the home in which it resides. Medical professionals are needed to deliver healthcare. If everyone decided to stop working and dedicate their lives to leisure and recreational pursuits, who would fill these roles? Edit: To all the people rolling their eyes and sarcastically asking what don't I understand about this sub advocating for living wages, have you actually read the description of this subreddit in the About section? It's literally about not working: “A subreddit for those who…

I was fired for the fourth time yesterday and I can't help thinking it can't be bad luck because it's happened so many times. Here's a history: First time I got fired (technically I was let go, as I didn't pass probation): I was hired for a role that was too senior for me and I was in over my head. They could see that I was struggling and actually extended my probation period to give me more time to improve. I had relocated to a different city for this job, I was alone and I didn't have a support network, plus it was during a really cold and rainy part of the year and the weather was making me really depressed. My mental health wasn't great but I kept trying. I suppose that wasn't enough. The underlying problem is I wasn't experienced/knowledgeable enough for the role and I don't…

I am actually really fortunate that I have a good career with lots of benefits that pays well, but today I found out something that is slightly disturbing to me, and peak capitalism. I work as an equipment Salesman for Freightliner selling heavy duty trucks. Today I was discussing larger deals with my boss and the safety guy only to discover the company lowers and limits commissions on big deals. How is this anything but corporate/ownership greed? Why should a salesman be penalized for selling a fleet 100 trucks versus 20? Absolute bullshit in my opinion. Let's say I normally make 2,000 per truck in a deal. If I sell a ton of trucks in one deal they might limit it to 500 or 1,000. So effectively i might make as much money on a 25 truck deal vs a 100 truck deal just based on the lower one giving…

How the hell do I respond to that? Less than 25 cents an hour after taxes. I'm literally infuriated, I didn't do anything at work all day as I felt insulted. I'm just at a loss for words to be honest.

Covid is coming to an end, and there's chatter of returning to the office. I just can't wrap my head around this one… I love my job and what I do, but going to an office? That was the spot of misery in my life since 19 years old. And then commuting? The florescent lights? Who really wants that?

Just venting really. Had a manager try to bust my balls the other day, basically he was being lazy and wanted to be on his phone instead of opening a gate he’s supposed to open for me as a manager while I’m on the forklift. Says I “have to pay my dues”. I say I paid enough dues in this shitty job and I said “damn, your lazy dude, all you do push a cart around all day.” He goes on a rant about how he does so much more and has to clean up after everyone’s mess if we don’t finish on schedule… but the thing is I used to work the overnight in this store, so I know that he doesn’t do any of that and that the overnight was being held accountable for everything the closing shift didn’t finish. So I tell him that I know he…

Several decades ago, I worked at a company where there wasn't much difference between employees and contractors. You could work alongside someone and never knew without asking. Both groups would work on projects for decades together, until one day it all changed. Due to some lawsuits regarding nonpayment of income taxes the government got involved. All of a sudden the distinction became important. Word came down from on high that no one could be a consultant for more than five years. Which, caused some scrambling in management. How to replace these people who each had more than a decade of information specific to the system? Someone had the brilliant idea of replacing these people with themselves. For example, Vince the consultant would be replaced by Vince the employee. From management's point of view, it was a win-win. The only fly in the ointment was that the hourly rate for a…

To me it feels like calling someone exploitative and evil, and then purposefully shut their mouth so they can't defend themselves.