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[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 49 points 3 days ago

I want Amazon fulfillment center workers to be paid a living wage, but calling some of those jobs “skilled” is stretch.

[-] noxy@yiffit.net 4 points 2 days ago

Don't blame the worker for results of working conditions they didn't create.

Amazon is known for micromanaging every aspect of warehouse work, do you really think Amazon lets workers take the time and initiative to select which type of box a thing gets put into? Hell no, all the company cares about is getting shit shipped as fast as possible.

This is a symptom of Amazon's management, not the fault of any one worker.

[-] Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago

The phrase has lost all meaning. People just assume its a personal attack now cause I guess American egos are in decline or something.

Waxing moon or some shit.

[-] Zanz@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Fry Cooks have to take classes on food safety. They are skilled labor. I'm not sure about the Amazon box guy but maybe both should have the trade union you need to be "skilled labor" in the actual sense of it.

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[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Real question: is box packing at an Amazon fulfillment center considered "skilled" labor? If so, so is flipping burgers, I would assume. In which case, what exactly is unskilled labor? I thought it was basically any job you can get/do without any degrees, formal prior training, and/or certifications.

As far as I can tell, this is two eminently replaceable, definitionally unskilled laborers hating each other over who is getting fucked over harder.

[-] gearheart@lemm.ee 12 points 3 days ago

I've said it before .. and I'll say it again.

I rather a dude handling my food get paid better than someone touching cardboard.

No balls on my food is preferred over no balls on my Amazon packages.

But really fudge all that. Eat the rich!

[-] Entropywins@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago

My guy if you can learn the job first day off the street it is unskilled labor

[-] Evolith@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Stephen King taught me that cracking eggs is skilled labor for homeless alcoholic vampire-slaying priests

[-] DillyDaily@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Which is why the very idea of "unskilled labour" is ableist.

I had to work with an occupational therapist for 2 weeks to learn how to wash my dishes at home without having injuries or breaking my dishes. I could not have walked into a job as a fry cook just because it's entry level and "unskilled". I'd need to learn some skills first.

There's no such thing as unskilled labour for me personally, because any labour requires skill when your body or mind is disabled.

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[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 29 points 3 days ago

TIL putting stuff in boxes is skilled labor but flipping burgers isn't.

/Eyeroll

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 139 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Lmao

Packs boxes at Amazon; believes he is skilled labor and fast food workers aren't.

Buddy, you're closer to being replaced by a machine than the burger flipper.

[-] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 44 points 4 days ago

Them believing that they are skilled labor tells you all about the value of their opinion.

[-] dragonfucker@lemmy.nz 31 points 4 days ago

Flipping burgers and packing boxes are both skilled labour. There's no such thing as unskilled labour.

[-] andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 days ago

One can imagine just walking in blind and getting an order to do X of something right now without any guidance.

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Aircraft engineers and mechanics used to be considered unskilled labor until the 1950s. They were only "reclassified" during the Cold War because there weren't enough people going into the profession to keep up with the demand.

[-] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

My tech who knows how to take and read basic vital signs, flip granny like a pancake and wash her genitals without giving her an infection, walk her to the bathroom without yanking her IV out or cracking her head on the floor, the basic legal aspects of a psych admission, and the basics of psychosis, mania, etc well enough to briefly counsel a patient on their symptoms and which ones are important enough to notify me about-

-makes 16 an hour. Not that the warehouse worker doesn't deserve a living wage, but to call that skilled labor, and especially more skilled labor than food service is frankly delusional.

Even my partner who does work in food service knows more than the warehouse worker because he knows the biology and chemistry of food safety and sanitation, prevention of allergen cross contamination, knife / sharps safety, and fire and fire extinguisher classifications and how to put out a grease fire-

-and that was before he got a job in the hospital kitchen where he also learned about specialized medical diets including food and drink thicknesses and consistencies, sodium and carb restrictions, and even safety trays for violent and suicidal patients.

What's in that warehouse training? How to lift with your knees instead of your back and rotating stock? Storage temperatures? Because food service does all that too. The only thing they might know more about than a food service worker is how to use a forklift, and that's only if their employer thought they were intelligent and level headed enough to bother training on one, and this post does not evidence those qualities.

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[-] Stern@lemmy.world 66 points 4 days ago

lol packing boxes at Amazon being skilled labor in comparison to the burger dudes. Like, my dude, you're about half a step above the dude putting a burger together then packing a bag with it, and I'm being generous.

[-] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 22 points 3 days ago

Packing a box seems easier than operating the machines at mcdos. Timing the operation, consistency, time pressure, angry clients, ...

[-] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 31 points 4 days ago

You need a permit to handle food.

[-] TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Was literally going to say... there's more regulations/certifications in food prep, both for the business itself and the workers, than a lot of other jobs.

[-] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 8 points 3 days ago

And like. We've all ordered from amazon. We know how they pack boxes. There's no skill involved there.

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[-] AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Yes putting shit in a box truly requires specialized skills you dumbass twat waffle.

Learn to fucking stand with your follow workers.

[-] WaxedWookie@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

I sit at a desk at home, send emails, and make calls and get paid comparatively handsomely - these people have to stand over searing hot griddles, deep friers, and industrial equipment, risking serious injury at any moment for (close to) minimum wage. Doesn't seem right to me.

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[-] caboose2006@lemmy.ca 62 points 4 days ago

I think we're all missing the point here, and this is how they divide us. (By they I mean monied interests). Back in the 60s you could get a job air hammering in the same 8 bolts all day that would provide you a house, car, and your spouse doesn't work and you have 2 kids and go on vacation twice a year and the company takes care of your retirement. Both of these jobs (in ops post) require the same or more skill to do and you can't even afford to rent a studio apartment on your own. We need to stop looking at other "unskilled" labor and saying "they better not make a much as me" and start asking "hold on, why can't we both make more?" Rising tides lift all ships. The only people that suffer are the multi millionaires.

This isnt radical. If you work full time you should be able to afford what your parents and grandparents had in the 60s working full time.

[-] andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 25 points 4 days ago

Honest labor is honest labor, whatever it's moping the floor or engineering new bridges and rockets. We need each other. And we all want to have a sufficient amount of these funny play-money papers once we clock out for today, or, rather, not feeling limited by the lack of them up to the point of starvation.

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[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 47 points 4 days ago

Crab ass mentality. You should be asking why you get paid so little not keeping everyone else down

And the fast food shit is probably about as skilled as packing Amazon boxes the fuck you on about

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[-] sunbunman@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago
[-] Poxlox@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago

Stratification Economics- that's the term for it. It's such a bizarre and fucked up thing that humans would rather make sure their relative status is better to another group rather than objectively imroved overall.

[-] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 47 points 4 days ago

Working at McDonald's fucking sucks. They deserve far more in hazard pay.

[-] NavySqueal@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

Those bathrooms are proof those employees don't receive the hazard pay they should to clean those things. Mcdonalds.

[-] ApexHunter@lemmy.ml 35 points 4 days ago

I hate to break it to that guy but packing boxes isn't skilled labor either.

All labour is skilled labour. If you have to be trained how to do something it’s a skill.

You think packing boxes is just putting things in boxes but I’m sure there is more to it, particularly when working for dystopian Amazon where they’re very strict with KPIs.

People called it unskilled labour as a means to pay people less.

[-] letsgo@lemm.ee 11 points 4 days ago

Given the size of the boxes my Amazon stuff comes in you'd have to be extremely challenged not to be able to get that stuff in there. They're not exactly solving the Knapsack Packing Problem multiple times a day.

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All labour is skilled labour. If you have to be trained how to do something it’s a skill.

semantically sure, but im pretty sure the implication is that it's a heavily skill based field, something that you can't just show up and start doing. As the term skilled labor would imply.

Would you consider someone who just learned chess to be a "skilled player" or would you consider someone who has quite the substantial knowledge of chess, and the ability to play very competently a "skilled player"

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[-] TrueStoryBob@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

"Why aren't the rich people being allowed to hurt other workers more than me? What do you mean those other workers are standing up for themselves? I am very mad about this!"

[-] Illuminostro@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

"Everything is going as planned. The propaganda will continue. Capitalism. 'Murica."

[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 26 points 4 days ago

All Labor is skilled Labor.

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 9 points 4 days ago

No. "Skilled labour" means that you're hiring someone because of a skill or training they already have.

A carpenter is skilled labour because you expect a carpenter to already be able to work with wood. Your not going to train them from scratch on the job. They'll already have served as an apprentice or been trained in some other way.

A fork lift driver would need to have a license before you hired them. Skilled labour.

Somebody packing boxes or flipping burger is "unskilled labour". On day 1 you'll be taught the job. There will be no prerequisite skills needed. It doesn't mean "there's no skill in this job", just that "there is no requirement to have a skill to apply this job".

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[-] ogmios@sh.itjust.works 28 points 4 days ago

If this troll were any more obvious he'd be hiding under bridges eating children.

[-] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 4 days ago

Yeah, the "skilled labor" is when the script slipped.

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[-] Marleyinoc@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

Either way it's Labor and the profit should be shared with the person doing the work. Sure it took Capital and risk to set the whole thing up, there's costs involved with running the warehouse, etc. So I'd course it's not split. But the dildo at the top shouldn't be taking the Lion's share.

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[-] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The difference in pay is easier to understand if we keep the time increments the same:

Dude: $16/hr

Bezos: $9,000,000/hr

Bezos makes 562,500 times as much.

Edit: added a missing zero

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this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024
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