Amazing how the one company that was a joke in the movie Idiocracy is actually the one company saving us from a complete fascist takeover.
Costco is looking at the enormous shortfall in human labor, flipping open its Econ 101 textbook, and deciding “High demand? Low supply? Price must go up.”
That’s not “fighting fascism” just running a business intelligently. I’ve heard similar stories from HEB, from my local auto repair guy, and from a few neighboring restaurants. Businesses are struggling to keep staffed so income pressure is rising.
Their very public decision to keep DEI in addition to a long history of not exploiting their employees has led me to purchase a membership this morning. I’m okay with financually rewarding reasonable behavior.
My least favorite thing about capitalism is that if everyone did it correctly, and worked together to maximize each other’s value, it wouldn’t even be that bad. Being a middle class wage worker wouldn’t be too bad if my management cared about increasing the value they can extract from me by enriching and teaching me instead of being slave drivers
capitalism is that if everyone did it correctly, and worked together to maximize each other’s value, it wouldn’t even be that bad.
Capitalism isn’t, never was, and never could be about working together to maximize each other’s value. It has always, only was, and will only ever be about privatizing value, stamping a logo on other peoples work going “This is my work now.” All that “free, competitive market” bullcrap exists with or without capitalism, “better product is more popular” has nothing to do with capitalism except stifling better products for sake of capital aka profits, such as planned obsolescence, for-profit healthcare/prisons, buying cheap selling high, etc. You really think the people who invented the sail kept their IP private for the sake of profit? Or do they share that value with the world simply because everyone would benefit. What about metallurgy, leavened bread, beer? The polio vaccine? Some people worship the markets like a God that bears them miracles through human sacrifice, other atheists go one God further.
Nor have human beings and their endlessly diverse methods of trade and commerce in some rugged jungle somewhere need some white european/russian dude from the 1800s to tell them the complex philosophy of “sharing.”
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
The changes apply to employees at non-union locations.
Rising tide
I saw Costco raise membership fees, reduce people entering without a membership, and wondered if it was just profiteering without improving pricing. While their max profit is set to 14% which at least seems better than the price gouging under the label of inflation, I hope this is part of that improvements for society. It may not calculate out properly, but hopefully it does. For a lot of people, the 🌭 and 🍕 is also a great help too. They also stood up for DEIA and humanity, avoiding the falsehoods of fascism and scapegoating of the people systemically vulnerable and a real path to equity for all.
Unions and striking work folks
The workers didn’t need to strike. Costco is notoriously an amazing employer to work for. They have some of the lowest turnover in the industry. The CEO often gets grilled in earnings calls on things like employee costs and he always rebuts that happy employees are productive. I am very pro unions but this is one of those examples of a good employer.
Thats a bit disingenuous. The workers DID have to threaten to strike. This raise didnt just come out of the blue as a benevolent gesture.
But this is how give and take should work with employers.
I hadn’t heard that but with more research, you are correct: they had to threaten a strike. I am disappointed to hear that.
I’m not that disappointed, its the reality of the system we have. Even senior management have to protect their jobs. They resisted just enough to be able to sell to the shareholders “Did you want a strike? Did you want workers picketing? You want those optics?”
The system we have sucks, thats undeniable. But this is just the process.
Yup, exactly. C-level is beholden to shareholders, who would pay minimum wage if given the option. Management held out just long enough for the union to start threatening a strike, when then gave justification for the increase. It’s a big dog and pony show, and every person played their part to keep the shareholders placated.
C-level is beholden to shareholders, who would pay minimum wage if given the option.
They’d pay less than that. “Minimum wage” means “I’d pay you less, but I can’t because it’s illegal.” Hell, workers had to fight for weekends, they’d happily take that away and put kids back in factories if they could.
https://apnews.com/article/costco-teamsters-union-strike-ce27314fa42af3e7ffff236867ec4cff
Union organizing has ticked up but overall membership is still falling.
Costco only recently has had to deal with string of labor actions
Bro what I don’t even make that as a programmer
You’re so severely underpaid that it’s genuinely concerning. Who do you work for?
That’s the reality of having 1 year of experience in Canada. I’ll probably get a raise soon. I hope so at least
At two years experience, start job hunting. Your pay bump from leaving will be better than anything you make by staying.
My best recommendation is to look for a new job after 2 years. You will have good experience after that. You will have proven you can make it if you last two years. Other companies like that. So start looking around after 2 years. When I did, I doubled my salary.
I was planning to stay for a little bit longer, maybe 3 or 4 years. I think it adds confidence to the new employer that im just here to stay for a year and move on - it costs them money to keep hiring people so it’s kind of an assurance that I won’t immediately leave. Also I don’t have a bachelor’s degree. I have a degree that is officially recognised by the government but it’s just a step below a bachelor’s degree so I want to put all my chances on my side
I didn’t have a degree either. Many companies are hurting for programmers. If they can pay one for even a year before they move on, they get good value from that. Almost everyone in the IT industry says you should job hop every two years until you settle down.
Besides, you can look for a new job while on your current job. You don’t need to guess and hope that someone will hire you at a better wage. You can just go see. And keep your current job while you’re at it.
That’s true, at least now I’m not desperate, so I can be a lot more picky. I’ve gotten good comments from coworkers at my job so I’m confident I will be able to find something when I’m ready. Still looking at 3-4 years I think it will be more credible especially in the currentl economy where businesses tend to be more conservative with hiring and finances
My employer considers canada a form of off shoring.
I made scraps for a couple years when I first started in the industry but landed a pretty sweet job on a whim. I say keep an eye out and be sure to have a decent portfolio (though admittedly mine was nowhere near perfect)!
I’m not worried haha, I’ve just this month completed my first year of experience at the company I work at. But I have to say I’m so envious of US salaries
They can start that low as well (or not that higher). The only advice for you is to not trust any promises of raises in your current company. It is always easier to get a higher raise by jumping ship.
What? Why?
He’s gotta be either entry level or part time… Or getting really ripped off
Credible strike threat gets the goods
