Comments by "Helmuth Schultes" (@helmuthschultes9243) on "Overrated?? America Compared: Why Other Countries Treat Their People So Much Better" video.
-
2
-
Actually another issue to raise beyond wages are the frequent invalid cost comparison errors.
For US people the displayed cost is NOT final price, with addon costs taxes, even tips added at paying. I have infact never experienced, other than in USA, paying other than displayed price, and never expected/demanded to provide tips, because the workers otherwise do not have any or only minimal/insufficient income
In most of the world the price displayed is the price you pay, and ALL that you need to pay. Of course you are free to leave a tip, or not take the loose/small change from a transaction. Onthe otherhand also may have attempt to tip or leave the change money strongly rejected.
Many co.parisons are made on costs of foods, meals, fuel, and other typical goods.
The US pricing without including the additional charges issued ingrained, the comparison is against displayed/menu pricing. Sadly incorrectly as the US price can be significantly higher in actual paid amount. Take a restaurant meal, say a nice steak, chips and salad meal,say US$15, that then is lifted by taxes, and even automatic tip of 10% or more to become over $20. The local cost at say hotel bistro may be displayed at local $18.50. That is final price nothing added no expected tip.
US supermarket shelf goods prices may seem lower,but often the difference is again taxes added,or simply the fact that local wages are on average far higher in the first place. Or goods available are all imported not local grown or manufactured, or taxed/duty charged.
On the whole fair comparison must also consider local cost of living and these differences due to addon costs.
I do understand that in the US, there are large differences in state taxes, and even local city taxes if Iam not mistaken, that mean final prices are different by states and regions. However that does not prevent actual final price being displayed. Soin deciding whether to buy or not you can easily judge do you have enough money to pay. Nothing worse than having all cash on hand seem enough, getting to the register to pay and find you are in fact short and can not pay.
Plus that many people are payed unrealistic wages, forced into working multiple jobs, long hours make ends meet. You as buyer either gain low costs, by treating others as effective slaves, to keep your costs lower, or are expected/forced to. give tips.
1
-
In Australia, those 20 days ( summer typically) holidays also get a 17.5% loading added to the normal salary so you actually go on holiday with boosted income.,
For weekends and holidays where you may depending on job be required or willing to work must be payed loading to 1.5 times (Sat) or 2 times (Sun, public holiday) normal wages. Also if working beyond 8 hr day, overtime or unusual hours(night shift for example), must be payed a loading,typically again 1.5x or 2x, with agreed variations, though by various works agreements, that are governed by enforced rules and registered, some alternative arrangements including time off in lieu may be used. Many people even seek such extra paid time.
Hours alone do not show all the extras.
1
-
1
-
Certainly there are bad examples in other countries. It is almost (?) hard to come to terms that communist China has ompanies, potential employers charging to accept job applications.
To get a job whether assembly worker, technical, trades, engineer, administration,you pay often significant amounts to equivalent of hundreds of dollars, to apply for even advertised vacancies.
So bad that companies have been caught advertising job vacancies where none actually exist, just to collect the lodging fees from "suckers" trying for the jobs. Profit for business and thus CCP offices, given most businesses in one way or another are CCP run or significantly connected to and funding CCP connected pro people.
Imagine a new graduated engineer seeking the first job, borrowing from parents to tune of thousands of dollars, to submit dozens of applications, keeping in mind that a few positions may have thousands of applicants for these few actual jobs. With population of billions there are huge numbers seeking first jobs or seeking better jobs of job locations each and every year. Some if those may even be these cheating non existing jobs. The huge income created for a company to get thousands, even tens of thousands application fees, of possibly hundreds of dollars value
1
-
1
-
1
-
This McDonalds wages issue is interesting when you consider that a number of US people have criticised Australian McDonalds for not having the value deals like $1 burger. Though here you can get the deal of $2 Mac. Given the wages here are legally minimum a bit over $18 /hr full time. I do not know actual salary but that would be minimum. That is full time and would have holidays and other benefits too. However McDonalds has very many young teens and younger generation employed part time. That I presume applies in US too. And likewise both countries there are no or less benefits. Of whatvI believe from this presentation and others in US there is nothing extra on casual pay. Yet in Australia there is a legal requirement where no benefits apply like casual positions thevsalary must be loaded by 25% of the equal full time pay. Sorry to say that is all too frequently cheated on, as casuals will be offered a rate of pay claimed to be loaded to compensate, and then unknowingly the casual employee agrees to work for that rate, where in fact other full timers are on equal or in extreme more pay, and under orders to not discuss their wages with the casuals if they want to retain their pay rate. Of course if caught the business involved will be severely fined and even forced to backpay the employed people even former employees many years in arrears.
Recent years many cases of "mistaken" under pay by large organisations have been hitting the news. Companies like banks, restaurants, delivery firms, manufacturers. Ok some might self report that for last 10 years they have failed to fully pay overtime, work on weekends and public holidays, night shift on call jobs (pay penalty rates up to 50% and 100% apply) .
I am convinced that US can offer these super special $1 deals because their labour cost is minimal, while here the same super low pricing is not possible due to wages level. So absence of such can not be validly criticised. Base cost is just limiting, but if wage levels compare then our special deal is generally far better, as for minimum payed persons they can still better afford our higher prices than the minimum payed US worker.
1
-
1
-
1
-
1
-
@jodie01 I did NOT say six offered eonly parental leave, but six do offer extra leave for caring for sick children, on top of the normal personal ( old times "sick") leave, So personal leave is not used up because a child falls ill, rather than the worker. THEN far beyond parental leave of either, even both if working at the same company, they make possible longer absence without losing/resigning from work, or losing their position, seniority or length of service. This is far beyond legal requirerment.
Anyhow all that is implied,, we have a system with support far above that in the USA, where many are forced to quit their job, as badly paid as they are, to have a child, even on top of average cost in medical apparently around $10000 for child birth using hospital services.
By the way I am single, no children, have retired after 40 1/2 years with the one company, but also did consulting for 20 years, while in full employment in my spare time, night and weekend, and casual work since retiring 5 years ago. Have in that time clearly been lucky with companies I assisted, and by the way the people using these benefits have included office and production line workers, maintenance, plumbers, electrucians, so far from premium top level people. Can not point to retail, shop staff, but sure know some who lost nothing about job security, gladly returned to firmer position after taking long leave and not even to have a baby..
Given your job, I feel sorry for the people you support, as they miss out on better conditions else where, though likely you are right too few offer such extras. Possibly it needs companies from northern Europe, not British or US derived companies to give high support to its workers that ensure the company future success, not only current profits. (The US failing)
In my employer case, a young guy, technician, barely 30 years old, under my direct responsibility, just married two weeks, and one week before using personal leave and residual holidays, plus one week unpaid, was going on his honey.oon, suffered a stroke .meeting his wife, going to a restaurant in the city. For two weeks he had suffered pains inn in right shoulder, assessed by doctors as a pinched nerve, and advised to give up his favourite pastime of doing mmechanical work on old cars. On the fateful day, he talked to me about his most recent doctor visit the day before, and he had sought over six different doctors at that time.
He was paralysed on right side, lost speech. During over a month in hospital received full pay, not touching any of that planned leave. On return from hospital he entered rehabilitation of two days a week. Initially wheelchair bound, and only very limited in light duties using left hand. He chose to, and wanted to be working whatever he could manage as even his rehabilitation team encouraged such light activity. He got full wages for twelve months, while slowly regaining better mobility over months, and three days at work. When he became more and more effective as little by little right side response became stronger and he gained ever more mobility, he became ever more positive about his future. Speech was also slowly relearned, though for a long time very difficult, but all our team became mentors. At end of twelve months he was say 30% recovered and he worked with still limited capacity, especially in fine dexterity tasks needed by test equipment use in the electronics testing lab.
As he still did only three days a week, and he was still not fully in full capacity he agreed to 50% pay for reduced duties. Sadly his wife, a school teacher then in the following year got dumped by cost cutting of the state government, and she had no chance for local school jobs, landed a new school job in West Australia, which was also where his family were located, so he severely regretted leaving his job at our company, he really wanted to stay, but choice of unemployed wife, or moving he chose his wife's career and moved. Our company arranged a job for him at an associate business. Sadly he did not like the way his colleagues there treated his disabilities, and they paid less than even the 50% he had here, he sought alternative work. In the mean time he was rebuilding a wrecked car as he always loved working on cars. Nobody would give him work based on past stroke and still some awkward limits in fine dexterity on right hand, speech was ort of OK, slow and sometimes seeking right words at times.
He finally gave up, went on disability pension, he tried so hard to avoid. Then went on to build his own home, doing all work himself baring heavy tasks like erecting walls needing several people to do. Digging, concreting, wall panels painting, tiling anything he could do as single handed. A number of contractors assisted where needed some for free others at reduced cost, impressed by his efforts and persistence. Have met him several times when he came back here to meet with some of us, his former work mates.. He is doing well and by the way his stroke was a birth defect in blood vessels in the brain.
1