Is work at Costco actually slave labor?

[End]

I'm reading online reviews about Costco, and there are quite many employees who seem to think so. Does anybody know if work at Costco is slave labor.


What I mean by slave labor is that Costco makes their jobs have much higher salaries than the average. However, they enforce strict rules and have regular manager evaluations. At any time, you can fired easily. It can be due to a poor manager evaluation, or due to even having to meet a budget so they start firing employees.

The difference between Costco retail jobs and many better jobs is that it only requires a high school degree, but it can pay the same or more the amount than a job that requires a bachelors degree.

Overall, it means that only high school graduates or people with bachelors degrees that couldn't get a good job can work at Costco to get a lot of money. However, if they ever decide to quit working at Costco they probably can't get a better job anywhere. Keep in mind also that according to my research on the internet Costco employees are constantly belittled and are enforced to do their best always no matter the circumstance. If not, they will face the consequence of getting fired.

[Γαῖα]

Nine-ball eredeti hozzászólása:

Carpel (Daily Workout) eredeti hozzászólása:

Keeping empolyees in a state of fear helps stop them getting comfy enough to form or join unions.

No it doesn't. Unions form precisely because labor conditions are poor, by history and their own admission. Companies that pay well have marked resistance to unionization, because workers don't want a union taking their money. Union dues are a significant bite out of a paycheck, and there's no reason to pay them if the company is treating you well.

I've heard that "fear keeps employees from joining unions" shtick before, and it's always a bunch of collectivist nonsense. Fear brokered by the unions themselves is usually what makes people join unions.

I used to work for UPS, and there was a huge battle between employees who wanted unions and those who didn't. Some drivers worked for the Teamster's union, others wouldn't, and the union itself tried to get the non-union drivers fired, not to mention all the sorters and other employees. UPS refused, they protected their employees.

It's always the same story because it has to be by definition. A union is a closed shop. You pay your dues and you get to work. If you don't pay them, you don't get to work. No company has a protection racket like that, which is probably why the unions have always had ties to organized crime.

I was not on the union side in that battle or any thereafter. UPS wasn't threatening my job, they were. Complete with the usual Communist nonsense about workers' rights. I was a worker. Where were my rights? I only got them if I paid for them? Am I just retarded in thinking that doesn't sound like workers' rights at all? Discontented Communist workers everywhere agree, it's not about workers' rights. It's more about idiots thinking they are going to get something for nothing.

Same experience at Wal-Mart, where I worked for a brief stint during college. There were a lot of very stupid people who wanted to unionize Wal-Mart labor. If that happened, Wal-Mart would just cut jobs for people like me who needed them, and certainly people like them. They aren't going to just pay everyone more, they can't! Most of their profit is re-invested, and if they ever did anything else, some other chain would start beating them.

What they did do was give us stock options and bonuses based on stock, a very wise decision that produced incentive to work. The company was invested in us, and we were invested in the company. But the labor people hated that. They didn't say it directly, they were too dumb to articulate their thoughts, but they hated the idea of our own stockholders making money without doing the same work. I could not have cared less, stockholders were helping to pay our salary by risking their own money.

This is just my opinion, backed up by what logic and facts I have, of course, but I really do not like unions. In 32 years, I have never met a contented union employee. They think companies are "stealing" from them or "forcing" them to work when nothing could be further from the truth.In any natural circumstance, you would always have to take care of yourself. I blame the Communists and their stupid double-think for that. Even if I'm wrong, they deserve a lot of blame.

Tell me, if every increase in your wages was paid as shares in your place of work,how likely would you be to strike or go slow in protest at a particular employer decision that didnt consider you worth ?

Tell me, considering consumerisim and technology dictate a businesses profit, how secure were those shares if the public decides to switch to email instead of letters and manufacturers make their own deliveries ?

Shares arent anything untill they are cashed in on, businesses know this as they know if their shares were liable to rocket in a year, they wouldnt let you have them. If you own a share it means you own a piece of that companies liabilty/deficit.

Cooperative models are what is needed and have been proving a more stable model over time than other enterprises.

[Nine-ball]

Γαῖα eredeti hozzászólása:

Tell me, if every increase in your wages was paid as shares in your place of work,how likely would you be to strike or go slow in protest at a particular employer decision that didnt consider you worth ?

Tell me, considering consumerisim and technology dictate a businesses profit, how secure were those shares if the public decides to switch to email instead of letters and manufacturers make their own deliveries ?

Shares arent anything untill they are cashed in on, businesses know this as they know if their shares were liable to rocket in a year, they wouldnt let you have them. If you own a share it means you own a piece of that companies liabilty/deficit.

Cooperative models are what is needed and have been proving a more stable model over time than other enterprises.

Most of that isn't even in English, or anything I didn't already answer, so I'm not sure quite how to respond.

[Γαῖα]

Nine-ball eredeti hozzászólása:

Γαῖα eredeti hozzászólása:

Tell me, if every increase in your wages was paid as shares in your place of work,how likely would you be to strike or go slow in protest at a particular employer decision that didnt consider you worth ?

Tell me, considering consumerisim and technology dictate a businesses profit, how secure were those shares if the public decides to switch to email instead of letters and manufacturers make their own deliveries ?

Shares arent anything untill they are cashed in on, businesses know this as they know if their shares were liable to rocket in a year, they wouldnt let you have them. If you own a share it means you own a piece of that companies liabilty/deficit.

Cooperative models are what is needed and have been proving a more stable model over time than other enterprises.

Most of that isn't even in English, or anything I didn't already answer, so I'm not sure quite how to respond.

Go own a business, then maybe you will instead of spouting bourgeois politics you can pick cheap at any carboot sale.

[WorkingLikeADog]

Costco pays better than WalMart.

It's easy to get on at Costco.

They are flexible with your school schedule.

These things above, they do this to prevent the Union from forming. Sure, they could get more for people, but the overhead for all the adminstrators is disgusting. Administrators break the Pension system for the schools also.

[Dylan]

Strictly speaking if you get paid, it's not slave labour.

[Sir Dookface McFerretballs]

Γαῖα eredeti hozzászólása:

Sir Dookface McFerretballs eredeti hozzászólása:

I know people that work night merch at costco... They are all making over $22 an hour, which is more than most college grads these days, and they don't have to worry about being $80k in debt to get to that $22+ an hour thing.

The only people calling it slave labor are the lazy "I wan't more money for less work" types.

Most of the costco stores will actually weed out the lazies by putting them on the hardest and most stressful stuff first, like doing carts or food court, before letting them into the other areas or giving them promotions.

Getting paid $22+ an hour for labor is not even close to "slave labor".

Getting paid NOTHING for hard work while having no other choice would be slave labor.

The correct phrase is some people as most employees for costco dont earn that level of pay so its disingenuous to mislead people that a considerable number do and simply dismiss those that dont as lazy.

Secondly the general use of the term slave labor isnt given the full spectrum of analysis it should. While the type of slavery of the past still exists, never does it get considered new variations exists.
Slaves would cost more money to feed,clothe and house today if we consider it was allowed and we acknowledged human rights,health and safety,etc than regular non to low skilled employees who form the backbone of any societies industries.
Very few humans get the luxury of living off the land so its not hard to state we are slaves to work considering if we dont, we cease to exist. Just because we can choose our pay master does not change the fact we are all still subservient to legalised Monopolies, monopsonies and oligopolies.

Like I said, the new hires are given the crap work to see if they are serious enough to stick around and get paid better, hell, most jobs do this... You bust your butt and you get paid more at costco and other places, as it should be...

Again, not a slave... Slaves have no choice in the matter... Hell, people can choose to be homeless if they so desire.... Unless they are in some socialist/communist/fascist country where they can only work to death to barely scrape by or go to prison/labor camps... Then I would start saying that is more like actual slavery.

I've job-hopped many times, over a period of about 3 years I had 7 different jobs because I would take my skill-set to anyone offering to pay me more money than the previous place.

And I guess you have never heard of being self-employed either. ^_^ The only "pay master" I have to deal with there is myself and my customers.

No one should be able to afford living in a mansion off of fry-cook nose-picking at McDonalds.

As they say in PvP games... "Git Gud".

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

is nine-ball the business alter ego of c4w4rrior's military persona? ;)

nice read, btw.

[Radene]

Sir Dookface McFerretballs eredeti hozzászólása:

.

As they say in PvP games... "Git Gud".

Indeed, just like in PvP games, elitism, arrogance, and condescending attitudes are rife among the upper echelons...

At least being on the lower rungs of the ladder one has the advantage of only having to deal with that crap occasionally, rather than being part of a society where it's the norm.

Oh, also, @OP: Not slavery. Still crap, though.

[Goblin]

Met A Demon Once eredeti hozzászólása:

There is no slave labor in the USA.

By definition a slave does not have a choice and in the USA you have the feedom to leave anytime you want.

The work environment may be difficult or you have lousy bosses but slaves "only if you want to be one". But, there are people who are so afraid of change that they do choose to be slaves.

I mean...
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/09/slavery-prison-system-170901082522072.html
Once you go to prison, all your rights are stripped away.

[Γαῖα]

Sir Dookface McFerretballs eredeti hozzászólása:

Γαῖα eredeti hozzászólása:

The correct phrase is some people as most employees for costco dont earn that level of pay so its disingenuous to mislead people that a considerable number do and simply dismiss those that dont as lazy.

Secondly the general use of the term slave labor isnt given the full spectrum of analysis it should. While the type of slavery of the past still exists, never does it get considered new variations exists.
Slaves would cost more money to feed,clothe and house today if we consider it was allowed and we acknowledged human rights,health and safety,etc than regular non to low skilled employees who form the backbone of any societies industries.
Very few humans get the luxury of living off the land so its not hard to state we are slaves to work considering if we dont, we cease to exist. Just because we can choose our pay master does not change the fact we are all still subservient to legalised Monopolies, monopsonies and oligopolies.

Like I said, the new hires are given the crap work to see if they are serious enough to stick around and get paid better, hell, most jobs do this... You bust your butt and you get paid more at costco and other places, as it should be...

Again, not a slave... Slaves have no choice in the matter... Hell, people can choose to be homeless if they so desire.... Unless they are in some socialist/communist/fascist country where they can only work to death to barely scrape by or go to prison/labor camps... Then I would start saying that is more like actual slavery.

I've job-hopped many times, over a period of about 3 years I had 7 different jobs because I would take my skill-set to anyone offering to pay me more money than the previous place.

And I guess you have never heard of being self-employed either. ^_^ The only "pay master" I have to deal with there is myself and my customers.

No one should be able to afford living in a mansion off of fry-cook nose-picking at McDonalds.

As they say in PvP games... "Git Gud".

Here we go, more political bourgeois of talking about communism and capitalism. Slaves arent the reserve of captured people chained and bound. In the world of complex systems, theres always a master and slave paradigm. Even a self employed sole trader, business owner and government are no exception.
For harmony to ocurr all must perform a function but sadly dew to a lack of mutual respect of the parts for one another we now see how the machine first becomes less efficient, less productive and eventually begins to break down.
Owning a business even when your the size of google isnt all black and white. Staff costs and investors are a major burden for a business who vigorously sets yearly budgets to keep them under some control.
These are some tough times even for the bigger companies/industries so its hardly surprising many employees wages are near stagnant in relation to the cost of living when you figure its still just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
This is why and where unity, not socialism is required to propel us all out of this mess.