LostOnHoth posted:There might be an opportunity for me to move to Houston, Texas. Can anybody here give me some no BS advice on life as a Texan? (The only American people I have discussed Houston with are people who live there so need some objective views)
Mr44 posted:Also because the 2 systems don't directly compare. You also have to take into account the US's dual federal/state division of power. Canada has state divisions as well, but the relationship isn't the same as the US. For example, there's no federal requirement that says companies have to offer vacation at all, but quite a few states require employers to offer time off under state law. Minimum wage is another example. The federal government sets the basic rate, but many states require a minimum that is higher than the federal level. Market forces usually dictate the rest. Even starter jobs offer benefits within reason. A student who works fastfood only 12 hours a week to earn money after school isn't going to get 2 weeks of paid vacation and insurance, but a full time employee at the same place probably would.
Dark Lady Mara posted:In semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, though, employees have little to no negotiating power because companies regard them as expendable. That's why it's important for the law to require that employers make certain basic concessions to employees in terms of wage and benefits. For white collar workers, it doesn't matter quite as much, but for people who earn minimum wage and do back-breaking work every day, it's essential. They're probably the ones who need vacation time the most, too.
Kimball_Kinnison posted:Then why is it that in poorer countries, you find far more merchants who are willing to negotiate prices? Isn't that the same thing as negotiating an employment contract at a fundamental level?
malkieD2 posted:The "rich" are so because they've got a bit of gumption, and are unwilling to settle for anything other than the best. The poor are that way because they lack the gumption, and expect everything to be handed to them on a plate. Ok, I appreciate I'm sterotyping now, but my point stands - no-one needs to be poor.
Lowbacca_1977 posted:No such law for paid time off. Which is something I personally agree with. If an employer offers that then fine but I don't think it should be forced, both in that I think its too much gov't involvement in the employer-employee relationship and I don't like the harm it would cause small businesses.
chibiangi posted:Lowbacca_1977 posted:No such law for paid time off. Which is something I personally agree with. If an employer offers that then fine but I don't think it should be forced, both in that I think its too much gov't involvement in the employer-employee relationship and I don't like the harm it would cause small businesses. You're a student, right? So, uhm, get back to me on that no paid off idea when you've spent 10 years breaking your back for the man and can't take a week off to take your kids to Disneyland or be with your wife when she has your baby. No paid off is where this country is headed and it is wrong. Thank god I have a job where I can take leave.
Espaldapalabras posted: The other thing is it is hard to compare the "hard workingness" across white and blue collar jobs. I've worked in both, and I can sit at a computer far longer than I can stand on a production line.
Espaldapalabras posted:Diz, I think it really depends on what industry you are in, and what level you are at. For example, I know that at least before the lastest crisis, there are a lot of housing developers who really didn't need to work lots of hours in order to make a lot of money. I would also say that the upper middle class worker who is working 80 hours a week for 100k, aren't putting in less time than those making 100 million.
Robimus posted:Espaldapalabras posted: The other thing is it is hard to compare the "hard workingness" across white and blue collar jobs. I've worked in both, and I can sit at a computer far longer than I can stand on a production line. This is a great point, going out and spending 8 hours slugging 40 pound cases of anything is vastly different than looking at a computer screen. The days I spend looking at a computer screen do drive me a bit crazy but I never go home exhausted and sore from the computer work.
dizfactor posted: Spending 60-70 hours a week in perpetual crisis mode doing risk management and margin call enforcement for an online brokerage company during the height of the dotcom boom and the crash that followed was just on another level of stress and exhaustion and, yes, physical pain. When losing focus for a moment at the wrong time, or focusing on the wrong thing, or making the wrong call on any one of dozens of split-second judgement calls you might be called on to make, or just doing the math wrong, could cost tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, just maintaining your attention as you "stare at the computer screen" is physically exhausting.
Robimus posted:Now some people like this "living to work" angle but I can't stand it. People should be working to live, not spending 80 hours a week working. What kind of life is that?
dizfactor posted:If you want to kill yourself for a life of dull misery in a generic suburb in some horrible McMansion, that's your issue, I guess.
