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I am not an expert in immunology - I follow doctors for that.
But I did spend 9 years as a manager at a pizza place that paid better than average wages for food service.
And I am terrified of #COVID19.
Not because the virus is going to kill people, but because poverty might. /
But I did spend 9 years as a manager at a pizza place that paid better than average wages for food service.
And I am terrified of #COVID19.
Not because the virus is going to kill people, but because poverty might. /
Y'all, all laws aside, nobody in the restaurant industry goes to the doctor when they're sick.
There are health code rules about what symptoms exclude you from work - you have to go to the doctor and get cleared, or be symptom free for 24 hours.
And they are *never* followed. /
There are health code rules about what symptoms exclude you from work - you have to go to the doctor and get cleared, or be symptom free for 24 hours.
And they are *never* followed. /
The people making your food do not have health insurance. Restaurants almost never offer it.
They do not have paid time off. Benefits like that aren't imaginable.
They do not have enough people in the schedule to cover an absence. "Lean Staffing." It's more profitable. /
They do not have paid time off. Benefits like that aren't imaginable.
They do not have enough people in the schedule to cover an absence. "Lean Staffing." It's more profitable. /
The average age of a fast-food worker is 29. The average income is $8.69 an hour. I was taxed around 21% on paychecks.
The average doctor's visit w/o insurance, costs $300-600.
43.7 hours. At minimum, more than a week's take-home pay.
Going to the doctor is an *insane luxury*.
The average doctor's visit w/o insurance, costs $300-600.
43.7 hours. At minimum, more than a week's take-home pay.
Going to the doctor is an *insane luxury*.
I have watched people PRIDE themselves on working through illness and injury. I had a driver break his foot by stepping on a tennis ball in someone's driveway, and then work another four days on a broken foot on ibuprofen and spite.
Flu-like symptoms?
Fuck out of here.
Flu-like symptoms?
Fuck out of here.
MOST fast food workers are already on some kind of public assistance.
Many of those are "means tested" and require them to keep jobs.
http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2013/fast_food_poverty_wages.pdf
Many of those are "means tested" and require them to keep jobs.
http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/pdf/2013/fast_food_poverty_wages.pdf
This means that
1) Fast food workers literally cannot afford to go to the doctor. They will do what we've always done - dose up heavily on DayQuil, puke in the bathroom, explain things away as being "hung over" or "tired," and their manager will pretend nothing is wrong.
1) Fast food workers literally cannot afford to go to the doctor. They will do what we've always done - dose up heavily on DayQuil, puke in the bathroom, explain things away as being "hung over" or "tired," and their manager will pretend nothing is wrong.
2) Fast food workers literally cannot afford to miss work. The median age is 29 for christ's sake. These are people with bills, families, responsibilities.
Median 2-bedroom rent is ~1,194/mo. That $8.69 wage is ~1,190/mo take-home pay.
Even w/ roommates, that's HALF YOUR MONEY.
Median 2-bedroom rent is ~1,194/mo. That $8.69 wage is ~1,190/mo take-home pay.
Even w/ roommates, that's HALF YOUR MONEY.
You can't afford to take off work to go to the doctor, much less take off work when the doctor says you need to be quarantined for three weeks. You need every hour.
Otherwise you lose your job, then your housing, and anything else that keeps the wolf away from the door.
Otherwise you lose your job, then your housing, and anything else that keeps the wolf away from the door.
When this happened to me, the doctor said I needed to be off my feet and resting for two weeks, light duty for another two.
I took 4 days. It was one of two times in nine years I missed work, both of them involving a trip to the emergency room. https://twitter.com/NomeDaBarbarian/status/1092296791595216897
I took 4 days. It was one of two times in nine years I missed work, both of them involving a trip to the emergency room. https://twitter.com/NomeDaBarbarian/status/1092296791595216897
People who work food service are less likely to have reliable transportation - so they ride mass transit, exposing themselves to more people.
They live together in tight spaces, ensuring it spreads between folks.
They have poor diets, poor sleep, and weakened immune systems.
They live together in tight spaces, ensuring it spreads between folks.
They have poor diets, poor sleep, and weakened immune systems.
~14mil people work in food service in the US. They're in every community. Everyone has to eat.
They live and work in conditions that make the spread of disease inevitable.
They won't go to the doctor until it's a crisis, long after they've passed things on to others.
They live and work in conditions that make the spread of disease inevitable.
They won't go to the doctor until it's a crisis, long after they've passed things on to others.
The Flu is bad enough, going around a kitchen.
#COVID19 is substantially more easily transmitted than the flu.
And we've created a situation where food service workers' SURVIVAL depends on doing THE EXACT OPPOSITE of anything that could fight a pandemic.
#COVID19 is substantially more easily transmitted than the flu.
And we've created a situation where food service workers' SURVIVAL depends on doing THE EXACT OPPOSITE of anything that could fight a pandemic.
And these are the people making your food.
The average food service worker is a millenial. 62% of us live paycheck to paycheck.
And it doesn't have to be like this. In our parents' lifetimes, it wasn't.
God Bless the Conservative movement and their deregulation, pro-business legislation, and "choice."
And it doesn't have to be like this. In our parents' lifetimes, it wasn't.
God Bless the Conservative movement and their deregulation, pro-business legislation, and "choice."
Poverty is a public health crisis, y'all. Wage Slavery kills.
And if you can't be bothered to care about that out of your basic human dignity, maybe the fact that the servile class you've been supported by can't afford to not make you sick will fucking help.
Eat the rich. /end
And if you can't be bothered to care about that out of your basic human dignity, maybe the fact that the servile class you've been supported by can't afford to not make you sick will fucking help.
Eat the rich. /end
I couldn't speak to this from my own experience, but I'm utterly unsurprised to hear it. https://twitter.com/sweater_wesley/status/1232931084616134656
We're on Euro posting hours, so let me explain this:
Almost nobody in the US service industry:
-Gets any maternity leave
-Gets any sick leave
-Gets any health insurance
-Is allowed to sit down at work. https://twitter.com/XianJaneway/status/1232935094639353858
Almost nobody in the US service industry:
-Gets any maternity leave
-Gets any sick leave
-Gets any health insurance
-Is allowed to sit down at work. https://twitter.com/XianJaneway/status/1232935094639353858
It should go without saying too, but better to make it explicit:
Service jobs are most of what's available to poor folks. Because of decades of specific descrimination and structural barriers, those poor folks are more likely to be black, queer, female, trans, and/or disabled.
Service jobs are most of what's available to poor folks. Because of decades of specific descrimination and structural barriers, those poor folks are more likely to be black, queer, female, trans, and/or disabled.
I worked in food service as a relatively safe and stable, relatively able-bodied, straight-passing white man with some solid support systems in place.
Anything I went through? Others had *way the fuck worse.*
And MY EXPERIENCE was that of an abusive soul-destroying horror show.
Anything I went through? Others had *way the fuck worse.*
And MY EXPERIENCE was that of an abusive soul-destroying horror show.
A lot of already vulnerable people are going to be hurt.
And I'm aching.
And I'm aching.
I worked way harder in a kitchen than I ever do in my paid-almost-twice-as-much-and-do-a-thing-that-fulfills-me-with great benefits office job.
Hard agree. There's no such thing as unskilled labor. https://twitter.com/vorodecky/status/1232936346362302464
Hard agree. There's no such thing as unskilled labor. https://twitter.com/vorodecky/status/1232936346362302464
Yeah, I brushed on that, but again for the audience:
These workers can be fired, at any time, for any reason. And there's always a stack of applications they could replace you with.
They make it clear from day 1. "We're a family! And you're expendable." https://twitter.com/Chowderskin/status/1232937317498679296
These workers can be fired, at any time, for any reason. And there's always a stack of applications they could replace you with.
They make it clear from day 1. "We're a family! And you're expendable." https://twitter.com/Chowderskin/status/1232937317498679296
To be clear:
The virus will mostly kill vulnerable folks. It's a more transmissibile bad flu, that we can't vaccinate against yet.
If this kills any poor Americans, it will be income inequality and our piss-poor health system that pulled the trigger.
Cheers.
The virus will mostly kill vulnerable folks. It's a more transmissibile bad flu, that we can't vaccinate against yet.
If this kills any poor Americans, it will be income inequality and our piss-poor health system that pulled the trigger.
Cheers.
I'm exhausted talk to me about Star Trek or something. https://twitter.com/NomeDaBarbarian/status/1230708687234224130
In my nine years at my pizza place, we hired two high schoolers.
Two. In a decade. https://twitter.com/q_aurelius/status/1233031361814048769
Two. In a decade. https://twitter.com/q_aurelius/status/1233031361814048769
If I've made anyone nervous about the virus itself, I want to mitigate that - it really isn't the part that scares me.
There's an offer, here, from someone who would know, to answer questions or discuss concerns. https://twitter.com/Just_Eleanora/status/1233030130345246720
There's an offer, here, from someone who would know, to answer questions or discuss concerns. https://twitter.com/Just_Eleanora/status/1233030130345246720
If anyone thinks for a second this isn't the intentional creation of a management class trying to wring every cent of value out of disposable workers, then I've got a bridge to sell you. https://twitter.com/4mogglesinacoat/status/1233048819023196167
So, over the weekend I posted this thread, many of y'all have responded saying how your industry was just as bad.
A good chunk of those folks were people who work nursing homes.
We now have six cases and two deaths in one nursing home in Seattle. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.html
A good chunk of those folks were people who work nursing homes.
We now have six cases and two deaths in one nursing home in Seattle. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.html
I've quoted those responses here: https://twitter.com/NomeDaBarbarian/status/1234299158124613633
Fuck that. I cant afford what that would cost with the insurance I finally do have. https://mobile.twitter.com/NickKristof/status/1234140218023989253
Y'all
When I posted this
It was just about the suffering that would happen if everything worked as intended, given that service workers wouldn't call out.
Turns out, this is being managed incompetently enough that it may not fucking matter.
Thread: https://mobile.twitter.com/into_the_brush/status/1234685467682979840
When I posted this
It was just about the suffering that would happen if everything worked as intended, given that service workers wouldn't call out.
Turns out, this is being managed incompetently enough that it may not fucking matter.
Thread: https://mobile.twitter.com/into_the_brush/status/1234685467682979840
