I'm confused, does he actually think a box packer is skilled labor or is this just a whoosh from the girl.
Warehouse fulfillment is skilled labor. Fast food work is skilled labor. I'm having a hard time thinking of an example of a truly unskilled labor job.
Skilled labor is economists jargon, so the meaning of it does not match the dictionary definition.
No one is saying there is literally no skill involved in unskilled labor.
Skilled labor = real human deserving of a fair wage.
Unskilled labor = meat machine that we need to pay by law, but we gladly wouldn't pay them a dime if we could get away with it because they aren't real people.
-Asshat Owners
Technically skilled as in requiring education (financed by the state), unskilled can learn on the job within days.
But politics has a way with twisting those words into a us/them dichotomy.
All labor is skilled labor.
Yes, but some labor, like McDonalds fry cooks, is also skillet labor.
Guys desperate to put himself above another, with the delusion of throwing shit in a box being skilled labor, instead of standing in solidarity with the mcdonalds worker and demanding more for both of them
If he thinks packing boxes is skilled labor, then flipping burgers is also skilled labor.
It's just not specialized, and doesn't require any certification or further education. Which would command the premium he's thinking of.
All labor is skilled labor. Can you think of any job that doesn't require learning some sort of skill(s)? It's just an arbitrary designation intended to justify low wages.
I'm highly educated but you couldn't just stick me into a traditionally "unskilled" roles for which I have neither experience nor training and expect me to function. I'd crash and burn because jobs require the development and utilization of... wait for it...skills.
Some labor is inherently more skilled than other. I can train you in a day to flip burgers. You'll be better in a month than you are on day one, but you don't need hands on training after that first day.
I can't train you in a month to operate a break press. And in my plant that's the least skilled job.
I get that all jobs require some skill, I'm not disputing that. But when we're talking about skilled labor, were talking about those jobs that require significant investment in time to learn, often requiring the laborer to seek that education on their own before even being considered for a job.
TIL packing boxes is skilled labor
Everything is skilled labour. For 99% of jobs you couldn't roll up and be proficient at it without training or practice.
But correct me if I am wrong, but in my country skilled labor means you have to have a relevant formal education to qualify for the job, (in addition to getting training on the job which is inevitable).
I think (choose to believe) the original tweet is satire.
I rather a dude handling my food get paid better than someone touching cardboard.
No balls ony food is preferred over no balls on my Amazon packages.
This is the American way though isn't it? Push downward instead of moving upward. If flipping burgers is easier than packing boxes, and makes you the same money, why not quit at Amazon and start flipping burgers at McDonald's?
Packing boxes is not skilled labor.
There's no such thing as unskilled labor. I guarantee you that dude is better than you are at packing boxes. That's known as "skill"
Who wants to tell him?
Seems a lot of the comments are focused on debating the word ‘skill’ applied to each job while another capitalist gets off free while infighting amongst people who should be supporting each other in a shit world that capitalism built and benefits off of.
Enshitification is where there’s a CEO somewhere that fucks everyone over and remains untouched.
That person really should be the focus of hate here.
I’ve never worked in fast food but I’ve been to them and I’ve watched the workers. You can’t tell me packing boxes at Amazon is skilled labor and that shit isn’t.
It's not "skilled" labor.
You need zero skills to work at Amazon.
That being said, you will learn things if you stay long enough.
Skilled labor is like a trade or where you need a specific education. I'm not even sure you need a HS diploma to work at Amazon.
Source: me, working in an Amazon FC
But yes the point of her reply is also very apt. Class solidarity friends. If you're single making <55k or whatever the median income in your area is, there's not a whole hella lotta difference regardless.
But I'll also say this. There's a lot of mfers that do MUCH less work at desk jobs, and in fact are entirely redundant and unnecessary, compared to a fry cook or Amazon tier1 employes.
I don’t think you’re looking at this the right way.
It’s not that packing boxes isn’t a skilled job.
It’s that working at McDonald’s is a skilled job.
Any job that requires a non-zero level of training (which is all of them) is a skilled job. The idea of “unskilled labor” is one perpetuated by the bourgeois to justify paying some people a shit wage and keeping them poor.
Also, I'm not entirely sure that putting an item that a machine gives you into a box that the machine tells you to put it in requires more skill than working at McDonald's.
I don’t really feel great about making fun of the skill needed for low paid jobs. I’m sure it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Edit: there is a left leaning argument that the label of “low skill labor” is used as a cudgel to justify low wages. If you think it’s so easy, try picking fruit for a season. An experienced fruit picker with years of experience will be many times more productive than a newbie.
Both jobs are difficult and worthy of respect, Neither are what you would traditionally consider skilled labor.
I'm so over the use of "checks notes" for emphasis. for every entertaining way of making commentary there are thousands of boring copies.
Fry cook or box packer. He upset he picked a harder job?
Did he tho? I've cooked and dealt with customers and I've packed boxes and packing boxes feels wayyyyy easier to me
I like how everyone is upset with the "skilled work" part. But nobody did the calculation, that with Bezos pay and 16 dollars per hour, you could hire 562500 Workers. Which I think is crazy
Lol at calling packing boxes skilled labour
That is way easier than working at McDonald’s
The more I see something like this, the less I understand how it is USSR that fell apart first.
If it cost less to use machines to pack those boxes, you know they would be using machines and not people.
Way to get played by the big man. Making you fight amongst yourselves.
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