People make living wages doing all sorts of things. Teaching, manufacturing, driving, digging ditches, and making coffee. If starbucks is paying them a living wage and still turning a profit, people must like their product. If they aren't paying a living wage, and you want one, then negotiate a better wage (and be worth it to the company) or go somewhere else.
No one should 'set' the wages, not employees or employers. It'll work itself out. Pay too little, no one will work for you. Demand too much, no one will hire you. Honest work for honest pay. It's not that hard. Anyone who's ever ran their own business knows this. And those good employees that work hard, or even better: those that 'buy in' to your vision? You'll happily bend over backwards and pay them more just to keep them. Same goes for good bosses. You'll work extra hard for the good ones, and do amazing things for the great ones.
By the way, I said all jobs have (some level of) importance. I never said all jobs should pay a living wage. If you mow my lawn once a week, I'm not paying you enough to cover your rent. Go get more clients. Your job doesn't pay enough? Get second job, or find new ones. No skills? Get some. Nobody hiring? Do your own thing. Can't be successful in any of those? Maybe it's not always the system keeping a man down. Maybe sometimes it's just you. (you in general, not you personally).
All jobs are important.
Some are just more important than others.
Food handler? Somewhat important (who wants food poisoning? Who likes gross coffee?)
School bus driver? Important (keep the kiddles safe)
Airline Pilot? Important (keep passengers safe)
Air traffic controller? Very important (keep all those pilots safe)
Blacksmith? Very important (the kingdom was lost for want of a nail)
A barista is important to me WHEN I order a coffee because I'm in a time crunch.
A pilot's skill is important to me when I'm flying.
An air traffic controller is important to alot of people, all the time, especially those living next to an airport.
A neurosurgeon is incredibly important if I need brain surgery... Not so important otherwise.
Why do we have a potato in what is arguably one of the most important jobs in the country? Biden needs to go.
I'd like to see this barista trying to be a 911 dispatcher, air traffic controller, or running OPSEC for a domestic counterintelligence mission.
For good or ill, you're not wrong.
Unions are stupid.
People make living wages doing all sorts of things. Teaching, manufacturing, driving, digging ditches, and making coffee. If starbucks is paying them a living wage and still turning a profit, people must like their product. If they aren't paying a living wage, and you want one, then negotiate a better wage (and be worth it to the company) or go somewhere else.
No one should 'set' the wages, not employees or employers. It'll work itself out. Pay too little, no one will work for you. Demand too much, no one will hire you. Honest work for honest pay. It's not that hard. Anyone who's ever ran their own business knows this. And those good employees that work hard, or even better: those that 'buy in' to your vision? You'll happily bend over backwards and pay them more just to keep them. Same goes for good bosses. You'll work extra hard for the good ones, and do amazing things for the great ones.
By the way, I said all jobs have (some level of) importance. I never said all jobs should pay a living wage. If you mow my lawn once a week, I'm not paying you enough to cover your rent. Go get more clients. Your job doesn't pay enough? Get second job, or find new ones. No skills? Get some. Nobody hiring? Do your own thing. Can't be successful in any of those? Maybe it's not always the system keeping a man down. Maybe sometimes it's just you. (you in general, not you personally).