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).
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).