Unemployed People Working for Free - What?

[southsider]

Should Unemployed People Work for Free | Parade.com

Under the Georgia Works program, jobless citizens work part-time for up to six weeks at businesses with job openings. They earn no salary, but the state pays unemployment benefits along with a weekly stipend for transportation, child care, and other expenses.

This really burns me. Georgia is saving $5.3 million in benefits. Guess who really saves? That's right the companies. They are saving $15 million in labor, hiring and training costs. Hello slave labor. It puts me in mind of the Welfare back to Work fiasco that occurred in New York. City workers were let go to make welfare recipients work for free.

Some points that are not brought up: They mention that 58% are hired but they do not give information on what salary reduction these people may have had to take. They do not question whether people may have gotten a job sooner or if they could have gotten a better paying job. They also do not say what the turn around rate is for people who took these jobs.

[Dengineer]

I guess you would prefer people getting government benefits while sitting on their butts doing nothing? Are you just mad because the companies benefit along with the employees and the government? And the workers aren't exactly working for FREE as your own quoted passage states--LOL! How is it "slave labor" when everyone volunteers for the program?

This sounds like a great program to me. The companies find employees that want to work at their company, people find jobs, get on-the-job training AND get paid state benefits, the state saves money AND companies save money. Could there be any more good things about it? Unless the program FORCES people to work (oh the horrors--having to WORK!!) then I think it's great. And it's not mandatory like oh say, Obama's mandatory servitude program or whatever it was called.

[beth119]

I think we debunked the myth of Obama's mandatory servitude program a LONG time ago.

WHy do some still insist on spreading false info?

[southsider]

I guess you would prefer people getting government benefits while sitting on their butts doing nothing? Are you just mad because the companies benefit along with the employees and the government? And the workers aren't exactly working for FREE as your own quoted passage states--LOL! How is it "slave labor" when everyone volunteers for the program?

This sounds like a great program to me. The companies find employees that want to work at their company, people find jobs, get on-the-job training AND get paid state benefits, the state saves money AND companies save money. Could there be any more good things about it? Unless the program FORCES people to work (oh the horrors--having to WORK!!) then I think it's great. And it's not mandatory like oh say, Obama's mandatory servitude program or whatever it was called.

I guess you do not understand how unemployment works. Companies pay insurance companies. When one of their employees is laid off their is a claim against the insurance company.

Great program? Hah! Only for the state and for companies. Notice the article was not brimming with praise from the people in this program. I wonder why? Could it be because they are getting the short end of the stick.

Who should get off their duff? Maybe it is the people who run the companies. Maybe if they stopped sending jobs overseas so some CEO can get overpaid by a few million a year more there wouldn't be such a problem with people being unemployed.

By the way people on unemployment are out looking for jobs.

The company isn't paying for it then they are working for free. It is a shame that money is not actually spent on the people who need the help.

[Colinsgrandma]

If people volunteer to work maybe they are just the kind of person who goes totally stir crazy with nothing to do. Maybe the company is in a field that they are interested in working. I remember reading that charities had benefited with an influx of volunteers.

[wealthybarney]

I don't know what to think. However, I do think you Southsider & Dengineer are some pretty saavy people in the political opinion arena. I love to see those with strong opinions who can disagree without being disagreeable or respond with strife. Thanks for the topics you two bring up for discussion. I enjoy it more than the newspaper.

[meems]

[QUOTE=southsider;2071311]Should Unemployed People Work for Free | Parade.com



This really burns me. Georgia is saving $5.3 million in benefits. Guess who really saves? That's right the companies. They are saving $15 million in labor, hiring and training costs. Hello slave labor. It puts me in mind of the Welfare back to Work fiasco that occurred in New York. City workers were let go to make welfare recipients work for free.

Some points that are not brought up: They mention that 58% are hired but they do not give information on what salary reduction these people may have had to take. They do not question whether people may have gotten a job sooner or if they could have gotten a better paying job. They also do not say what the turn around rate is for people who took these jobs.[/QUOTE]


That's a whollotta assumption on your part, no?

[jen276here]

I don't see the big deal. If the folks participating are volunteering, what's the issue?

No one is forcing them....

[manders13]

I don't see the big deal. If the folks participating are volunteering, what's the issue?

No one is forcing them....

agreed

[justmeagain]

I agree 100% with this comment that was left on the site:

"Companies lay off employees and then blame people for not working. They love to have people working for free, that is why they support the idea for "training", "getting new skills" and so on. Speaking for myself, I don't need training, I am experienced enough. There is simply no work around for me. Jobs go abroad where labor cost is pennies. It is called outsourcing. Those companies that don't go abroad want to get free labor, idealy slave labor. But they hide the intensions behind nice word and pretend that they care."


Here is the problem............Now people won't get jobs unless they work for free if this is implemented all over the place. My DH is currently laid off.........just thrown away like a piece of fricken garbage after investing himself into his job for 7 years at a level 9. As both my DH and I cried they spewed NOTHING but lies from their mouths......."oh, don't worry....we will help you find a job......it will be ok" etc etc......and they have done NOTHING.

Sorry, but he has already paid his dues......he already worked for free during his college years doing his internships and then volunteering and then working as a substitute. He even went back to school and got MORE education--paying 100% of this on his own. Now he can't get hired because he has too much experience and they want to hire people with ZERO experience because they are cheaper (quality does NOT matter when it comes to educating those of the future.........as long as the teacher is cheap.)

The people that are "volunteering" aren't really "volunteering".........they are in an awful predicament and they are HOPING that this leads to employment. The disgusting thing is there is NOT even guaranteed employment! They said in the article only 58% get hired. AND if this does get implemented all over the place then it will be slave labor honestly because then the only way to get a job will be to work for free with the hope they hire you. What employer is going to turn down free labor after all?
UGH.......one of these days there is going to be an uprising.........a civil war of sorts between have and have nots.