Quote:
Originally Posted by Not Bob
There are just so many outrageous things in this story - let's start with the Department of Labor. It doesn't (because it can't or won't) do any meaningful enforcement, then engages in months of foot-dragging before releasing public data to the Times showing how pitiful its efforts were. But they don't have enough investigators in general, and enough who speak Korean or Cantonese or whatever in particular, to do their job, so it's hard to be too pissed at them.
And how about the Mercedes-driving predators who pay so little (and charge their victims a fee of $100 for the privilege of being underpaid) and impose such long hours and exercise so much control that one can't help but think of the 13th Amendment?
Or those of us who only think "hey, $10 for a pedicure! Awesome!" and who demand that the store replace our Prada sandals when nail varnish is spilled on them?
Or, people like me, who know better about things, but pretend not to realize that someone is getting very screwed when I pay a mere $10 for a service that takes 30 minutes. Sure, I like the way my soles feel after a pedi (not to mention the look of MAC Dark Angel on my toes), but I really need to remember the actual cost of it.
I am so angry about this. And I want to throw this story in the face of every smug bastard who, with a straight face, can talk about how terrible it is that we want to get poor people fired when we propose raising the minimum wage or enacting some legislation or regulation to protect workers.
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You're looking at it wrong. At these labor rates, you could hire your favorite pedicurist full time, have them at your beck and call, and still pay them twice what one of these shops are paying. Invite your clients over for pedicures.
But of course, everyone time one shops at Walmart, you're encouraging this sort of thing, not just went you grab the $10 special from the pedicurist down the alley.
