We see similar attacks in state after state.  Too many American have bought into the myth that unions are a problem.  The forces that want to make money off of public schools have been some of the loudest voices in this campaign.  We need to support public schools, teachers, and unions.  All working people need to stick together, not stab each other in the back.

However sickening this story is, it also demonstrates how low some people will sink to make money.  Unethical employers frequently mistreat low wage workers and undocumented workers.  We need strong laws to protect workers – including those who are undocumented – against such exploitation.

This story reminds me that some conservatives argue against the minimum wage.  Do they also advocate repealing the 13^th Amendment?  Do they have any value for the work people do?

* I’m not mentioning the chain’s name because it doesn’t deserve negative publicity in this case.  Anyone who reads this blog knows I’m not a fan of big corporations. In this case, however, it is not responsible for the problem.  Going forward, I hope the corporation establishes some system to ensure that franchise owners treat employees properly – and pay them.

P.S.  According to Laura Clawson in Daily Kos, there may be as many as 40 stores involved in the investigation.  Clawson is less forgiving toward the corporation than I am.  Her story is worth your time.

Craft Beer and Choices

In today’s Chicago Sun-Times, brewer Ben Minkoff is profiled in the “Grid” section.  Minkoff, at the tender age of 25, is leading the effort to change the identity of Berghoff beer.  His family owns the brand and is updating the way its beer is being brewed and marketed to fit the craft craze that many beer drinkers, including me, enjoy and support with our dollars.

Craft beers reflect a larger trend in American culture and taste.  Consumers are willing to pay more for locally produced and artisan products.  In turn, they reject the cheaper offerings of mega-corporations that often cut corners on ingredients to save themselves and shoppers a few nickels.  I buy craft beer and locally roasted coffee because I like the taste.  I also appreciate that the people selling these products live near me.  Some of them support the same local schools and other causes that I do, which makes me happy to dig a little deeper to pay for their beer, coffee, bread, pork, and eggs.

Farmers Markets are part of this trend.  Where the grocery store offers consistent, unblemished fruits and vegetables.  Goods at a farmer’s market will often be of different sizes and shapes.  Sometimes, they will even have a little black or brown on a peach or apple.  So what?  That’s how people ate before agri-business developed factory farming.  I’d rather cut a bad spot out of a tomato and enjoy its taste rather than eat a perfect red globe with no flavor.  People roam and choose their products at a farmers market.  We are able to meet the growers and ask them questions about how food comes to our tables.

The craft-local movement has educated consumers that real choice means more than the best price.  Brand loyalty is now a matter of knowing who makes your food and drink. Rather than a flashy logo and advertising campaign, we look to personal relations and local connections.

Will craft beer ever put Budweiser and Miller out of business?  I don’t think so.  Will my friend Crystal Nells of C.D. Farms shut down Smithfield, one of the world’s leading pork producers?  Never.  That would defeat the purpose.  Small and local needs to stay small and local.  Some people, out of choice or necessity, will buy the cheaper mass market products.  Some of us are able and interested in an alternative market, one where the maker cares as much about his or her product as about profit.  It’s good to have these kind of choices.

How can you make this advice a career management tool?  Make a list of 20-50 people that you consider your network.  Rank them from strongest to weakest in their ability to help you.  Think about other possible “weak” contacts.  Add them to your list and nurture your relationships.  Finally, remember the most important rule of networking:  Help other people as much as you want them to help you.

Many clients come to me because they feel disengaged and want to find a new job or change careers.  Being happy at work is usually not an accident.  People who are happy at work know what they want to do and find a place where they can do it.  This kind of job search takes time and patience.  Too many people scramble to find any job.  Then they are miserable.  Be fair to yourself.  Find a job that makes you happy.

As I blogged yesterday, the biggest problem facing workers today isn’t unemployment.  It is wages.  It doesn’t matter if someone is at a low wage job or if they are paid a decent hourly wage with limited hours, in either case, the worker is not making enough money.  Walmart and other companies are looking ways to push up profits and share prices.  Too often they are doing so on the backs of working people.

We can talk about consecutive months of gains in private sector jobs.  We can watch the unemployment rate tick up and tick down.  Wages are the real story.  If working people and the middle class can’t spend, sooner or later our national economic house of card will fall. Brother and sister, can you spare a dime?

Prove you are organized: Moran will ask candidates to see their wallets as a test of organizational skills.  You can do the same thing by keeping your wallet (or purse) organized, and use it as an example at interviews.

Reliability: Be able to say why you stayed at jobs as well as why you left.  Moran doesn’t want to hear stories where the candidate blames someone else or is negative about why they left a company.  You can follow a similar path by identifying something you were not able to do at a previous employer that you will be able to do at your new job.  Again, keep the tone positive and forward looking.

Thank you and follow up: Moran tests candidates by giving them a business card at the end of each interview.  He expects thank you note by email within 5-7 hours of the interview.  You can ask for a card and follow up quickly, which will show your interest in the job.

Overall, I would sum up Tom Moran’s advice in these words.  Show that you can do the job, and show that you want it.

Where does the extra value poor working have produced go?  Maybe we should ask the billionaires.