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They really shouldn't take such a combative stance. Comparing Facebook employees to nobility is both ludicrious and oppositional. They're not making insane wage

They really shouldn't take such a combative stance. Comparing Facebook employees to nobility is both ludicrious and oppositional. They're not making insane wages—indeed, based on the Bay cost of living even 6-figure engineer salaries are barely middle class. Let's stop pretending that people who can't even afford to buy a house are entitled, elite, or nobility.

Totoradio 12y ago
If 6-figure salary engineers are barely middle class, what are $20/hour bus drivers?
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- morgante 12y ago
  Lower class. If you look at housing prices in the Bay area, that's basically minimum wage.
  - Alupis 12y ago
    It's not FB's job to ensure bus drivers can buy houses in the main city. If the bus drivers are so stubborn to live in the bay, there is plenty of very affordable living spaces (homes, condo's, and the like) all right outside the main city in the suburbs. Irregardless, let's not all weaponize against a company simply because said company has money and bus drivers don't. $20 an hour is pretty darn good for a relatively low-skilled job.
    - Totoradio 12y ago
      Their work schedule (6:10-11:10 AM and 5:15-9:45 PM) makes it very hard to live too far away from their workplace.
      - Alupis 12y ago
        And? You somehow think that justifies what? $50 an hour? when is enough, enough? Loo, my father works for the city municipal public transit system (has now for 20 years), but these are bus drivers - it is a low skilled job with a fast revolving door.
        DanBC 12y ago
        "Low skilled"? That seems an odd, risky, attitude to have about someone piloting twenty tons of steel and a full load of passengers through a city.
        beagle3 12y ago
        It is a statement of fact. "Low skilled" is, in this case, in comparison to the population, not some objective absolute. In CA, "driving literacy", which is almost sufficient for piloting said steel contraption, is comparable to real literacy, and I suspect is way above numeracy. Would you consider being able to read or do arithmetics anything other than "low skilled"?
        Alupis 12y ago
        It most certainly is low skilled. Anyone can sign up, take a 2 week course given by the municipal public transit system, then take the state's Class B license test. After that, you are in charge of the "twenty tons of steel" no holds barred. In fact, at the local university (it's a UC, but I won't name it since then you'd know which municipal public transit system I'm using in my anecdotes), student's 21 and up can apply and take a 1 week course, the UC pays for the Class B license test, and then they, a student, gets to drive the UC's "twenty tons of steel" buses around campus and to nearby neighborhoods shuttling students around. (ya, it's as scary as it sounds). I don't know for sure, but I assume more UC's have similar programs. Yes, this is by definition a low skilled job.
    - morgante 12y ago
      If you read my original comment, I'm not in favor of this attitude/weaponization anyways...
shoo 12y ago
sure, i'll agree `entitled` or `nobility` is a bit unfair, but the bus drivers must be making < $50k, assuming they work full time, with those ugly split shifts. how about "relatively elite"?
teh_klev 12y ago
I don't see a "combative stance" being expressed in that article. Is desiring union representation combative? It's not as if they're suggesting going on strike or even demanding more money. Sometimes companies do need a little bit of a collective nudge to try and work out better working conditions and schedules.
hueving 12y ago
I never understood how attacking the highly skilled workers by referring to them as entitled or nobility is supposed to accomplish anything. What an stupid way to alienate the very group that might actually empathize and lobby for better driver pay.
vdaniuk 12y ago
Facebook engineers are elite. Earning six figure salary, FB perks, CA public infrastructure, weather and other factors combined create a very high quality of life. While I think that engineer wages should increase at the expense of corporate margins, Valley engineers do live a life that is comparable or better than life of nobility in the past.

Totoradio 12y ago

If 6-figure salary engineers are barely middle class, what are $20/hour bus drivers?

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
morgante 12y ago
Lower class. If you look at housing prices in the Bay area, that's basically minimum wage.
- Alupis 12y ago
  It's not FB's job to ensure bus drivers can buy houses in the main city. If the bus drivers are so stubborn to live in the bay, there is plenty of very affordable living spaces (homes, condo's, and the like) all right outside the main city in the suburbs. Irregardless, let's not all weaponize against a company simply because said company has money and bus drivers don't. $20 an hour is pretty darn good for a relatively low-skilled job.
  - Totoradio 12y ago
    Their work schedule (6:10-11:10 AM and 5:15-9:45 PM) makes it very hard to live too far away from their workplace.
    - Alupis 12y ago
      And? You somehow think that justifies what? $50 an hour? when is enough, enough? Loo, my father works for the city municipal public transit system (has now for 20 years), but these are bus drivers - it is a low skilled job with a fast revolving door.
      - DanBC 12y ago
        "Low skilled"? That seems an odd, risky, attitude to have about someone piloting twenty tons of steel and a full load of passengers through a city.
        beagle3 12y ago
        It is a statement of fact. "Low skilled" is, in this case, in comparison to the population, not some objective absolute. In CA, "driving literacy", which is almost sufficient for piloting said steel contraption, is comparable to real literacy, and I suspect is way above numeracy. Would you consider being able to read or do arithmetics anything other than "low skilled"?
        Alupis 12y ago
        It most certainly is low skilled. Anyone can sign up, take a 2 week course given by the municipal public transit system, then take the state's Class B license test. After that, you are in charge of the "twenty tons of steel" no holds barred. In fact, at the local university (it's a UC, but I won't name it since then you'd know which municipal public transit system I'm using in my anecdotes), student's 21 and up can apply and take a 1 week course, the UC pays for the Class B license test, and then they, a student, gets to drive the UC's "twenty tons of steel" buses around campus and to nearby neighborhoods shuttling students around. (ya, it's as scary as it sounds). I don't know for sure, but I assume more UC's have similar programs. Yes, this is by definition a low skilled job.
  - morgante 12y ago
    If you read my original comment, I'm not in favor of this attitude/weaponization anyways...

shoo 12y ago

sure, i'll agree `entitled` or `nobility` is a bit unfair, but the bus drivers must be making < $50k, assuming they work full time, with those ugly split shifts. how about "relatively elite"?

teh_klev 12y ago

I don't see a "combative stance" being expressed in that article. Is desiring union representation combative? It's not as if they're suggesting going on strike or even demanding more money. Sometimes companies do need a little bit of a collective nudge to try and work out better working conditions and schedules.

hueving 12y ago

I never understood how attacking the highly skilled workers by referring to them as entitled or nobility is supposed to accomplish anything. What an stupid way to alienate the very group that might actually empathize and lobby for better driver pay.

vdaniuk 12y ago

Facebook engineers are elite. Earning six figure salary, FB perks, CA public infrastructure, weather and other factors combined create a very high quality of life. While I think that engineer wages should increase at the expense of corporate margins, Valley engineers do live a life that is comparable or better than life of nobility in the past.