How about I give you a title, not a raise?

I was diving home today and saw a sign in front of a local store. They need managers and they are willing to pay between...10 and 12 dollars an hour and benefits! This made me laugh out loud and shake my head. It reminded me of an episode of Cheers, where everybody wanted a raise and instead of giving them money he didn't have, Sam gave them titles.

Every time they went in to say they needed more money, not a title, he'd offer them a different title that sounded more grand and they'd walk out all proud of themselves. This is what this sign reminded me of, a trade off between a higher standard of living and a title that looks better than "customer service representative."

However, it highlights some problematic things happening in America.Workers are not valued, they aren't paid well and they are let go without any sense of responsibility or loyalty on behalf of the companies. You'll here, "it's just business" and while there is some truth to that, there is also the supreme hypocrisy of it all.

Workers are expected to live and die for the company. They are expected to put the company first, rearrange their lives to accommodate the company and to be a team play at all times. Companies across America all say  to us "Leave your children and families and give us your best 40 hours a week (or more) and we'll trade you in the moment you become even the slightest inconvenience."

Let's to the math on this sign and see what it equates too...12 dollars an hour is $480 before taxes and those "great benefits" come out. Just for fun, let's take that gross pay and see how much it would be over the course of a year, even though we know things come out of it, chipping away at even that meager amount. So this manager would get $24,960 a year. Sound like management pay to you?

No, it's hourly worker pay and it shows the ever increasing level of work and commitment companies of all sizes are requiring of people, even tough they will pay them a pittance in return. Being a manager means nothing, it's a title given to poor saps to boost their egos and make them think it's worth it to be a company slave.

Does this seem wrong to you?