thanks for response/clarification
They nearly always are… legally or reputationally. (McD sueing the 18 y.o. college kind does not sit well in the court of public opinion)
Yes, the real “value” in these agreements for low-wage workers is not in actually enforcing them. That’s why you never hear about Jimmy John’s actually suing someone. The value is the employee is afraid they will get sued if they get a job at Subway or Quizno’s or just some local sandwich shop - and because of that, they don’t even try. And that tends to keep wages down.
( They are sometimes enforced in different circumstances with higher-paid employees, such as a doctor opening their own practice too geographically close to their former employer/group)
whereas I don’t put in doubt the “underlying mechanism”, in my work-experience, workers know pretty exactly what they can do / can’t do, by speaking with other workers.
I remember (being a fresh hire) mentioning the competitive clause at the water-fountain, and I got sponaneous feedback from about 10 cubicles along the line (thats BS, that clause is illegal, never enforced, no worries, etc…)
so I have trouble visualizing workers being scared off getting a job at McD b/c they learned how to flip a burger at Jimmy John’s or BK …
If anything, the workers pass on relevant news (McD across the street is now paying 1$ more as of yesterday) … and suddenly you lost half of your graveyard-shift within a day or two
I worked in China for 6 years. Even though I was just there as a “half-pat” (i.e. no special expat contract), my employer was still quite European in employment style, so there wasn’t a great difference from working in my native UK. And, from my friends’ experiences I think this is typical: tech sweatshops may exist, but they aren’t typically going to employ foreigners for those roles.
Healthcare was better IME. Not just because of the private hospitals, but even public ones, everything was so efficient. For example, I got a cyst in my jaw, and it required 3 dental appointments and an overnight stay in a hospital. It was all done in as quick as the jaw-healing would allow; this would be a nightmare scenario in the UK. And I miss the peace of mind of having regular check ups.
NB: I’m pro-UHC, I think the problems with the NHS right now are not due to the funding model.
I initially only had 11 days holiday – which is similar to the US AIUI, but significantly less than European nations. However, China also has two week-long public holidays (sort of; it’s complicated, but let’s just say a lot of public holiday days). Personally I prefer a personal allocation over being forced to take a holiday at the busiest times of the year though.
It’s more a case of “If your job no longer needs doing, the government will make arrangements, one way or another, to ensure you’re not left on the street”.
One of the best hings about the Navy 30 days’ leave, starting the day you report in at boot camp. Free medical and dental (for you and your dependents). Rent-free government quarters, or monthly housing allowance if not in government housing.
Drawbacks, too, of course, the worst being six-month deployments…
Is that even a thing? It’s been about 45 years since I’ve worked a “McJob”, but I don’t recall ever having to sign a non-compete. It’s not like the line workers are exposed to a lot of proprietary industry-disrupting IP.
In contrast, the American attitude seems to be “it doesn’t matter what you are doing, as long as you make a shit ton of money it’s valuable to society”
I suppose the more money I make, the more I’ve come to the conclusion that the system is bullshit and most “free market conservatives” are complete idiots who don’t know what they are talking about.
I have no problem taking advantage of the system to enrich myself to the greatest extent possible simple because I have to survive in it. But I have no delusions about the fact that we have created entire industries that serve no purpose other than to amass wealth for people who did nothing to contribute to its creation.
It started much more recently than 45 years ago and I haven’t heard of any of the really big chains being involved, although some of their franchisees might be . And it’s not just fast food
Well that’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. We’ve had them in the tech industry since at least the 90s but that is somewhat justifiable. You don’t want people taking code and other IP they built using the company’s resources to competitors or striking out on their own with it. But I can’t envision any business reason someone working the drive thru at McDonalds shouldn’t be able to transfer those skills to Wendys.
Unless the purpose is entirely punitive.
In California, NDAs to protect trade secrets are enforceable, but non-compete provisions are not. So a contract clause that says you cannot work for a competitor is not valid here.
From here:
“Non-Compete Provisions Are Void: While NDAs often include non-compete clauses to prevent employees from working with competitors, California law prohibits non-compete agreements in most circumstances. These clauses are generally unenforceable, so even if an NDA includes one, it may not be legally binding.”