Sanders Battles With Staff Over $15 Hour Wage

So I'm still very much a young man, but am no longer an old boy. When I was an old boy though, I thought voting for Bernie Sanders (before Hillary bought out his integrity and well being) was a good idea. The notions of canceled student loans, UBI, and an all around "peaceful, progressive" socio-economic environment appealed to me. Then, after I got out of college and worked in the financial sector for a few years, I started to really understand how absurd and out of touch this man is with a baseline reality for most Americans who bring in an income anywhere between $30-45k a year.

I put this in the breaking news section as this article just came out today, and I spent about 10 minutes doing some basic math on what Bernie is battling vs. what he publicly supports. For the record, he went to the same high school as I did, and after realizing the silly disconnect in his language vs. his actions, I am no longer proud of that fact

Sanders Battles With Staff Over $15 an Hour Wage

Some notable excerpts from the article:

According to the agreement made between Sanders campaign and the union, which began on May 2, field workers were to be paid $36,000 annually rather than by hours worked. However, on May 17, the Post states that Shakir recommended that field organizer pay be raised to $42,000 during a staff meeting. In the same meeting, he also suggested that the work-week be extended to six days a week the union's letter said.

According to the Post, the union rejected Shakir's plan, in part because of the healthcare costs that would fall to the campaign workers to pay.

This month, workers used Slack — an instant messaging service utilized by many companies and organizations, including the Sanders' campaign — to express distress at not being paid a "living wage."

"I am struggling financially to do my job, and in my state, we've already had 4 people quit in the past 4 weeks because of financial struggles," one worker told Shakir via the service, according to the Post.

Another said he needed a raise, "because I need to be able to feed myself."

Is this the behavior you would expect from the mainstream media's portrayal of what Bernie stands for, and what he's promising the American people? Are his actions matching his words? Well, let's take a look at his words:

Bernie Sanders on UBI

Here's him directly responding to questions regarding Universal Basic Income - something that his campaign employees would directly benefit from based on the woes they're currently expressing:

Q: What do you think of a Basic Income Guarantee if/when unemployment rises due to automation?

Bernie Sanders: I think that as a nation we should be deeply troubled by the fact that we have more people living in poverty today than ever before and that millions of seniors are finding it difficult to survive on about $1,200 a month from Social Security. I think we need to take a very hard look at why real income has gone down for millions of Americans despite a huge increase in productivity. In my view, every American is entitled to at least a minimum standard of living. There are different ways to get to that goal, but that’s the goal that we should strive to reach.

A year later, during another Reddit AMA on May 19, 2015, Sanders was once again asked about universal basic income, this time by /u/Stack0verf10w.

Q: Hello Senator Sanders, what is your stance on Universal Basic Income(UBI)? If in favor how do you see the United States progressing towards realizing UBI? If against, what alternatives come to your mind for combating rising inequality and poverty in the United States?

Bernie Sanders: So long as you have Republicans in control of the House and the Senate, and so long as you have a Congress dominated by big money, I can guarantee you that the discussion about universal basic income is going to go nowhere in a hurry. But, if we can develop a strong grassroots movement which says that every man, woman and child in this country is entitled to a minimum standard of living — is entitled to health care, is entitled to education, is entitled to housing — then we can succeed. We are living in the richest country in the history of the world, yet we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country and millions of people are struggling to put food on the table. It is my absolute conviction that everyone in this country deserves a minimum standard of living and we’ve got to go forward in the fight to make that happen.

Let's take a look at this together, and please correct me if I'm wrong:

Assuming a 23% tax rate:



$36,000 a year breaks down into:

$3000 a month



~$690 deducted for state and federal taxes


That means an employee would be taking home $2310/2 = $1155 every 2 weeks

—————————

$45,000 a year breaks down into:

$3750 a month



~$862.50 deducted for state and federal taxes



That means an employee would be taking home $2887.50/2 = $1443.75 every 2 weeks

If you're like me, living in a massive and expensive major city with a college degree, earnings between $30-45k are just not good enough (especially if you graduate college with student loan debt).

Consider this generalized breakdown, which is an accurate reflection of many NYC residents:

Average NYC monthly rent: $1300-2200 for a 1BR

Average NYC monthly transportation costs: $100-250 using public transit

Average NYC monthly food costs: $400-600

Average NYC monthly utilities (electricity, internet, phone bills): $150-250

Using the lowest figures in this hypothetical and incomplete budget above, that's a monthly expense of $1,950. Whether his employees earn $36k a year or the proposed figure closer to $45k, it's safe to assume that many of us would not recognize this as a living wage, or even a wage that one can prosper with.

The math just doesn't add up here ladies and gentlemen. Bernie, how can you discuss a UBI when you can't even figure out a way to make your own campaign employees financially sustainable? How can you expect a population size of over 350 million Americans to take you seriously regarding a universal basic income when you literally can't even scale that project down to a fraction of this population size and try it with your own campaign employees? You don't have enough capital to sufficiently pay a few thousand employees hired to ensure your success, but you want this entire country to believe you can sustain free monopoly money for every man, woman and child?

Bernie, if you're not willing to pay the people who support you most what is considered to be a "living wage," how in God's green earth do you expect anyone to believe your superfluous and flighty promises of a universal basic income by virtue of me simply being me, or you simply being you?

It's a sad day when you find out that the representative you thought you had a good understanding of turns out to be nothing more than a modern day sophist. Watch your wallets closely folks, and be weary of those that offer free gifts.

a reply to: facedye

Don't worry. Over time you will realize that none of them want to help the citizens of the U.S. They just want control of them.

a reply to: highvein

oh trust me, we're in the same boat on this. i'm just appalled at the arrogance. it's as if he really doesn't think anybody can sit there for 5 minutes and figure out how unrealistic his entire campaign foundation is.

a reply to: facedye

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You are going to rile up some of the leftists around here. They don't react well when reality smacks them upside the head. They don't like it one bit when their fantasy world comes crashing down around them.

The irony will continue all the way to the losers' lineup at next year's DNC Convention 😎

Once workers go over a certain number of hours per week, the campaign must provide Obamacare health insurance for them. Very expensive.

Now Bernie sees how awful it would be to raise everyone's taxes $6,000 a year to pay for his Medicare for all coverage.

If it weren't for double standards, the progressive left would have no standards...

I don't know why anyone is surprised that Bernie doesn't actually do the things himself and in his own life that he wants to foist on others. He is a good little socialist / commie. All the plebes suffer while the elites get to live under different policies.

Maybe his workers will wise up and have some introspection in regards to their beliefs now that reality is slapping them in the face.

a reply to: facedye

So you're basically saying Bernie isn't socialist enough and people should get even more than the handouts he's calling for, being entitled to them for... reasons? Or, are you accepting the simple fact that people are going to get out of life what they put into it and different career paths require different levels of effort and comitment for totally different levels of compensation and Bernie's ideology of universal basic income and all jobs must pay a living wage is an expensive pile of dog crap that is unworkable in the grand scheme of things?

originally posted by: carewemust
Once workers go over a certain number of hours per week, the campaign must provide Obamacare health insurance for them. Very expensive.

Now Bernie sees how awful it would be to raise everyone's taxes $6,000 a year to pay for his Medicare for all coverage.

Another misstatement. America already spend enough on healthcare to cover the entire costs of medicare for all.

LETS BE REAL THEY DESERVE 20 AN HR!

originally posted by: sligtlyskeptical

originally posted by: carewemust
Once workers go over a certain number of hours per week, the campaign must provide Obamacare health insurance for them. Very expensive.

Now Bernie sees how awful it would be to raise everyone's taxes $6,000 a year to pay for his Medicare for all coverage.

Another misstatement. America already spend enough on healthcare to cover the entire costs of medicare for all.

...when was the last time a politician or agenda driver's cost estimate wasn't woefully understated and ended up costing magnitudes more than predicted?

originally posted by: Lysergic
LETS BE REAL THEY DESERVE 20 AN HR!

20 kicks to the ass...

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: facedye

So you're basically saying Bernie isn't socialist enough and people should get even more than the handouts he's calling for, being entitled to them for... reasons? Or, are you accepting the simple fact that people are going to get out of life what they put into it and different career paths require different levels of effort and comitment for totally different levels of compensation and Bernie's ideology of universal basic income and all jobs must pay a living wage is an expensive pile of dog crap that is unworkable in the grand scheme of things?

the latter, unequivocally. thank you for phrasing it so succinctly.

originally posted by: Lysergic
LETS BE REAL THEY DESERVE 20 AN HR!

I agree, and under the Green New Deal that Bernie supports, all Americans...even if they don't want to work on the Bernie Sanders campaign...should be paid $20 an hour as if they are working on the Bernie Sanders campaign.

Let's get the socialist gravy train started...beginning with Bernie's campaign!

Not enough money in the campaign coffers Bernie? No problem, just run a massive deficit, and then when you gain power tax the rich, middle class and the poor until your campaign debts are paid off.

Hopefully, this little incident is a giant red flag to all of those who really believe that Bernie and his socialist comrades really mean what they say on the campaign (ie. power trip) trail.

originally posted by: sligtlyskeptical

originally posted by: carewemust
Once workers go over a certain number of hours per week, the campaign must provide Obamacare health insurance for them. Very expensive.

Now Bernie sees how awful it would be to raise everyone's taxes $6,000 a year to pay for his Medicare for all coverage.

Another misstatement. America already spend enough on healthcare to cover the entire costs of medicare for all.

this is not true. what makes you believe this is the case?

a reply to: facedye

Ah, then I welcome you into the wonderful world of understanding economics and personal responsibility.

For the most part, the majority of Bernie supporters will veer swiftly and instantaneously away from him once they leave college, get a family, and recognize the very real human cost of taxation on a worker's paycheck for the first time. That cold, hard slap across the face when you realize "Uh, I just spent the first several months of last year working to support a bunch of strangers and didn't see a cent in direct compensation until mid April. WTF?" is a far more real and logically staggering awakening than any of the "not yet in the real working world" phantom beliefs of entitlement accompanied by a lack of understanding of real world economics. In other words, the day a man realizes there is no such thing as a free lunch is the day that man rejects Bernie Sanders and all who are like him and starts to grow up.

a reply to: mobiusmale

Hopefully, this little incident is a giant red flag to all of those who really believe that Bernie and his socialist comrades really mean what they say on the campaign (ie. power trip) trail.

i really hate to come off as pessimistic as this is about to seem, but i'm confident that this will go largely unnoticed after about 30-90 days from now. between the saturation of information that takes longer to verify than digest, and everything else going on geopolitically that's currently coming to a head, this seems like great afterthought material. it's disheartening and curious, and yet true regardless.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

oh s#!t i just realized i completely implied i was a staunch bernie supporter. my apologies, let me clarify: in the spring/summer of 2016, Sanders was still more or less on the table as a candidate until he essentially folded pretty awkwardly. all i was really trying to convey was that it seemed like his aspirations were more attractive to me than the stated aims of the two candidates who we as a nation ended up voting for.

in other words, these things always seemed unrealistic to me, however i would have felt more comfortable with a vote for sanders than the other two. in my opinion, the amount of mudslinging and downright disgusting information thrown around both sides over the course of that campaign made it hard for anybody to swallow the vote they made. By contrast:



^^^ know what i mean?

the day a man realizes there is no such thing as a free lunch is the day that man rejects Bernie Sanders and all who are like him and starts to grow up.

couldn't agree with you more.

a reply to: facedye

I can understand the hypocrisy of Sanders and all politicians, but why should people be guaranteed a certain wage? Are they being forced into this position against their will? Are there no other options, or even better, other areas where their dollar would go a lot farther?

$36,000 per year is perfectly acceptable in a lot of the country. Are there population quotas that these very expensive metropolitan areas that need to be enforced? Is living in that very expensive area possibly a personal choice?

originally posted by: ClovenSky
a reply to: facedye

I can understand the hypocrisy of Sanders and all politicians, but why should people be guaranteed a certain wage? Are they being forced into this position against their will? Are there no other options, or even better, other areas where their dollar would go a lot farther?

$36,000 per year is perfectly acceptable in a lot of the country. Are there population quotas that these very expensive metropolitan areas that need to be enforced? Is living in that very expensive area possibly a personal choice?

isn't that line of inquiry kind of besides the case in point here? regardless of location and cost of living in several different areas of this country, his own employees are already vocal about not earning enough to keep working for his campaign. if you can't run your own campaign, regardless of political party or ideology, how are you going to run an entire country?