Thursday, June 15, 2017

The Bo$ton Globe's Dream Worker

He, she, or it "must be willing to work for close to minimum wage -- and be content to “stand at a counter and wait on people” for years to come. "

And deliver newspapers.

"Hiring sale: Job availability on the rise" by Katie Johnston Globe Staff  June 14, 2017

The number of job openings across the country hit a 16-year high in April, at 6 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statisticis, and “Now Hiring” signs are popping up all over. But with the national unemployment rate at a 16-year low of 4.3 percent, and fewer people switching jobs, hiring has fallen, suggesting that employers haven’t been able to find enough qualified workers to fill their needs.

The bull$h** excu$es never end.

In Massachusetts, where the unemployment rate is lower than the nation’s and businesses are expanding left and right, the worker shortage is particularly acute — “The evidence is definitely becoming quite clear: We’re darn near if not past full employment in Massachusetts,” said Michael Goodman, executive director of the Public Policy Center at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. “We’re running out of employable people.”

Then why the push for the immigration visas? And what is with the state tax revenues coming in below expectations every month, crawling around 1% growth (meaning we are in recession; they are preparing us with this $h**). Can't have it both ways!

Well, I gue$$ you can if you don't mind looking like a complete liar pushing $h** propaganda, and this kind of stuff is always plea$ing to the elite ear of their ma$ters. They aren't troubled by the ongoing Grand Depression under which most of us have suffered. All the money went up, and it is a Good Life for those at the top. The paper is of and for them, written by fawning wannabes.

One factor contributing to the worker shortage is the lack of wage growth. Declining unemployment usually leads to higher pay, but average earnings have increased 2.5 percent nationwide over the past year. When inflation is taken into account, the increase was only 0.4 percent.

This tepid growth is not enough to pull people back into the labor force who might be enticed by higher wages, such as stay-at-home moms or discouraged workers who have given up looking for jobs, said Northeastern University economist Alicia Sasser Modestino. The number of people working or actively looking for work, known as the labor force participation rate, has been declining over the past decade and has leveled off in the past few years. In Massachusetts, the rate has increased slightly in the past year.

Yeah, hi. 

“You need a stronger wage growth to really entice those workers to really come off the sidelines,” Modestino said.

OMFG! This article opened with the chance to earn “an unlimited amount of money!”

I'm sorry, readers, but this is no longer working for me.

Adding to the glut of job openings is the fact that many employers are being more choosy about who they hire, a counterintuitive practice at a time when there are fewer qualified workers available. Companies are paying more attention to finding employees that will fit with the corporate culture; some are even giving applicants online behavioral tests or requiring potential employees to perform tasks before they make a job offer.

Or no soup for you!  

"A company that sells soup from the recipes of the chef who was the real-life model of the Soup Nazi on ‘‘Seinfeld’’ has filed for bankruptcy less than a month after its chief financial officer was arrested on charges he cheated the government out of employment-related taxes. Soupman Inc., based in Staten Island, sells soups made from the recipes of Al Yeganeh (right). Yeganeh and his soup stand were the inspirations behind the ‘‘Seinfeld’’ television show character, who shouted the catchphrase ‘‘No soup for you!’’

I'm tired of the Zioni$t world view forming the basis of our society, and he should have incorporated as a multinational conglomerate or bank. Then he wouldn't be in trouble and the government would be giving him money.

Don't worry, Bo$tonians, you can still get a cup at the Seaport. 

Speaking of fascism:

"Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has heard the criticisms over its support of First Lady Melania Trump. Its response? The equivalent of a disinterested catwalk hair flip and a shrug — and not the fabric kind. Last week, Dolce & Gabbana rolled out a line of $245 T-shirts clearly meant to flout the objections of those who have called for a boycott of the luxury fashion label. ‘‘Dolce & Gabbana boycotts itself,’’ the brand tweeted last Thursday. The only thing missing was the crying-laughing emoji. The brand also released a video of a fake protest urging people to boycott Dolce & Gabbana." 

Uh-huh! A fake video of a fake protest of a fake boycott movement to pu$h an agenda and Trump up business. Good thing that never happens in my ma$$ media or pre$$!

As for Melania, nothing in my pre$$ about here ditching GMOs for the kids sake. 

Or did she, and what is the Genetic Literacy Project (in rainbow motif of all things)?

A GMO lobbying outfit funded by Monsanto and sporting financial ties to Bill Gates?

At the Copeland Package Store in Quincy, owner Dennis Carson is looking for a “dream person” to replace a 17-year employee who had to leave for health reasons. This person must be willing to work for close to minimum wage -- and be content to “stand at a counter and wait on people” for years to come. 

In other words, be a mindless and unambitious slave.

Carson has had less than 10 applicants in the two weeks his “Help Wanted” sign has been up at the store his grandfather built, and he hasn’t had time to check their qualifications because he’s been so short-handed. The job is for a full-time sales clerk, with vacation time and partial medical and dental insurance, but he can’t afford to pay much more than minimum wage. “People don’t want to work for $11 or $12 an hour,” he said.

You know, I know a kid.....

I'm sure the staffing agency will send a robot over soon.

Carson said he plans to keep his sign posted for a few more weeks — “unless my dream person walks in the door.”

Maybe no one wants to work for an a-hole? Ever self-reflect upon that?

The concept of full employment might sound like a good thing, but it can keep businesses from growing, said Goodman, of UMass-Dartmouth. Companies might choose to locate or expand operations in other states if they can’t find enough people to hire here, he said. Unfilled jobs can also lead to reduced levels of service and drive customers away.

I'm tired of the excu$es, sorry.

The problem is exacerbated in Massachusetts, Goodman said, because the state has a relatively low birth rate and relies on outside workers to round out the labor market. This includes people coming in from other countries, he noted, which is becoming a bigger challenge as immigration and visa laws are tightened.

“The upshot for Massachusetts is that we have to deal with these problems or else we’re going to pay the price in terms of diminished growth,” Goodman said.

Some employers are finding they need to offer more incentives or retool their job descriptions in order to get the right candidates in the door.....

You know, if you are waiting for perfection..... no wonder they can't find anyone.

So when do workers get part of those $1 billion in state tax loot incentives for corporations that in effect pay no taxes and yet get huge tax loot subsidies like GE?

"The management shakeup continues over at General Electric. Steve Bolze, former CEO of the GE Power division, is retiring after he was passed over for the top post at the Boston-based industrial giant. Bolze led GE Power for 11 years and was one of the top contenders for CEO Jeff Immelt’s job. But Immelt and the GE board instead picked John Flannery, the head of GE Healthcare, and announced Flannery’s new role on Monday. So Bolze, who was based in Schenectady, N.Y., is exiting. GE promoted Russell Stokes, a 20-year GE veteran, to take Bolze’s place. Stokes, who will remain in Atlanta, ran the GE Energy Connections business, which is being merged into GE Power."

So what is his $everance package worth?

--more--"

Yeah, Dunkin', the official coffee of the Bo$ton Red Sox, owned by Globe publisher John Henry, is hiring.

They want you to behave like a trained fish:

"D’Alessandro could be out as SeaWorld chairman" by Christopher Palmeri Bloomberg  June 15, 2017

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. Chairman David D’Alessandro failed to win re-election at the company’s annual meeting Wednesday amid a controversy over incentive payments.

The board will determine whether to keep D’Alessandro in the next 90 days, the company said in a statement. The other three SeaWorld directors up for re-election, including Chief Executive Officer Joel Manby, all got a majority of votes.

D’Alessandro, 66, had served as chairman since 2010. He was previously CEO of John Hancock Financial Services.

Blackstone Group LP sold its 21 percent stake in SeaWorld to China’s Zhonghong Zhuoye Group this year, a transaction that required the theme-park operator’s board to reassess its stock incentive plan. In the course of that review, directors decided to partially vest some shares. That may have raised eyebrows among investors because SeaWorld shares have lost over 40 percent of their value since the company’s 2013 initial public offering.

They going to eat the whales? 

Oh, sorry, that's the Japanese.

D’Alessandro, who led the compensation committee, recused himself from the decision to vest some shares, SeaWorld said in a filing earlier this week. The company said in the filing that inaccurate information had been disseminated about the company’s directors, without saying what it was referring to.

Is there not one hone$t man to be found in my pre$$?

Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis said in a note last week that SeaWorld shareholders “will likely have questions for board chair D’Alessandro and the directors that approved the vesting of these awards.” Another proxy advisory firm, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., recommended D’Alessandro’s re-election but advised voting against the company’s executive compensation and a new stock incentive plan.

The stock rose 6.75 percent Wednesday, the biggest gain in a month. Reuters reported the shareholder vote earlier.

SeaWorld, based in Orlando, Florida, has lost visitors due to pressure from animal-rights activists over the company’s housing of killer whales in its parks. Activists say the large animals are inhumanely treated by keeping them in small tanks, when they should be kept at sea pens.

The company has promised to stop breeding the orcas and changed the performances at its San Diego park this year to better reflect natural behaviors.

“Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson, representing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, used the shareholder meeting to urge the board to move the orcas to a more natural habitat.

An angel of mercy is Pam (add her name to the list).

--more--"

RelatedTufts Medical Center, nurses fail to reach contract deal

That really cut them to the quick

Time to put you bed and shut this down for the summer:

"Americans cut spending at gasoline stations, department stores, and electronics shops in May as retail sales registered their biggest drop in 16 months, a cautionary sign for the economy, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Over the past year, retail sales have risen a solid 3.8 percent..... 

The outrageou$ne$$ of the claim in the face of the widely-reported retail collapse all year long left me $peechle$$.

US stocks dipped Wednesday as investors worried about weak retail sales and oil prices sank. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time in six months. The Commerce Department said retail spending decreased in May, which surprised the experts. Investors reacted by buying traditionally safe assets like government bonds and high-dividend companies’ stocks while selling stocks from other industries that depend more on economic growth....." 

Look at the stress all that online ordering is putting on the delivery drivers (or was it the sodas?):

Panicked UPS workers flee California gunfire that killed 4

You soon will not need a human for that, either.

Related(?): Thursday's Nothingness

With that I will be taking the rest of the day off. There won't be anything here tomorrow, either, because I'm taking the entire day off for several reasons. Just giving you fair warning. 

Sorry to disappoint you. I gue$$ I'm not a dream worker.

NDUs:

Decided to work half a day:

"Two cheers, then, for Massachusetts’ increasing unemployment rate. It’s going up for the best possible reason: because more and more people feel inspired to look for work again. Now let’s just hope they can find the good jobs they seek....."

Any wonder why I'm not quickly studying it anymore?

"US stocks fell Thursday as technology firms and small companies skidded. Investors bought high-dividend stocks, which pulled the market away from steeper losses, as investors wondered if the expanding special counsel investigation in Washington will affect President Trump’s proposed agenda of cuts in taxes and regulations. ‘‘Investors are getting a bit antsy waiting for these pro-growth policies,’’ said Karyn Cavanaugh of Voya Investment Strategies, but industrial companies rose on new signs US manufacturing has steadied....."

That could mean the pumps are pumping out as much water as is coming into the ship. Yay!

Meanwhile, Nike declined, Amazon declined, Kroger took its biggest one-day loss since 1999, competitor Supervalu fell, Mattel wants to restructure..... but other than that, everything is great!

"Skittles has temporarily ditched its rainbow theme in favor of an all-white look in the United Kingdom and Germany in order to give LGBT pride celebrations ‘‘center stage.’’ 

All white look? 

Who knew Skittles were white supremacists under all that color?

RelatedNestle may sell its US candy business

Also see:

Nike to cut 1,400 jobs, focus on online sales

Takata reportedly to file for bankruptcy 

That is that word again!

Fiat Chrysler recalling 297,000 minivans over air bags

Now you know whom to blame for the bankruptcy.

At least in Bo$ton they are ‘going to move from gang to gang to make our city safe.’

Hey, where you going? They are that way!

I didn't even bother to waste the ink marking the pos today.