the funny thing is that other countries in which workers have way more rights are "capitalistic" too. European countries for example just have a different take on social policies and regulations to avoid abuse of employers on employees, but the system is absolutely the capitalistic kind.
They haven't abandoned slavery, it's in fact embedded and solidified in their constitution. Take a look at the 13th amendment, and tell me again if they abolished slavery with that amendment. Americans would reallý like to claim they did.
And Apartheid. I litteraly saw in a documentary a bunch of black people buying their own land,just to let the same people as them buildung their homes here , living together 😨
No, you're not. It is very disturbing and deeply saddening that in order to have a nice life, you have to learn how to kill other people or be sent off to die on foreign soil.
This is largely due to having a professional army. Having people signing up to - worst case scenario - sacrificing your life for country, you need to have a hook. Benefits in form of decent treatment of their workforce, education programs, health care etc. is offered as an incentive for that signature on the contract.
when McD first came to Denmark, they tried to treat it's workers, just like they did in USA, but after Denmark saw how they were treated, Denmark said "HELL NO!" and FORCED them to treat their workers, like all other Danish companies treat their workers, but they didnt want to in the start... then Denmark shadow banned them HARD! workers went on strike, no food delivered, no commercials being run, NOTHING... follow the rules of the Danish society, or leave and never come back! well they changed, started to follow the rules and stayed... PS Denmark "only" gets 52 weeks paid parental leave... the country that had unpaid leave was France :)
@@koschmx as a Dane it sounds to me that u are trying to tell me that u are ok with your country treating their workers like slaves... learn about the world outside of USA and look at other first world countries to see how bad u are being fucked... if u watched the vid u would know a little about it, but there's plenty more, trust me!
Walmart apparently tried the same here in Germany a few Years ago, they tried to go with the same System they have in the USA by paying absolutely unfair Wages, trying to avoid paying its Employes Healthcare, Pension etc, the German Government protested against them that they have to follow the Rules, People striked against them, almost no one wanted to work for them or visit there Shops, and since they didnt wanted to change a Single Thing, they stopped there Project to spread Walmart in Germany after a Few Years and closed and canceled all Shops and planned Sides and gone back to the US.
@@patriceesela5000 In the context of Denmark vs the USA that's almost irrelevant, since Scandinavia as a whole is so far left of the US as to make it meaningless, in my opinion.
This is a large part of why I want to leave the US. I hate getting called a communist or socialist just because I want what every other country promises to it's people. It's so fucked here i can't wait to leave
@@jonisilk I'm in the process of doing that now. I'm a truck driver, and i moved out of my apartment and put everything in a storage locker. I'm living out of the truck so i can pay off all my debts, and pack away as much money as I possibly can. As soon as I can I'm out.
@@dav8388 A trucker in Germany earns roughly 1.800€ after tax per month. Probably they earn more because there is a need. The range I found on Google is 1800-4500€ before tax. An apartment in smaller cities or smaller areas are arround 600-800 (2 room apartment + bath and kitchen). So you can live with I would say 800-1000€ per month for food, internet etc. But it really depends where you are living because in Germany the costs are rising up, too. Also you have a set of 8 hours of driving I think. You have to monitor your resting and driving phases to ensure you are fully rested when you are driving. These things are laws. Although Germany for example looks like a worker heaven, there are problems here, too.
@@TheHalmkopf ya i know the pay is way less then in the us. I have never been the one to chase every single dollar i can get. So long as I can pay my bills I'm happy. I have rules now I have to follow. I can only drive for 11 hours with a 30min break before the first 8 hours of driving. Then I have to rest for 10 hours. I'm also only allowed 14 hours total work time for the day, and only allowed 70 hours of total work time in an 8 day span. When I run out of that I have to park for 34 hours. I have a computer in the truck that helps me keep track of it all. I've been driving for almost 8 years. I'm used to all the regulations now. Lol
@@dav8388 Yeah I can't say, what regulations are in place in the US. Because there is probably a loop hole to skip stuff like this. Also don't forget, that you have healthcare, pension and an unemployment insurance included in the tax. Also "better" public transport, swimming pools are subsidized (4€ in total to enter my local place to swim a bit and relax), food is I think cheaper in general in Germany. Other culture places are also funded by the state. As a student I could pay 5€ to go a classical concert of Tschaikowsky, although this could sound boring. It was a fun evening.
The populace has been brainwashed into thinking working yourself to death is a virtue, and anyone who wants work life balance is lazy. It is crazy making for people like me who have experienced living and working abroad and know it can be better.
Me, a normal gas station employee, my boss and his wife, we all know this and have changed our work conditions, open times and all that, according to our physical and mental health. In a position like ours, you can basically see that this working yourself to death thing is infested in the minds of everything related to running your own business. Customers treat you like a robot like serving slave, companies you have to deal with treat you the same. This problem is so deep and multi layered, you basically kill your own business if you try to introduce better work conditions for yourself and your employees.
Hollywood did a big part in selling the "american dream", from US movies in which you see nice houses, rich families, or ER, in which they treat the people very well never showing one saying, no i can't afford this treatment! or the military, Hollywood gets a lot of military helps when they make war movies, from equipment to even helping to fund the movie!
I totally agree with you with tipping. I choose to go to your restaurant, overpay for my meal, & now I have to also pay YOUR WORKERS their salary?! WTF?
Serbia here, I seen several times people from America reacting to this video, and about medical conditions and STILL I can not get on some shocking examples.... especially sick and parental leaves. I mean not allowing parents to be with their child or sick leaves. Or that not allowing workers to get to full time job... that literally is slavery. Actually what shocks me most is that more people in America does not complain or research about it. I am from one of poorer areas in Europe, free healthcare (only paying in pharmacy on picking medicine around 4€-5€) I mean bill for me and friend in restaurant (not quick food) costs more around 10€ then my monthly medicine costs, and I am epileptic and have to buy them regularly. Stunned and Shocked is only words I could use
I completely agree with you. I am from Croatia and live in Portugal since 2015. I've had a couple of accidents this year, and some of them were my fault and shouldn't have happened (rakija), and I've always been treated fairly and asked to take time off...just didn't want to. My employer tried to force me, but I just didn't want to. Point being, no one ever tried firing me or handing me a bill for my hospital trips because I paid my taxes and shit just happened.
We all have to keep in our minds, that we had extremly bad working conditions ourselfes in Europe. Our ancestors stood up and they fought for our "working rights". We went through social unrest, protests and strikes. It is not like the gouvernments gave all the rights just like that. In Germany the labour movement fought for free elections, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the most important demands included social aspirations: a dignified existence, i.e. minimum wages, the eight-hour day, the five-day week, labor protection, protection against dismissal and security in the event of illness, disability and unemployment. In addition, workers' education played an important role. These achievements were fought for bit by bit through strikes, but always remained controversial: the eight-hour day, which had been won for the first time in the November Revolution, was revoked by the employers in the mid-1920s, as was unemployment insurance, which had been set up in 1927 and was no longer supported by the government as early as 1930. Our current rights for the employee are (by German law): Remuneration for work performance, Punctual and complete payment of remuneration, Continued payment of remuneration during vacation, illness or incapacity for work, Proper payment of taxes and social security contributions, Right to employment, Recreational leave, Right to breaks to prevent overwork, Written issuance of payroll, Protection against dismissal, Right to equality and protection against discrimination and harassment, Right to data protection, Compliance with occupational health and safety, Issuance of earnings statements, Receipt of a qualified reference The employer will push you into the break room if you don´t use your break or if you have not used up your paid vacation days, they will tell you to make a vacation. The employer will get in trouble if they do not comply with German law. And: We still have strikes and discussions every year. It can be better^^ our minimum wage is € 9.82 per hour right now.
@@TheIncredible1984 Yes, it is planned to raise the minimum wage to € 12 per hour on October 1, 2022. Unfortunately, the law has not yet been passed. We hope for the best.
Umm, correction, as of 1.1.2022 the minimum wage has already been raised to 10.25€. On Oct 1, 2022 it will be raised to 12€ per hour. All of these were locked in and scheduled a few years ago. Also the unions have fought hard to have a Betriebsrat, an employee council, as a right in every single Betrieb / company, store, outlet, whatever that has at least 6 full time employees. BTW: there is also a minimum ratio of full-time employees to part-time employees regulation. A company simply can't employ ONLY part-time employees to evade these regulations. After a certain number of part-time employees have been employed their quota of part-time employees has been used up. A company then HAS to employee people full time to raise their part-time employee quota again. There's a LOT of fine print in the employee regulations in Germany's Arbeitsgesetz / employment laws.
@@RustyDust101 As far as I know it is planned for July 2022 to raise to € 10.45 per hour, the current minimun wage is € 9.82. 2015 € 8.50 2017 € 8.84 2019 € 9.19 2020 € 9.35 2021 € 9.50 2021 € 9.60 second raise 2022 € 9.82 "Seit dem 1. Januar 2022 beträgt der gesetzliche Mindestlohn in Deutschland 9,82 Euro je Zeitstunde. Der gesetzliche Mindestlohn wurde im Jahr 2015 eingeführt. Er gilt, mit wenigen Ausnahmen, für alle Arbeitnehmer*innen in Deutschland. Die Höhe des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns wird alle zwei Jahre von einer ständigen Kommission der Tarifpartner (Mindestlohnkommission) überprüft und kann durch Rechtsverordnung der Bundesregierung geändert werden." Souce: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales and my current payslip.
If you actually read German history, you'll find that many of the social benefits enjoyed by Germans were instituted by Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck during the late 19th century in order to cut the legs out from the Socialists.
I saw a video about healthcare in America versus the UK where an older woman said people just need to find a better job where they can get those benefits. I thought to myself at first, why should this be an advantage over others? and secondly, if everyone has to look for such jobs, who would do these lousy jobs if there are no more people for such jobs? The so-called shit jobs have to be paid in such a way that people can make a living from them.
"Oh if you can't afford health insurance, just get a better job", yeah, because better jobs just materialise out of the woodwork and it doesn't matter if no one does the criminally-underpaid job you're currently doing... /s The reason the "shit jobs" are low paid is entirely down to the USA's history of slavery and segregation. The "tipped minimum wage" for wait staff is entirely due to being because it was expected that only blacks and women would work those jobs and therefore "didn't deserve" decent wages. It's just another part of the systemic racism that permeates US society. Restaurant/fast food place owners basically benefit from racist laws - and have no desire to do better because they're greedy C-U-Next-Tuesdays...
This statement is not me defending this ideology of the system. Here in the US, it's all about the individual. The "freedom" refers to the act of being a free individual to make individual choices" without government interference in personal lives. So you work at fast food and are poor and can't afford healthcare? That's YOUR choice, so it's YOUR FAULT. Get a BETTER JOB and maybe you can support yourself like an adult. That's the mentality here. Also a lot of people here hate unions and any mention of a unified Healthcare or time off whatsoever like other countries, they scream "SOCIALISM!" The fear and ignorance seed is too rooted deep in the US society today to change. We riot about stuff and storm the capital, but not for the treatment of its citizens by big corporations.
Paid parental leave in Germany usually is 12 to 14 months for every child, no matter if it's your 1st or your 5th, in some cases this can be extended up to 36 months, but you don't get your full salary in that time, "just" up to 1800€ / month.
Man, you earned my entire respect. Being this honest and facing the problems your country has, seems to be a damn hard pill to swallow. I appreciate you do it anyways
Lithuanian here. Yes, we have 1 year at 100% paid leave and 2nd year at 80% paid leave with EVERY child you have. My sister had 3 children, and she was 6 years on paid leave lol Just to clarify, this is not employee who pays, this is Tax money. The only thing that employee have to worry about, is to find replacement for those years. Plus, you get free hospital if needed and "Newborn gift box" which contains everything you might need for first month. So having a kid does feel like a gift in itself
Hi James, I knew about this for the better part of 20 Years because I just found it on the internet. This is also one of the big reasons why I would never move to the US, I don't care that Amazon tried to offer me several times an IT Job. I would rather move to China, despite probably getting slammed with tons of social credit fines for my rather nonchalant tone and not giving a F about what I'm saying if it's what I am currently thinking. Thanks for the Video and I hope more Americans open their Eyes to the myriad of problems in their country and finally start doing something to make it better. Have a nice day o/
The comparison between China and the US is not accurate in my opinion. The Chinese government does not care about their citizens and there is no freedom of speech etc. I would definetly prefer the US. I know it's not perfect but better than China. I am just happy that i can choose to stay in Germany or anywhere within the EU.
There is a German saying: "Wir sitzen alle im selben Boot" (about "We are all sitting in the same boat" - "We are in this together") However the German saying allows for that quip: "Ja. Aber WIR rudern, während IHR angelt." (Yes. but we are rowing, while you are fishing.)
I'm glad you found the channel Secoond Thought, there's much more of this on it, and each reaction video helps spread even more awareness on the issues. Just keep your oven mitts ready, or facepalm protectors as I tend to call them.
I get upset watching these types of videos. Americans are mostly really lovely people. They deserve so much better than what they are getting. 💚 from Ireland 🇮🇪. Ps. Genuine question... if the VA looks after Veterans so well, why is there so many charities to replace the limbs of the war wounded? Why are so many VETS homeless on the streets? Why do so many VETS have do deal with PTSD and other mental illness on their own? I'm asking these questions out of respect and genuine curiosity. Is it that when you're serving then you are taken care of? And when you're discharged, you're on your own? I know about being able to get into college after serving and that sort of thing ( I just can't remember the name of it right now). Again. I'm asking these questions with genuine respect and curiosity. I'm not shitting on America and I don't want an argument on TH-cam in any way, shape or form. I would just like to be educated and enlightened so as to decrease my current ignorance on this particular subject. Take care and mind yourself. Hope you are well. Johnny. 💚🇮🇪
I'm glad that I live in a country that where you get paid annual leave sick leave and get paid when there's a public holiday. I only work 30 hours a week which I choose to do and still get all of the benefits which a full time employee gets. If you are wondering I live in Australia this also happens in New Zealand as well
Im a sole trader in Australia and I don't get any sick pay or leave but when my youngest had to get grommets, under Medicare, it was covered. That is a $5000 operation. All I can say is I damn glad I'm Australian.
Ive exchanged comments with an American that was working 16 hours a day and even wanted to compare paychecks, he was that confident he was doing well. Yeah m8, 16 hour days and you are winning :(
I am a newly young adult, and lemme just say, that growing up in the last six years, becoming more aware of what's happening in my country, I started to realize how disgusting it was. We pride ourselves on being great and rich and powerful, but we're only that way because even since the beginning, we have exploited lower class people to make money and it's even continuing today. I plan on moving to Germany after college and even though Germany isn't the best country, it does treat its workers with respect usually. Also Denmark tends to treat its people better because it's a socialist economy there, meaning people pay heavy taxes but there country has free university, free healthcare, free kindergarten and preK, etc.... The countries mentioned in the video don't just treat its people better, but they treat them right. These countries treat their workers as human beings and so we should realize that these countries are just setting the minimum for how we should treat workers, not that they are super kind and nice, but just treating their workers with respect.
Wherever you plan to go you will be treated better, and you will actually be paying less in taxes than the US for what you will be getting. Taxes in the developed countries can range from 15-40%, and it's about 20-25% for the most countries, and keep in mind that's with healthcare. While for the same treatment in the US you would have to part from about 43% of your paycheck. American government has created an illusion of low taxes because they don't include healthcare in it.
Yes and Companies in these country's can still make a shitload of Money because it is not just socialist vs capitalist economy it is a combination of both systems that helps companies make Revenue and keeps the workers healthy and gives them the feeling to be treated with respect and being appreciated.
No American citizen can be required to have a driver's license, Supreme Court rulings, dozens of them, say so. Congress voted to overturn those rulings, which congress does NOT have the authority to do. This is tip of the iceberg only, but by this ONE law the government has stolen tons of money and destroyed American families because they did not comply with laws that were illegal until 2015 when congress said they were not bound by the SUPREME voice of what is and is not constitutional. Treason is rampant. And nobody cares. the police will not allow charges to be filed and the news stations will not run the stories. No one will simply follow me and record me TRY to file charges. I can do nothing. Good luck, We, the People. OUR country, THEIR laws. All is under the influence of the American BAR Association. Who now fill congress. Go look, see it for yourself.
The problem is, whilst WE all see the truth in just about everything the guy says, you'll be hard pressed to find a significant percentage of Americans accepting it. The evidence is there, but willful blindness seems to rule much of America. The guys who maintain the American status quo have succeeded in turning very many adults into spoilt, happily ignorant infants without the mental capacity or determination to improve their own lives.
Yes but their capitalism is eating itself alive, their elite is just as ignorant because you can't have elite without workforce, and they estimate that one in every six American will be homeless by the end of the year. What the high class don't get is that they exploited that short term gains system for too long. With 1/6 of the population on the verge of poverty, no middle class, and no actual industry part of military and pharmacy the system is bound to collapse
No American citizen can be required to have a driver's license, Supreme Court rulings, dozens of them, say so. Congress voted to overturn those rulings, which congress does NOT have the authority to do. this is tip of the iceberg only. but by this ONE law the government has stolen tons of money and destroyed American families because they did not comply with laws that were illegal until 2015 when congress said they were not bound by the SUPREME voice of what is and is not constitutional. Treason is rampant. And nobody cares. The police will not allow charges to be filed and the news media will not run the stories. No one will simply follow me and record me TRY to file charges. I can do nothing. Good luck, We, the People. OUR country, THEIR laws. All is under the influence of the American BAR Association. Who now fill congress. Go look, see it for yourself.
And one of the perverse things of people living in that US system is that they don't say that employers need to pay living wages. Often they say that you need to hustle more to earn more if you need more money
America is the greatest place on earth. For the top 5%. That part presidents don't mention in their patriotic speeches though. Gotta keep the workerbees you want to exploit buzzing. For the bottom 50% it's actually more comparable to India than Europe.
This is why you can't beat Europe and Asia. More history, more paid days off, better public transport, many countries and cultures at the tip of your fingers, better healthcare, little guns
@ 30:00 It's even worse than he puts it. Actually there are only two countries in the world that does not offer any kind of parental leave - Papua New Guinea and the US. And if I had to make a guess, Papua New Guinea will get catch up before the US.
Yes, that video is accurate. In Germany every employee-not only full time workers have those rights. By law not by company! Holiday -mandatory by law, health insurance - mandatory by law, maternity leave- mandatory by law... I think you still don’t get how stark the difference is! Maternity leave is not only beneficial for mother child, family and business but also for the society as a whole raising mentality healthy children is essential for the country as well. That’s how other countries treat that topic.
In the UK, if you work part-time your benefits like holiday are available immediately but the amount available to you are in proportion to the number of hours worked, so if you work 17hrs a week you would get half of the holiday of someone working full time at 35 hrs pw. As everyone in the UK has access to the NHS, which is free at the point of use, health benefits are not required by employees in the UK.
I'm hoping that with Amazon workers recently winning and getting union of their own then soon (hopefully) McDonald workers will get a union and start demanding higher pay
Companies will pay people to NOT work for their competitors. The childcare thing in the military is all dependant on the command, department, and division leaders. I've worked with women who would get in trouble because they chose the wellness of their families/children over their jobs. One of whom made a public apology to their firstborn for "bringing them into a world that wasn't designed for them." and saying "this isn't what I thought would happen, it isn't fair to you."
What is called a benefit in the USA is already a human right in Europe. Governments ensure this, not companies, what US companies do is illegal in Europe.
I visited Leipzig two weeks ago and I broke my leg during my visit. I called 112, in 5 min the ambulance was there, they checked me up, they took me to the ER, I was tested for Covid, sent to X-ray, after I had a talk with the doctor and she prescribed me painkillers, gave me crutches and a prothesis. On Monday I went to a specialist, he sent me to physhiotherapie(massage and X-ray therapy), gave me another prothesis than was more stable and sent me in medical vacation that is payed by my insurance. The total cost for all of this- 15 euros. 5 for the crutches and 10 for the second prothesis.
2:20 I’ll tell a little analog. I play the piano. I’ve played with a church choir between ‘99 and ‘16, when the choir stopped, on a very decent level, a bit over my head at times. Lots of other venues, don’t matter. In the beginning I was ever so nervous, playing to an audience on a level I didn’t feel comfortable at, but I learned. Then I grew confident, I got a lot better, and even arrogant, which made my playing worse. Then I fell back on an earlier level of humility, so I started playing better again. Isn’t that where the US is right now? Being overconfident, even arrogant?
Also one thing to consider because i dont know if this is also the case in the US, is that for excaple in Germany when they say 33days of paid vacation and your company only operates from monday to friday (like many in the Mittelstand), you effectifly have more like 5workdays and 2 weekends so in the case of 33days you have actually 45 days. So how like i have seen things in america they worl 7day per week so if they would get 30days that would meen 30days off. If i am wrong surelly my fellow germans will correct me, how i know them 😁.
father and mother apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office, parental leave at the employer. Employees can take parental leave for a maximum of three years from birth. Employees in small businesses are also entitled to this. Protection against dismissal applies during parental leave. Germany ...
Isn't it actually a problem, when the only carreer that actually treat you fairly, is the one that forces you to die for them, when and if it's necessary. Millitary should absolutely not be needed, but the fact that it does, shouldn't make it the best workplace in the country.
thanks for making your channel! americans live in an lets say *american bubble* its good for you guys to finally open your eyes the the rest of the world!
/EDIT: Thank you, James, for this video and your honest reactions. During your 'intermissions' (I'm not calling them rants because they are faaaar too true) I was often sitting here, grinning at my screen, and saying: "Just continue on with that video, you'll recieve a) confirmation and b) eye-opening numbers thrown at you." /end edit While "Second Thought" is almost, *almost* too socialist for my taste, they do offer quite some interesting insights. I don't agree with *everything* they say, but I agree 100% with THIS specific video. There is sooo much that many other countries succeed at while being much less captialist than the USA. I don't want to dump on the USA. There are absolutely wonderful things in the USA as well, and for certain, the USA are the #1 in quite a few areas. But nope, not No. 1 in EVERYTHING. When it comes to treating their workforce it is just another form of slavery. Instead of literally owning a person's body, life, and every right they might have, it is wage slavery for 90% (to be very generous) of the population. The massive majority of the country is trapped in a downward spiral of working exceptionally hard without recieving either the benefits they should, nor the payment they have *earned*. Many are forced to spend their hard-earned income of two or even three jobs to barely being able to live hand-to-mouth. Few Americans are actually able to build up savings and invest in their future, but spiral downward due to overspending in credit debt, thus being forced into ever harsher work conditions. Throw in one or two unplanned hospital visits during your life and you can find yourself in deep debt even IF you have an above average health insurance. If those happen BECAUSE you were already unemployed and had lost your coverage you can assume that person is then stuck in debt for nearly their whole life unless they can recieve coverage by Medicaid. Those debts often come on top of student debts that many people struggle to pay off within 10 or 20 years after finishing their studies. The number of private debt bankrupcies in the USA is staggering, no matter the cause. As most such debt induced bankrupcies result in foreclosures on home-estate ownership any loans or mortgages on these home-estates means they fall into the hands of banks as security. The concentration of real estate in the hands of banks this has engendered is frightful. Ever fewer people hold an ever increasing percentage of the whole of the national US GDP in their hands. With the dollar being seen as a physical representation of power in the US mindset this means that ever fewer people in the USA have concentrated ever more power in their hands as well.
Yeah...it´s truly messed up. I mean, here in Finland I work to live, not the other way around. Also,as a painchronic I would have died in the US a loooong time ago. And, even though I´m sick I´m still multilingual, have 5 degrees in 4 different fields and can also watch my teen-aged kids roam about without the fear of being shot or something...enjoyed this vid. Thank you. Finnishmama
Hi James, as you perhaps know in Germany we have got a minimum wage of 9,82 EUR at the moment and will increase to 12,00 EUR per hour starting 1st of October 2022.
Koenntet Eurem grossen Nachbarn ruhig mal Entwicklungshilfe zahlen, dann kaemen auch bestimmt nicht so viele Deutsche Fluechtlinge! Fluchtursachen bekaempfen, vor Ort! Habt Ihr doch bestimmt auch schonmal gehoert!? 😁😉
Hey James...keep in mind that those worker's rights have been fought for and been bought with blood...just saying ;) Anyways, mach' weiter so, ich geniesse es, wie Du dich entwickelst, Du bist ein toller Mensch
37h/week . 30 days paid vacation. 2 sick days per month (just call my boss for those) and up to 6 weeks full paid sick days when a doctor says i need them.
As a delivery driver most times pay is reduced when on delivery. As low as 3-4 dollars. In store pay/delivery pay. We depend on tips as much as servers.
German here. For comparison: I work as a food delivery driver, 20h a week. Not a very high skill, prestigious job, right? Well, I make a bit over 11$ per hour (minimum wage is about 10.30$ right now, and rises every 6 months) plus some occasional tips, I have 25 paid vacation days a year, and a yearly performance bonus. That's on top of the state subsidized universal healthcare, pension, parental leave, etc. I can comfortably afford a 1 bedroom apartment (though it's a cheap and kinda crappy one), plus utilities, food, subscriptions, etc, and I can still afford the 50$ train tickets to visit my parents once a month or so, all without any debt or the need for a second job. And I am not exactly living frugally. Even someone in a dead end job like mine, got it so well compared to low-wage workers in america, or workers in general even. That's the level of how f*cked the american labor laws are. The mere concept of having to work a second (possibly full-time) job to make ends meet, is entirely foreign to me. It's cruel exploitation, nothing short of modern slavery. My condolences to the american people, and I wish you the best to make life better for yourselves.
the basic idea of social economics is: Throw money at the less fortunate people. Because this people will use that money to actually buy stuff. Daily necessities, things they need and even some stuff they had to forego for a long time. Poor people won't stuff their money in off-shore bank accounts. And what happens if people spend money? Well - there is a thing called VAT (Mehrwertsteuer) Buy a new phone? Boom 19% of the money is right back in the states pocket. Employee get's payed with the profit the phone generated? Boom another 25% or so back at home. Employee buys stuff - rinse and repeat. Keep the money flowing. That's what generates wealth for the most people. Of course throwing money at already rich people has also it's benefits. Alas not for the state or other people I fear.
There are some things that need to be improved, It starts by investing in the health and school system but the majority of the people I met on the journeys I made to the USA were definitely kind and talented. I just wish that they could travel more and get a chance to get an excellent education. The thought of equality seems to be a kind of danger although there are no studies (I didn’t dive into that topic. Yet!) that prove that. If some owners (such as McDonalds) would be paying a fair amount or even give them a bonus it would pay off.
Because we are able to say whatever we want, we exercise that right to its fullest extent and the powerful don't know how to love those who speak against them.
Hey James. You might want to check out Eco Geckos series about american suburbs. This version of the 'american dream' you are talking about is really a nightmare.
And what you probably don't know either is we're (in germany) often times getting like "vacation or Christmas pay" on top of our regular salary (which would be the pure paid leave aspect I think)
The problem in the USA is that to many rich people work for the goverment or be a president. The rich people lead the USA and they want just more money. 8$ a hour WFT
A nation needs to treat their military good, consider the consequences of the alternative: a well trained expert in fighting with access to the deadliest weapons available and he is not treated well..... i bet you see the picture!
In Germany, at the bottom of every menu, they tell you that value added and tips are included in the price. Every tip you give is a surplus to the real wage
Well about the 22$ in Denmark, I mean stuff is dirt cheap in the US compared to most northern countries in Europe, so they have to pay more, but it is obvious that the US pays very low wages.
I left the US over a decade ago. At the time I wouldn't have qualified for health insurance. Back then they could deny an applicant simply based on pre exsistance of any condition (can they still do this?) . My husband works less than 37 hrs a week, from home sometimes (precovid), could have taken a full year of paternity leave, gets 6 weeks paid vacation time, seemingly unlimited sick days that don't count against his vacation days and my diabetes and our kids asthma sets us back less than $500 a year in prescriptions combined. And our kid is getting an amazing education, where university will be covered, only textbooks and housing need to be covered (but the state helps with that too). Before moving here, I never would have imagined this kind of thing was remotely possible or even real. Unions are a great thing, I say this because there is no mandated minimum wage here, just unions who negotiate wages and leave.
Well The overall message was not new. But I can add to the content. In Germany the minimum wage, which is by the way one of the lowest in Europe, has, by law, to get adjustments every two years. The paid sick leave is six weeks..... per sickness. After those 6 weeks you go down into Krankengeld, a sick fund, which pay 67% of your net salary for up to 2 years. The paid parental leave is quite low, 8 weeks. After that you have to switch to the state parental leave which is about 52 weeks at 70% of your net salary for 1 parent, but it is not determined which parent uses it. If both use it (consecutive, not at the same time), they get a 4 Weeks extension. You can take that Elternzeit anywhere in the first 3 years of the child's live. If you get down to 35% of your salary, you get double the time. The mandatory paid vacation time is two weeks, no matter how many days in the week you work. So if you work 6 days a week you get 24 days, 5 days 20 days and so on. Many companies go above that, because it is the easiest way to give your employee a raise. And I tell you: The Unions had a big part in creating this.
Ok, you are misinformed about the Pizza driver thing. Most drivers get 1/2 the minimum wage on the road, so many are only getting $4 hr or less while driving. The rest make minimum wage + tips, but don't forget (and it amazes me how stupid people are for not understanding this) drivers are using and driving into the ground, their personal vehicles. Not a company car, their personal car! Think about that. They are ruining their cars' engines, brakes, tires etc.... This costs money to repair, and those repairs are needed twice as frequently because they drive at least twice as much as other Restaurant workers. At least! And if their car breaks down, they are out of work, and they cannot get unemployment for their car breaking down. Think about that, loosing your job because you cannot afford to work and NO unemployment for that. So drivers have to save enough for constant repairs, and for a new car if their car is unfixable. Not only do drivers deserve more of the share of tips than those inside the store, anyone tipping a driver less than 20% is an utter POS because they are putting drivers at risk of loosing their job. Don't even get me started on how it is one of the most dangerous Jobs out there. The risk of crashing and the risk of getting robbed or mauled by a dog are very high. Pizza drivers are treated like trash. Probably one of the worst treated workers in this country. And you may have guessed by now, I have done this job before. I have known many, people in that industry who have been robbed, who have been attacked by dogs, who have been hurt and killed in car crashes, and who have hit and killed pedestrians (he was not at fault, but the shock and guilt caused him to quit, not something most minimum wage workers have to deal with). It is a shit job, underpaid, stressful, and dangerous and they deserve to be paid a lot more.
I was fired by a bank courier company because I got robbed (paperwork only, no cash, no cameras in the bank parking lot where they robbed my car while I made a pickup inside. And I think it was a bank employee). They paid me 22 cents to 30 cents a mile. No other pay at all. My car. No gas reimbursement. No pay for my labor. No health insurance. Required to buy a smartphone on my dime). Independent contractor but I had to be at work at a certain time or else!!!!! I ruined my car. The other employees looked like hobos after a few years. No one got ahead. Beavex USBank Thieves!
Thank you man! I really like your reactions and open mind To many issues❤. Thank you wery many! Welcome To Europe! Greetings from Finland! Come for a visit❤😅
That's the same as saying America hates itself. Because, after all, "America" is composed of the people. And we don't hate ourselves. Those who love America the most are those who don't feel entitled to things which they should be supplying for themselves via their their very own personal efforts, necessary preparations, and something called damn hard work. NOTHING is free, nor is anything meant to be free. Get used to it because THAT is reality. If you want something, then go after it while leaving all the rest of us alone. You want a brand new car? Then go earn it. You want a nice house? Go earn it. You want to go to a particular university? Then pay the tuition all by yourself. And I repeat ... leave the rest of us alone, and keep your hands out of our pockets.
*James Bray,* Four hundred ninety-nine hours more per year than the French! 😅 That is 21 additional days per year, not counting paid holidays; 5 weeks minimum per year mandatory. Here, an employer can't refuse you to take your vacation (one week in autumn/winter and four weeks in spring/summer). But, you can (depending on the company) split it up in any way that suits you best. Unless, for example, as is often the case, the company closes entirely in August (the peak of summer in France). You're also obliged to take your four spring/summer weeks in August (identical if the company closes a week in winter for the autumn/winter week). But wait, it's not over; In France, the working week is 35 hours (What?!!! Lol). However, many companies need you to work 39 or 40 hours (sometimes more, but they're forced to pay you more overtime) per week to fulfill their orders. In addition, they're obliged to grant you the same number of hours of leave per year as the number of hours you've worked. This is called RTT days (compensatory rest) For example, I'm a caretaker of buildings. I work 39 hours a week instead of 35 with two hours lunch breaks for meals (knowing that I live where I work, if this weren't the case, then I'd also be entitled to paid restaurant tickets half by my company.) Consequently, I'm entitled to 5 (normal vacation, so) + 2 and a half weeks of vacations per year to compensate for this extra work. Not counting the 13th month (1 additional month's salary per year), retirement, Social Security (public health insurance), holiday vouchers (approximately €400 per year), etc., are included in your salary. Stay there; it's not over yet! 😂 There's also company profit-sharing each year (generally in April - compulsory for all companies with a minimum of 50 employees in France). We can either directly receive the amount paid into our bank account or place this money in an interest-bearing account of the company (stock market investments). But, in this second case, you must wait a minimum of 5 years to release the sum if you want to receive the interest on the investment. In the company where I work, I have another advantage in addition; if I choose the investment over five years, then my company pays the equivalent of the amount I spent on the investment (which doubles the amount invested, so if I have €2,500 of participation bonus this year for example, and I support them, then it's €5000 are invested in all for me. And, it works like this every year). So, if we keep all this money until retirement, with interests, we can afford a very nice pension, which is still a great advantage (this, in addition to our mandatory retirement pension, of course). Hey, you cry? Sorry, my friends, if I've broken your American dreams... 😊(Just a lil' joke in passing. You can hit me; I deserve it. Lol.) Ok, but more seriously, we're often made fun of abroad, particularly in the USA, 'cause of our strikes in France. But, we don't do this just for the pleasure of going on strike and walk in the sunny streets. We and you, American friends, each carried out our revolution at about the same time, you against the English (with a bit of help from France), and we against our dictatorial monarchy. However, since then, there've been four other revolutions and revolts in France (1830, 1848, 1870, 1968, not counting the yellow vests very recently and which lasted 2 years). How many have there been since in the United States? 😉 Thanks for this video. Peace, folks. 🤗❤(American friends, please, do as Frenchmen, fight for your rights!)
28:20 - the graph is well out of date. In 2013, ANZAC Day and Waitangi Day were finally "Mondayised" (meaning that if the actual day falls on a weekend, the day off is transferred to the Monday), taking the paid holidays from 9 to 11 days per year (average 10) - depending on what days of the week ANZAC and Waitangi days fell on - to 11 days per year and as of this year we have one day off for Matariki so we've got 12 days of paid holiday ("statutory holidays")... in addition to a minimum of 20 days of paid vacation ("Annual Leave").
Not only the paid maternal leave is a STANDART outside USA, nowadays many countries are even introducing paid leave for the new dad as well ! (though shorter than for the mother)
Great reaction James! Second Thought's is a great channel and has helped me learn a lot about America (because learning about other countries goes both ways - both to see where we are lacking and where we are doing actually pretty great. Because if it's one thing that Germans love to do, it is complain sometimes. But only because they don't know how good they have it, and that realization is only possible when you get insight into other countries. So I learn just as much as you do if I watch these videos) If I might recommend another video of Second Thoughts, it's' about the American Prison System and why it is the worst in the world. I already knew a lot about the US (and it's prisons) but for some reason this video shocked me the most, because it was much much worse than I thought.
I never got the whole "tips as a wage" thing... that's just outsourcing the responsibility of paying your employees a living wage to your customers, who are already paying for their food! And only in the US do the customers think/have been "conditioned" that that's Ok and tipping is seen as mandatory (even though a lot employers just keep the tips). In most countries tipping is unnecessary or uncommon and in some countries it's even considered impolite/rude or even an insult (Japan for example).
Hi James, the 22$ wage for a Danish McDonald's employer must be put into perspective. The taxes and the costs of daily life are in the scandinavian countries(and Switzerland) extremly high, much more than in Germany. In these countries a very high level of social and health care has a long tradition, so the taxes are higher than elsewhere. Low-incomers with a family are also struggling there but the state and the society support them more than other countries. Very extreme was it in Sweden before the EU membership. There it could really and legally happen that a citizen got a tax rate of more than 100%(!!). Absolutely unique worldwide. Since Sweden is in the EU they had to adjust their tax system, so today that is not longer a big theme there, as I know.
1:12 "There is this tradition of doing things they way they've always been done" - James Bray, 2022 As opposed to the traditions where people do everything different every time.
I'm from Romania. We have 21 mandatory paid leave. This year, my salary incresed with 20% and because i've asked for more they compensate with 2 more days of paid leave so now i have 23 days of paid vacation, We also have national holidays , free days which are also payd: 1-2 january, 24 january, friday before Easter and monday after Easter, 1 may, 1 june, 15 august, 30-november and 1 december, 25-26 December (christmas). So u make the calculation. Maternal leave can go till (now hold on) 2 years payed with 80%. In order to get that, u must work in the same company for at least 1 year. And trust me, the companies are doing very well....
I think for things like higher wages and capped full-time work week, you need to rephrase it, to "sell" it to the public opinion in the USA. You could argue it like that: if your workes only get payed poverty wages they wont have any money to buy products and wont contribute to the economy. If people work their ass off with 2 (or sometimes more) jobs, they might have enough money, but don't have the time to spend it. But if you raise wages at the same time as you cap the work week, they have the money and the time to buy more goods, which in the long run, highly benefits the revenue of basically every business. Plus, a worker that has time to rest and recharge "their batteries" every now and then, will work better and more efficiently than a worker that is totally stressed and sleep deprived. Therefore, you can produce the same amount (or even more) stuff in less time, which also benefits the company. Politicians are basically salesman. Specially in a country with such strong lobbies, you have to sell those things, and choose the correct arguments, depending on who you want to convince. And when everything is set for "maximum gain", you can't just talk about "work-live balance", but more how businesses will benefit from it, which they will. Even more than they can imagine.
In France, most things are based on inflation, by law. This means, for example, that minimum wage is adjusted automatically every year depending on the inflation. This year, it takes +2.01% it seems. This is simple to do. The USA don't do it not because they can't, but simply because they won't. Like everything else.
When and if I go to a Restaurant, I know ppl. get well paid, and if the Service is okay, I round it still up to a 10% Tipp. I know there are a lot of ppl. from all over Europe working here in Restaurant Service, because it is well paid, they could keep the Tipps. I watched a lot of TikToks (search for "Time for another Restaurant Story"), to see how assholing ppl. become knowing the server need the Tipps.
Full time in France is 35h per week ! Anything past that is payed extra hours. Also come with 5 weeks paid leave per year plus public holidays. Maternity leave is 16 weeks foryour first child, and it is way for your 3rd and afterand even more if you are having twins.
Minimum legal, mandated wage in Australia is $20.33 per hour. Here, your annual paid leave and other 'benefits' are factored into the basic costs of running the business. Its merely an 'annual salary' factored over 52 weeks. If you only paid for 48 weeks, (we get 4 weeks here in Australia) you would be paying a higher per hour rate so the employee has the ability to save for his 4 unpaid weeks. This type of arrangement is usually found in jobs paid on a 'Casual Employment' basis rather than Full Time or Part Time.
German here. We also get payed holidays and Childleave. we also get Childsuport money which is payed by the government. I unfortunately don’t know how many days since I am still in the FOS, a school.
dont forget that in Danemark every worker has also health insurance AND you pay less for a Mc Donald Menue than in the USA - so summarize - Mc Donald can pay a worker nearly 3 times more, the worker has health insurance and the prices of there products are as low as in the US - AND Mc Donald makes profit - and they tell you they can´t afford it?
In Germany the women get 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after giving birth paid leave 100%. After that they get 44 weeks paid leave at 67%. Aditional the women could get 2 more years unpaid leave. In this time they have a fulll health insurance!!! Men can get additional 2 months paid leave at 67% and after that 34 Months unpaid leave. U can take the parental leave until the chikd gets 8 years old. You even can split your parental leave.
I am already working on something that could help or at least could make a difference. Not by changing everything but understand fairness and not to be afraid of it. Maybe that is one of the major problems. There are plenty of intelligent people and everybody could tell another story…and that speaks volumes. Not to do that would be absolutely counterproductive and once people realize that someone who has to face that on a regular basis is depressing.
You know, I used to want to move to USA, seeing everything in the internet about it back then made me want to move there so much. Now that I grew up and looked up more important things about USA, I changed my mind. Don't get me wrong I want to VISIT the country as it's still great but not live in it. I would rather live in Canada or Australia. Maybe go to France or Germany or Switzerland. They seem like better alternatives.
I love your videos and how far you already got with the German language (even though it might be a pain in the ass learning all that stuff). Anyways the apostrophe in your title (its) is gramatically incorrect. There‘s no need for an apostrophe. Hope your not too mad at me for pointing out such a tiny mistake but somehow it bothers me. thanks for your videos and your positive spirit. peace
Whenever i hear/read about US work conditions, i'm led to believe that the US hasn't abandoned slavery, but embraced it under the name 'capitalism'.
True...i think the same...
liberalism!
the funny thing is that other countries in which workers have way more rights are "capitalistic" too. European countries for example just have a different take on social policies and regulations to avoid abuse of employers on employees, but the system is absolutely the capitalistic kind.
They haven't abandoned slavery, it's in fact embedded and solidified in their constitution. Take a look at the 13th amendment, and tell me again if they abolished slavery with that amendment. Americans would reallý like to claim they did.
And Apartheid. I litteraly saw in a documentary a bunch of black people buying their own land,just to let the same people as them buildung their homes here , living together 😨
am i the only one completely horrified by the way he so casually states that the only way to be treated "like a human" is to join the military??? WTF?
No, you're not. It is very disturbing and deeply saddening that in order to have a nice life, you have to learn how to kill other people or be sent off to die on foreign soil.
No, not the only one. Horrible
You're not the only one. And think about how great the veterans get treated..... 😭🤬
This is largely due to having a professional army. Having people signing up to - worst case scenario - sacrificing your life for country, you need to have a hook.
Benefits in form of decent treatment of their workforce, education programs, health care etc. is offered as an incentive for that signature on the contract.
I literal dystopia
when McD first came to Denmark, they tried to treat it's workers, just like they did in USA, but after Denmark saw how they were treated, Denmark said "HELL NO!" and FORCED them to treat their workers, like all other Danish companies treat their workers, but they didnt want to in the start... then Denmark shadow banned them HARD! workers went on strike, no food delivered, no commercials being run, NOTHING... follow the rules of the Danish society, or leave and never come back! well they changed, started to follow the rules and stayed... PS Denmark "only" gets 52 weeks paid parental leave... the country that had unpaid leave was France :)
@@koschmx as a Dane it sounds to me that u are trying to tell me that u are ok with your country treating their workers like slaves... learn about the world outside of USA and look at other first world countries to see how bad u are being fucked... if u watched the vid u would know a little about it, but there's plenty more, trust me!
Walmart apparently tried the same here in Germany a few Years ago, they tried to go with the same System they have in the USA by paying absolutely unfair Wages, trying to avoid paying its Employes Healthcare, Pension etc, the German Government protested against them that they have to follow the Rules, People striked against them, almost no one wanted to work for them or visit there Shops, and since they didnt wanted to change a Single Thing, they stopped there Project to spread Walmart in Germany after a Few Years and closed and canceled all Shops and planned Sides and gone back to the US.
@@Sheppart92 Who the fuck would want Wallymart in their country anyway? The company's a shit-stain on the face of the planet.
Would interesting to know whether the Danish government at time was run by a left leaning party, centrist or a right wing party?
@@patriceesela5000 In the context of Denmark vs the USA that's almost irrelevant, since Scandinavia as a whole is so far left of the US as to make it meaningless, in my opinion.
This is a large part of why I want to leave the US. I hate getting called a communist or socialist just because I want what every other country promises to it's people. It's so fucked here i can't wait to leave
I hope you one day get the chance to do so, and that you take it with both hands. I've genuinely never met an American that regretted leaving.
@@jonisilk I'm in the process of doing that now. I'm a truck driver, and i moved out of my apartment and put everything in a storage locker. I'm living out of the truck so i can pay off all my debts, and pack away as much money as I possibly can. As soon as I can I'm out.
@@dav8388 A trucker in Germany earns roughly 1.800€ after tax per month. Probably they earn more because there is a need. The range I found on Google is 1800-4500€ before tax. An apartment in smaller cities or smaller areas are arround 600-800 (2 room apartment + bath and kitchen). So you can live with I would say 800-1000€ per month for food, internet etc. But it really depends where you are living because in Germany the costs are rising up, too. Also you have a set of 8 hours of driving I think. You have to monitor your resting and driving phases to ensure you are fully rested when you are driving. These things are laws. Although Germany for example looks like a worker heaven, there are problems here, too.
@@TheHalmkopf ya i know the pay is way less then in the us. I have never been the one to chase every single dollar i can get. So long as I can pay my bills I'm happy. I have rules now I have to follow. I can only drive for 11 hours with a 30min break before the first 8 hours of driving. Then I have to rest for 10 hours. I'm also only allowed 14 hours total work time for the day, and only allowed 70 hours of total work time in an 8 day span. When I run out of that I have to park for 34 hours. I have a computer in the truck that helps me keep track of it all. I've been driving for almost 8 years. I'm used to all the regulations now. Lol
@@dav8388 Yeah I can't say, what regulations are in place in the US. Because there is probably a loop hole to skip stuff like this. Also don't forget, that you have healthcare, pension and an unemployment insurance included in the tax. Also "better" public transport, swimming pools are subsidized (4€ in total to enter my local place to swim a bit and relax), food is I think cheaper in general in Germany. Other culture places are also funded by the state. As a student I could pay 5€ to go a classical concert of Tschaikowsky, although this could sound boring. It was a fun evening.
The populace has been brainwashed into thinking working yourself to death is a virtue, and anyone who wants work life balance is lazy. It is crazy making for people like me who have experienced living and working abroad and know it can be better.
And not to forget: Anyone who complains about the system has to be a communist, who want's to turn the US in a gulag.
@@robertnett9793 and godless, and we probably want to turn their kids gay too. 😉
@@admerin6961 Nah, just the frogs XD
Me, a normal gas station employee, my boss and his wife, we all know this and have changed our work conditions, open times and all that, according to our physical and mental health. In a position like ours, you can basically see that this working yourself to death thing is infested in the minds of everything related to running your own business. Customers treat you like a robot like serving slave, companies you have to deal with treat you the same. This problem is so deep and multi layered, you basically kill your own business if you try to introduce better work conditions for yourself and your employees.
Hollywood did a big part in selling the "american dream", from US movies in which you see nice houses, rich families, or ER, in which they treat the people very well never showing one saying, no i can't afford this treatment! or the military, Hollywood gets a lot of military helps when they make war movies, from equipment to even helping to fund the movie!
US employers call it 'benefits' which they are free to ignore. Other countries have compulsory workers rights
They call it "benefits", we call it "rights"
I totally agree with you with tipping. I choose to go to your restaurant, overpay for my meal, & now I have to also pay YOUR WORKERS their salary?! WTF?
The greed in the United slaves of America fucking pisses me off
Serbia here, I seen several times people from America reacting to this video, and about medical conditions and STILL I can not get on some shocking examples.... especially sick and parental leaves. I mean not allowing parents to be with their child or sick leaves. Or that not allowing workers to get to full time job... that literally is slavery. Actually what shocks me most is that more people in America does not complain or research about it. I am from one of poorer areas in Europe, free healthcare (only paying in pharmacy on picking medicine around 4€-5€) I mean bill for me and friend in restaurant (not quick food) costs more around 10€ then my monthly medicine costs, and I am epileptic and have to buy them regularly. Stunned and Shocked is only words I could use
As an American, I sincerely agree with you. But I am only a citizen, and so I, all of us, have NO voice in the matter of policy.
Znam brate, nisu normalni.
I completely agree with you. I am from Croatia and live in Portugal since 2015. I've had a couple of accidents this year, and some of them were my fault and shouldn't have happened (rakija), and I've always been treated fairly and asked to take time off...just didn't want to. My employer tried to force me, but I just didn't want to. Point being, no one ever tried firing me or handing me a bill for my hospital trips because I paid my taxes and shit just happened.
The hamster wheel only looks like a career ladder from the inside.
I love that! So true!
Well put!
I would laugh if that wasn't so sad and so true.
Woorrd
deep shit! true though!
We all have to keep in our minds, that we had extremly bad working conditions ourselfes in Europe. Our ancestors stood up and they fought for our "working rights". We went through social unrest, protests and strikes. It is not like the gouvernments gave all the rights just like that.
In Germany the labour movement fought for free elections, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the most important demands included social aspirations: a dignified existence, i.e. minimum wages, the eight-hour day, the five-day week, labor protection, protection against dismissal and security in the event of illness, disability and unemployment. In addition, workers' education played an important role.
These achievements were fought for bit by bit through strikes, but always remained controversial: the eight-hour day, which had been won for the first time in the November Revolution, was revoked by the employers in the mid-1920s, as was unemployment insurance, which had been set up in 1927 and was no longer supported by the government as early as 1930.
Our current rights for the employee are (by German law):
Remuneration for work performance, Punctual and complete payment of remuneration, Continued payment of remuneration during vacation, illness or incapacity for work, Proper payment of taxes and social security contributions, Right to employment, Recreational leave, Right to breaks to prevent overwork, Written issuance of payroll, Protection against dismissal, Right to equality and protection against discrimination and harassment, Right to data protection, Compliance with occupational health and safety, Issuance of earnings statements, Receipt of a qualified reference
The employer will push you into the break room if you don´t use your break or if you have not used up your paid vacation days, they will tell you to make a vacation. The employer will get in trouble if they do not comply with German law.
And: We still have strikes and discussions every year. It can be better^^ our minimum wage is € 9.82 per hour right now.
to add to that last sentence... minimum wage is about to get raised to 12€ soon (this or next year)
@@TheIncredible1984 Yes, it is planned to raise the minimum wage to € 12 per hour on October 1, 2022. Unfortunately, the law has not yet been passed. We hope for the best.
Umm, correction, as of 1.1.2022 the minimum wage has already been raised to 10.25€.
On Oct 1, 2022 it will be raised to 12€ per hour. All of these were locked in and scheduled a few years ago.
Also the unions have fought hard to have a Betriebsrat, an employee council, as a right in every single Betrieb / company, store, outlet, whatever that has at least 6 full time employees. BTW: there is also a minimum ratio of full-time employees to part-time employees regulation. A company simply can't employ ONLY part-time employees to evade these regulations. After a certain number of part-time employees have been employed their quota of part-time employees has been used up. A company then HAS to employee people full time to raise their part-time employee quota again.
There's a LOT of fine print in the employee regulations in Germany's Arbeitsgesetz / employment laws.
@@RustyDust101 As far as I know it is planned for July 2022 to raise to € 10.45 per hour, the current minimun wage is € 9.82.
2015 € 8.50
2017 € 8.84
2019 € 9.19
2020 € 9.35
2021 € 9.50
2021 € 9.60 second raise
2022 € 9.82
"Seit dem 1. Januar 2022 beträgt der gesetzliche Mindestlohn in Deutschland 9,82 Euro je Zeitstunde. Der gesetzliche Mindestlohn wurde im Jahr 2015 eingeführt. Er gilt, mit wenigen Ausnahmen, für alle Arbeitnehmer*innen in Deutschland. Die Höhe des gesetzlichen Mindestlohns wird alle zwei Jahre von einer ständigen Kommission der Tarifpartner (Mindestlohnkommission) überprüft und kann durch Rechtsverordnung der Bundesregierung geändert werden." Souce: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales and my current payslip.
If you actually read German history, you'll find that many of the social benefits enjoyed by Germans were instituted by Imperial Chancellor Otto von Bismarck during the late 19th century in order to cut the legs out from the Socialists.
A sign of a great country is by the way they treat its citizens…
Which says a lot about the USA. Workers exploited by the company owners.
Bingo
I saw a video about healthcare in America versus the UK where an older woman said people just need to find a better job where they can get those benefits. I thought to myself at first, why should this be an advantage over others? and secondly, if everyone has to look for such jobs, who would do these lousy jobs if there are no more people for such jobs? The so-called shit jobs have to be paid in such a way that people can make a living from them.
Like it is a good thing for your employer to have control of your healthcare.
Not to forget, many of the so called "shit" jobs are actually the really important ones, see what happened with the pandemic...
"Oh if you can't afford health insurance, just get a better job",
yeah, because better jobs just materialise out of the woodwork and it doesn't matter if no one does the criminally-underpaid job you're currently doing... /s
The reason the "shit jobs" are low paid is entirely down to the USA's history of slavery and segregation. The "tipped minimum wage" for wait staff is entirely due to being because it was expected that only blacks and women would work those jobs and therefore "didn't deserve" decent wages.
It's just another part of the systemic racism that permeates US society. Restaurant/fast food place owners basically benefit from racist laws - and have no desire to do better because they're greedy C-U-Next-Tuesdays...
This statement is not me defending this ideology of the system.
Here in the US, it's all about the individual. The "freedom" refers to the act of being a free individual to make individual choices" without government interference in personal lives.
So you work at fast food and are poor and can't afford healthcare? That's YOUR choice, so it's YOUR FAULT. Get a BETTER JOB and maybe you can support yourself like an adult.
That's the mentality here. Also a lot of people here hate unions and any mention of a unified Healthcare or time off whatsoever like other countries, they scream "SOCIALISM!"
The fear and ignorance seed is too rooted deep in the US society today to change. We riot about stuff and storm the capital, but not for the treatment of its citizens by big corporations.
Paid parental leave in Germany usually is 12 to 14 months for every child, no matter if it's your 1st or your 5th, in some cases this can be extended up to 36 months, but you don't get your full salary in that time, "just" up to 1800€ / month.
Man, you earned my entire respect. Being this honest and facing the problems your country has, seems to be a damn hard pill to swallow. I appreciate you do it anyways
More people need to call out this fucking greed and this slave system bullshit in this sick country
Lithuanian here. Yes, we have 1 year at 100% paid leave and 2nd year at 80% paid leave with EVERY child you have. My sister had 3 children, and she was 6 years on paid leave lol Just to clarify, this is not employee who pays, this is Tax money. The only thing that employee have to worry about, is to find replacement for those years.
Plus, you get free hospital if needed and "Newborn gift box" which contains everything you might need for first month. So having a kid does feel like a gift in itself
Hi James, I knew about this for the better part of 20 Years because I just found it on the internet. This is also one of the big reasons why I would never move to the US, I don't care that Amazon tried to offer me several times an IT Job. I would rather move to China, despite probably getting slammed with tons of social credit fines for my rather nonchalant tone and not giving a F about what I'm saying if it's what I am currently thinking.
Thanks for the Video and I hope more Americans open their Eyes to the myriad of problems in their country and finally start doing something to make it better.
Have a nice day o/
The comparison between China and the US is not accurate in my opinion. The Chinese government does not care about their citizens and there is no freedom of speech etc. I would definetly prefer the US. I know it's not perfect but better than China. I am just happy that i can choose to stay in Germany or anywhere within the EU.
No China is not a good option either, why choose there when there's many other great countries to live in ?
Try Bulgaria, its very trendy for it nomads this days. Cheap, very fast and cheap internet(i am on 60mb for 8 usd).
There is a German saying: "Wir sitzen alle im selben Boot" (about "We are all sitting in the same boat" - "We are in this together")
However the German saying allows for that quip: "Ja. Aber WIR rudern, während IHR angelt." (Yes. but we are rowing, while you are fishing.)
I'm glad you found the channel Secoond Thought, there's much more of this on it, and each reaction video helps spread even more awareness on the issues.
Just keep your oven mitts ready, or facepalm protectors as I tend to call them.
The term "working poor" comes to mind. You work full time yet still dont make enough money to survive.
I get upset watching these types of videos.
Americans are mostly really lovely people.
They deserve so much better than what they are getting.
💚 from Ireland 🇮🇪.
Ps. Genuine question... if the VA looks after Veterans so well, why is there so many charities to replace the limbs of the war wounded?
Why are so many VETS homeless on the streets? Why do so many VETS have do deal with PTSD and other mental illness on their own?
I'm asking these questions out of respect and genuine curiosity.
Is it that when you're serving then you are taken care of?
And when you're discharged, you're on your own?
I know about being able to get into college after serving and that sort of thing ( I just can't remember the name of it right now).
Again.
I'm asking these questions with genuine respect and curiosity.
I'm not shitting on America and I don't want an argument on TH-cam in any way, shape or form.
I would just like to be educated and enlightened so as to decrease my current ignorance on this particular subject.
Take care and mind yourself.
Hope you are well.
Johnny. 💚🇮🇪
I'm glad that I live in a country that where you get paid annual leave sick leave and get paid when there's a public holiday. I only work 30 hours a week which I choose to do and still get all of the benefits which a full time employee gets. If you are wondering I live in Australia this also happens in New Zealand as well
Do NOT tell them these things - we don't want them bringing their twisted values here.
Im a sole trader in Australia and I don't get any sick pay or leave but when my youngest had to get grommets, under Medicare, it was covered. That is a $5000 operation. All I can say is I damn glad I'm Australian.
Your boss sucks dude. I ran my own business for.a.couple of years.my boss was a.slave driver
@@joshtowns5630 Amen to that, i wouldn't live anywhere but here
Ive exchanged comments with an American that was working 16 hours a day and even wanted to compare paychecks, he was that confident he was doing well.
Yeah m8, 16 hour days and you are winning :(
I am a newly young adult, and lemme just say, that growing up in the last six years, becoming more aware of what's happening in my country, I started to realize how disgusting it was. We pride ourselves on being great and rich and powerful, but we're only that way because even since the beginning, we have exploited lower class people to make money and it's even continuing today. I plan on moving to Germany after college and even though Germany isn't the best country, it does treat its workers with respect usually.
Also Denmark tends to treat its people better because it's a socialist economy there, meaning people pay heavy taxes but there country has free university, free healthcare, free kindergarten and preK, etc....
The countries mentioned in the video don't just treat its people better, but they treat them right. These countries treat their workers as human beings and so we should realize that these countries are just setting the minimum for how we should treat workers, not that they are super kind and nice, but just treating their workers with respect.
Wherever you plan to go you will be treated better, and you will actually be paying less in taxes than the US for what you will be getting. Taxes in the developed countries can range from 15-40%, and it's about 20-25% for the most countries, and keep in mind that's with healthcare. While for the same treatment in the US you would have to part from about 43% of your paycheck. American government has created an illusion of low taxes because they don't include healthcare in it.
Yes and Companies in these country's can still make a shitload of Money because it is not just socialist vs capitalist economy it is a combination of both systems that helps companies make Revenue and keeps the workers healthy and gives them the feeling to be treated with respect and being appreciated.
Denmark does not have a socialist economy. Our priorities a just different.
No American citizen can be required to have a driver's license, Supreme Court rulings, dozens of them, say so. Congress voted to overturn those rulings, which congress does NOT have the authority to do. This is tip of the iceberg only, but by this ONE law the government has stolen tons of money and destroyed American families because they did not comply with laws that were illegal until 2015 when congress said they were not bound by the SUPREME voice of what is and is not constitutional. Treason is rampant. And nobody cares. the police will not allow charges to be filed and the news stations will not run the stories. No one will simply follow me and record me TRY to file charges. I can do nothing. Good luck, We, the People. OUR country, THEIR laws. All is under the influence of the American BAR Association. Who now fill congress. Go look, see it for yourself.
The problem is, whilst WE all see the truth in just about everything the guy says, you'll be hard pressed to find a significant percentage of Americans accepting it. The evidence is there, but willful blindness seems to rule much of America. The guys who maintain the American status quo have succeeded in turning very many adults into spoilt, happily ignorant infants without the mental capacity or determination to improve their own lives.
Yes but their capitalism is eating itself alive, their elite is just as ignorant because you can't have elite without workforce, and they estimate that one in every six American will be homeless by the end of the year. What the high class don't get is that they exploited that short term gains system for too long. With 1/6 of the population on the verge of poverty, no middle class, and no actual industry part of military and pharmacy the system is bound to collapse
No American citizen can be required to have a driver's license, Supreme Court rulings, dozens of them, say so. Congress voted to overturn those rulings, which congress does NOT have the authority to do. this is tip of the iceberg only. but by this ONE law the government has stolen tons of money and destroyed American families because they did not comply with laws that were illegal until 2015 when congress said they were not bound by the SUPREME voice of what is and is not constitutional. Treason is rampant. And nobody cares. The police will not allow charges to be filed and the news media will not run the stories. No one will simply follow me and record me TRY to file charges. I can do nothing. Good luck, We, the People. OUR country, THEIR laws. All is under the influence of the American BAR Association. Who now fill congress. Go look, see it for yourself.
And one of the perverse things of people living in that US system is that they don't say that employers need to pay living wages. Often they say that you need to hustle more to earn more if you need more money
America is the greatest place on earth. For the top 5%. That part presidents don't mention in their patriotic speeches though. Gotta keep the workerbees you want to exploit buzzing.
For the bottom 50% it's actually more comparable to India than Europe.
1000% got my thumbs up when you started talking about tips... Canadians share the same problem, and I hope north america can start doing better!
This is why you can't beat Europe and Asia.
More history, more paid days off, better public transport, many countries and cultures at the tip of your fingers, better healthcare, little guns
Most MacDonald's in Denmark run with 5-6 workers, self ordering and stuff.
Give it 10 more years and 2-3 people can run a stores automation.
@ 30:00 It's even worse than he puts it. Actually there are only two countries in the world that does not offer any kind of parental leave - Papua New Guinea and the US. And if I had to make a guess, Papua New Guinea will get catch up before the US.
Yes, that video is accurate. In Germany every employee-not only full time workers have those rights. By law not by company!
Holiday -mandatory by law, health insurance - mandatory by law, maternity leave- mandatory by law... I think you still don’t get how stark the difference is!
Maternity leave is not only beneficial for mother child, family and business but also for the society as a whole raising mentality healthy children is essential for the country as well. That’s how other countries treat that topic.
A police man earns around 50 000 dollars more in Europe than in the US. And they are educated in 3 to five years. Huge difference
Wow that's a huge difference
I love this video u reacting to, its sooo good. I already watched countless reactions of americans to it.
In the UK, if you work part-time your benefits like holiday are available immediately but the amount available to you are in proportion to the number of hours worked, so if you work 17hrs a week you would get half of the holiday of someone working full time at 35 hrs pw.
As everyone in the UK has access to the NHS, which is free at the point of use, health benefits are not required by employees in the UK.
Yeah but it still works out as 5.6 weeks. Minimum by UK law.
I'm hoping that with Amazon workers recently winning and getting union of their own then soon (hopefully) McDonald workers will get a union and start demanding higher pay
Companies will pay people to NOT work for their competitors.
The childcare thing in the military is all dependant on the command, department, and division leaders. I've worked with women who would get in trouble because they chose the wellness of their families/children over their jobs. One of whom made a public apology to their firstborn for "bringing them into a world that wasn't designed for them." and saying "this isn't what I thought would happen, it isn't fair to you."
What is called a benefit in the USA is already a human right in Europe. Governments ensure this, not companies, what US companies do is illegal in Europe.
Also in Australia.
I visited Leipzig two weeks ago and I broke my leg during my visit. I called 112, in 5 min the ambulance was there, they checked me up, they took me to the ER, I was tested for Covid, sent to X-ray, after I had a talk with the doctor and she prescribed me painkillers, gave me crutches and a prothesis. On Monday I went to a specialist, he sent me to physhiotherapie(massage and X-ray therapy), gave me another prothesis than was more stable and sent me in medical vacation that is payed by my insurance. The total cost for all of this- 15 euros. 5 for the crutches and 10 for the second prothesis.
2:20 I’ll tell a little analog. I play the piano. I’ve played with a church choir between ‘99 and ‘16, when the choir stopped, on a very decent level, a bit over my head at times. Lots of other venues, don’t matter. In the beginning I was ever so nervous, playing to an audience on a level I didn’t feel comfortable at, but I learned. Then I grew confident, I got a lot better, and even arrogant, which made my playing worse. Then I fell back on an earlier level of humility, so I started playing better again. Isn’t that where the US is right now? Being overconfident, even arrogant?
Yeah, brother, you're opening up your eyes!
1:06 - remember what you are celebrating on the 4th of July and then realise that you have that power.
Also one thing to consider because i dont know if this is also the case in the US, is that for excaple in Germany when they say 33days of paid vacation and your company only operates from monday to friday (like many in the Mittelstand), you effectifly have more like 5workdays and 2 weekends so in the case of 33days you have actually 45 days. So how like i have seen things in america they worl 7day per week so if they would get 30days that would meen 30days off. If i am wrong surelly my fellow germans will correct me, how i know them 😁.
Yep.
5 days vacation means an entire week.
10 means 2 weeks.
etc.
It should always be expressed as WORKING days off - 20 days means four weeks (but extra days given if a public holiday falls during your leave).
father and mother apply for parental allowance at the parental allowance office, parental leave at the employer. Employees can take parental leave for a maximum of three years from birth. Employees in small businesses are also entitled to this. Protection against dismissal applies during parental leave. Germany ...
In Bulgaria is 2 years of paid motherhood for the mom, first few moths from where she works and later from the country.
Isn't it actually a problem, when the only carreer that actually treat you fairly, is the one that forces you to die for them, when and if it's necessary. Millitary should absolutely not be needed, but the fact that it does, shouldn't make it the best workplace in the country.
If it isn’t the best place to work for, no one would want to join ...
thanks for making your channel! americans live in an lets say *american bubble*
its good for you guys to finally open your eyes the the rest of the world!
/EDIT: Thank you, James, for this video and your honest reactions. During your 'intermissions' (I'm not calling them rants because they are faaaar too true) I was often sitting here, grinning at my screen, and saying: "Just continue on with that video, you'll recieve a) confirmation and b) eye-opening numbers thrown at you."
/end edit
While "Second Thought" is almost, *almost* too socialist for my taste, they do offer quite some interesting insights.
I don't agree with *everything* they say, but I agree 100% with THIS specific video.
There is sooo much that many other countries succeed at while being much less captialist than the USA.
I don't want to dump on the USA. There are absolutely wonderful things in the USA as well, and for certain, the USA are the #1 in quite a few areas.
But nope, not No. 1 in EVERYTHING.
When it comes to treating their workforce it is just another form of slavery. Instead of literally owning a person's body, life, and every right they might have, it is wage slavery for 90% (to be very generous) of the population. The massive majority of the country is trapped in a downward spiral of working exceptionally hard without recieving either the benefits they should, nor the payment they have *earned*. Many are forced to spend their hard-earned income of two or even three jobs to barely being able to live hand-to-mouth. Few Americans are actually able to build up savings and invest in their future, but spiral downward due to overspending in credit debt, thus being forced into ever harsher work conditions.
Throw in one or two unplanned hospital visits during your life and you can find yourself in deep debt even IF you have an above average health insurance. If those happen BECAUSE you were already unemployed and had lost your coverage you can assume that person is then stuck in debt for nearly their whole life unless they can recieve coverage by Medicaid. Those debts often come on top of student debts that many people struggle to pay off within 10 or 20 years after finishing their studies.
The number of private debt bankrupcies in the USA is staggering, no matter the cause. As most such debt induced bankrupcies result in foreclosures on home-estate ownership any loans or mortgages on these home-estates means they fall into the hands of banks as security.
The concentration of real estate in the hands of banks this has engendered is frightful. Ever fewer people hold an ever increasing percentage of the whole of the national US GDP in their hands. With the dollar being seen as a physical representation of power in the US mindset this means that ever fewer people in the USA have concentrated ever more power in their hands as well.
Such a neat text and it's summarized in a video, absolutely useless 🙂
Yeah...it´s truly messed up. I mean, here in Finland I work to live, not the other way around. Also,as a painchronic I would have died in the US a loooong time ago. And, even though I´m sick I´m still multilingual, have 5 degrees in 4 different fields and can also watch my teen-aged kids roam about without the fear of being shot or something...enjoyed this vid. Thank you. Finnishmama
Hi James, as you perhaps know in Germany we have got a minimum wage of 9,82 EUR at the moment and will increase to 12,00 EUR per hour starting 1st of October 2022.
Minimum wage in switzerland is 25$ per hour, no matter which job
Koenntet Eurem grossen Nachbarn ruhig mal Entwicklungshilfe zahlen, dann kaemen auch bestimmt nicht so viele Deutsche Fluechtlinge! Fluchtursachen bekaempfen, vor Ort! Habt Ihr doch bestimmt auch schonmal gehoert!? 😁😉
Every American should Watch this clip 🙏🏻
Hey James...keep in mind that those worker's rights have been fought for and been bought with blood...just saying ;) Anyways, mach' weiter so, ich geniesse es, wie Du dich entwickelst, Du bist ein toller Mensch
I waited for this reaction sooo much! I would be happy if you reacted to more Second Thought videos, James 😃
It's not 104 days, it's weeks. WEEKS!
37h/week . 30 days paid vacation. 2 sick days per month (just call my boss for those) and up to 6 weeks full paid sick days when a doctor says i need them.
As a delivery driver most times pay is reduced when on delivery. As low as 3-4 dollars. In store pay/delivery pay. We depend on tips as much as servers.
German here. For comparison: I work as a food delivery driver, 20h a week. Not a very high skill, prestigious job, right? Well, I make a bit over 11$ per hour (minimum wage is about 10.30$ right now, and rises every 6 months) plus some occasional tips, I have 25 paid vacation days a year, and a yearly performance bonus. That's on top of the state subsidized universal healthcare, pension, parental leave, etc. I can comfortably afford a 1 bedroom apartment (though it's a cheap and kinda crappy one), plus utilities, food, subscriptions, etc, and I can still afford the 50$ train tickets to visit my parents once a month or so, all without any debt or the need for a second job. And I am not exactly living frugally.
Even someone in a dead end job like mine, got it so well compared to low-wage workers in america, or workers in general even. That's the level of how f*cked the american labor laws are.
The mere concept of having to work a second (possibly full-time) job to make ends meet, is entirely foreign to me. It's cruel exploitation, nothing short of modern slavery. My condolences to the american people, and I wish you the best to make life better for yourselves.
the basic idea of social economics is: Throw money at the less fortunate people. Because this people will use that money to actually buy stuff. Daily necessities, things they need and even some stuff they had to forego for a long time. Poor people won't stuff their money in off-shore bank accounts.
And what happens if people spend money? Well - there is a thing called VAT (Mehrwertsteuer) Buy a new phone? Boom 19% of the money is right back in the states pocket. Employee get's payed with the profit the phone generated? Boom another 25% or so back at home. Employee buys stuff - rinse and repeat. Keep the money flowing. That's what generates wealth for the most people.
Of course throwing money at already rich people has also it's benefits. Alas not for the state or other people I fear.
There are some things that need to be improved, It starts by investing in the health and school system but the majority of the people I met on the journeys I made to the USA were definitely kind and talented. I just wish that they could travel more and get a chance to get an excellent education. The thought of equality seems to be a kind of danger although there are no studies (I didn’t dive into that topic. Yet!) that prove that.
If some owners (such as McDonalds) would be paying a fair amount or even give them a bonus it would pay off.
Good Video dude.
Greating from Germany
Second Thought is an amazing channel that I highly recommend. Very insightful.
Because we are able to say whatever we want, we exercise that right to its fullest extent and the powerful don't know how to love those who speak against them.
Hey James. You might want to check out Eco Geckos series about american suburbs. This version of the 'american dream' you are talking about is really a nightmare.
The most stark difference is that what the USA calls worker's benefits, every other developed nation calls worker's rights.
And what you probably don't know either is we're (in germany) often times getting like "vacation or Christmas pay" on top of our regular salary (which would be the pure paid leave aspect I think)
The problem in the USA is that to many rich people work for the goverment or be a president. The rich people lead the USA and they want just more money. 8$ a hour WFT
So slavery has not been officially abolished in the USA. Greedy corporations still using it.
A nation needs to treat their military good, consider the consequences of the alternative: a well trained expert in fighting with access to the deadliest weapons available and he is not treated well.....
i bet you see the picture!
In Germany, at the bottom of every menu, they tell you that value added and tips are included in the price. Every tip you give is a surplus to the real wage
Second Thought, One of the Best!
Well about the 22$ in Denmark, I mean stuff is dirt cheap in the US compared to most northern countries in Europe, so they have to pay more, but it is obvious that the US pays very low wages.
I left the US over a decade ago. At the time I wouldn't have qualified for health insurance. Back then they could deny an applicant simply based on pre exsistance of any condition (can they still do this?) . My husband works less than 37 hrs a week, from home sometimes (precovid), could have taken a full year of paternity leave, gets 6 weeks paid vacation time, seemingly unlimited sick days that don't count against his vacation days and my diabetes and our kids asthma sets us back less than $500 a year in prescriptions combined. And our kid is getting an amazing education, where university will be covered, only textbooks and housing need to be covered (but the state helps with that too). Before moving here, I never would have imagined this kind of thing was remotely possible or even real. Unions are a great thing, I say this because there is no mandated minimum wage here, just unions who negotiate wages and leave.
Which country did you move to?
@@Monica-gc5dh Moved to Denmark :)
Well The overall message was not new. But I can add to the content. In Germany the minimum wage, which is by the way one of the lowest in Europe, has, by law, to get adjustments every two years. The paid sick leave is six weeks..... per sickness. After those 6 weeks you go down into Krankengeld, a sick fund, which pay 67% of your net salary for up to 2 years. The paid parental leave is quite low, 8 weeks. After that you have to switch to the state parental leave which is about 52 weeks at 70% of your net salary for 1 parent, but it is not determined which parent uses it. If both use it (consecutive, not at the same time), they get a 4 Weeks extension. You can take that Elternzeit anywhere in the first 3 years of the child's live. If you get down to 35% of your salary, you get double the time.
The mandatory paid vacation time is two weeks, no matter how many days in the week you work. So if you work 6 days a week you get 24 days, 5 days 20 days and so on. Many companies go above that, because it is the easiest way to give your employee a raise. And I tell you: The Unions had a big part in creating this.
Ok, you are misinformed about the Pizza driver thing. Most drivers get 1/2 the minimum wage on the road, so many are only getting $4 hr or less while driving. The rest make minimum wage + tips, but don't forget (and it amazes me how stupid people are for not understanding this) drivers are using and driving into the ground, their personal vehicles. Not a company car, their personal car! Think about that. They are ruining their cars' engines, brakes, tires etc.... This costs money to repair, and those repairs are needed twice as frequently because they drive at least twice as much as other Restaurant workers. At least! And if their car breaks down, they are out of work, and they cannot get unemployment for their car breaking down. Think about that, loosing your job because you cannot afford to work and NO unemployment for that. So drivers have to save enough for constant repairs, and for a new car if their car is unfixable. Not only do drivers deserve more of the share of tips than those inside the store, anyone tipping a driver less than 20% is an utter POS because they are putting drivers at risk of loosing their job. Don't even get me started on how it is one of the most dangerous Jobs out there. The risk of crashing and the risk of getting robbed or mauled by a dog are very high. Pizza drivers are treated like trash. Probably one of the worst treated workers in this country. And you may have guessed by now, I have done this job before. I have known many, people in that industry who have been robbed, who have been attacked by dogs, who have been hurt and killed in car crashes, and who have hit and killed pedestrians (he was not at fault, but the shock and guilt caused him to quit, not something most minimum wage workers have to deal with). It is a shit job, underpaid, stressful, and dangerous and they deserve to be paid a lot more.
I was fired by a bank courier company because I got robbed (paperwork only, no cash, no cameras in the bank parking lot where they robbed my car while I made a pickup inside. And I think it was a bank employee). They paid me 22 cents to 30 cents a mile. No other pay at all. My car. No gas reimbursement. No pay for my labor. No health insurance. Required to buy a smartphone on my dime). Independent contractor but I had to be at work at a certain time or else!!!!!
I ruined my car. The other employees looked like hobos after a few years. No one got ahead.
Beavex
USBank
Thieves!
Thank you man! I really like your reactions and open mind To many issues❤. Thank you wery many! Welcome To Europe! Greetings from Finland! Come for a visit❤😅
That's the same as saying America hates itself. Because, after all, "America" is composed of the people. And we don't hate ourselves.
Those who love America the most are those who don't feel entitled to things which they should be supplying for themselves via their their very own personal efforts, necessary preparations, and something called damn hard work. NOTHING is free, nor is anything meant to be free. Get used to it because THAT is reality. If you want something, then go after it while leaving all the rest of us alone. You want a brand new car? Then go earn it. You want a nice house? Go earn it. You want to go to a particular university? Then pay the tuition all by yourself. And I repeat ... leave the rest of us alone, and keep your hands out of our pockets.
*James Bray,*
Four hundred ninety-nine hours more per year than the French! 😅
That is 21 additional days per year, not counting paid holidays; 5 weeks minimum per year mandatory. Here, an employer can't refuse you to take your vacation (one week in autumn/winter and four weeks in spring/summer).
But, you can (depending on the company) split it up in any way that suits you best.
Unless, for example, as is often the case, the company closes entirely in August (the peak of summer in France). You're also obliged to take your four spring/summer weeks in August (identical if the company closes a week in winter for the autumn/winter week).
But wait, it's not over; In France, the working week is 35 hours (What?!!! Lol). However, many companies need you to work 39 or 40 hours (sometimes more, but they're forced to pay you more overtime) per week to fulfill their orders.
In addition, they're obliged to grant you the same number of hours of leave per year as the number of hours you've worked. This is called RTT days (compensatory rest)
For example, I'm a caretaker of buildings. I work 39 hours a week instead of 35 with two hours lunch breaks for meals (knowing that I live where I work, if this weren't the case, then I'd also be entitled to paid restaurant tickets half by my company.) Consequently, I'm entitled to 5 (normal vacation, so) + 2 and a half weeks of vacations per year to compensate for this extra work.
Not counting the 13th month (1 additional month's salary per year), retirement, Social Security (public health insurance), holiday vouchers (approximately €400 per year), etc., are included in your salary.
Stay there; it's not over yet! 😂
There's also company profit-sharing each year (generally in April - compulsory for all companies with a minimum of 50 employees in France).
We can either directly receive the amount paid into our bank account or place this money in an interest-bearing account of the company (stock market investments).
But, in this second case, you must wait a minimum of 5 years to release the sum if you want to receive the interest on the investment.
In the company where I work, I have another advantage in addition; if I choose the investment over five years, then my company pays the equivalent of the amount I spent on the investment (which doubles the amount invested, so if I have €2,500 of participation bonus this year for example, and I support them, then it's €5000 are invested in all for me. And, it works like this every year). So, if we keep all this money until retirement, with interests, we can afford a very nice pension, which is still a great advantage (this, in addition to our mandatory retirement pension, of course).
Hey, you cry? Sorry, my friends, if I've broken your American dreams... 😊(Just a lil' joke in passing. You can hit me; I deserve it. Lol.)
Ok, but more seriously, we're often made fun of abroad, particularly in the USA, 'cause of our strikes in France. But, we don't do this just for the pleasure of going on strike and walk in the sunny streets.
We and you, American friends, each carried out our revolution at about the same time, you against the English (with a bit of help from France), and we against our dictatorial monarchy. However, since then, there've been four other revolutions and revolts in France (1830, 1848, 1870, 1968, not counting the yellow vests very recently and which lasted 2 years). How many have there been since in the United States? 😉
Thanks for this video.
Peace, folks. 🤗❤(American friends, please, do as Frenchmen, fight for your rights!)
28:20 - the graph is well out of date. In 2013, ANZAC Day and Waitangi Day were finally "Mondayised" (meaning that if the actual day falls on a weekend, the day off is transferred to the Monday), taking the paid holidays from 9 to 11 days per year (average 10) - depending on what days of the week ANZAC and Waitangi days fell on - to 11 days per year and as of this year we have one day off for Matariki so we've got 12 days of paid holiday ("statutory holidays")... in addition to a minimum of 20 days of paid vacation ("Annual Leave").
Not only the paid maternal leave is a STANDART outside USA, nowadays many countries are even introducing paid leave for the new dad as well ! (though shorter than for the mother)
Yep. My country Spain does.
"scared to join" right right hmmm recruiting video gotcha!!!
Great reaction James! Second Thought's is a great channel and has helped me learn a lot about America (because learning about other countries goes both ways - both to see where we are lacking and where we are doing actually pretty great. Because if it's one thing that Germans love to do, it is complain sometimes. But only because they don't know how good they have it, and that realization is only possible when you get insight into other countries. So I learn just as much as you do if I watch these videos) If I might recommend another video of Second Thoughts, it's' about the American Prison System and why it is the worst in the world. I already knew a lot about the US (and it's prisons) but for some reason this video shocked me the most, because it was much much worse than I thought.
I like this video a lot. Just found this channel. 💎👍🤙
I never got the whole "tips as a wage" thing... that's just outsourcing the responsibility of paying your employees a living wage to your customers, who are already paying for their food! And only in the US do the customers think/have been "conditioned" that that's Ok and tipping is seen as mandatory (even though a lot employers just keep the tips). In most countries tipping is unnecessary or uncommon and in some countries it's even considered impolite/rude or even an insult (Japan for example).
Hi James, the 22$ wage for a Danish McDonald's employer must be put into perspective. The taxes and the costs of daily life are in the scandinavian countries(and Switzerland) extremly high, much more than in Germany. In these countries a very high level of social and health care has a long tradition, so the taxes are higher than elsewhere. Low-incomers with a family are also struggling there but the state and the society support them more than other countries.
Very extreme was it in Sweden before the EU membership. There it could really and legally happen that a citizen got a tax rate of more than 100%(!!). Absolutely unique worldwide. Since Sweden is in the EU they had to adjust their tax system, so today that is not longer a big theme there, as I know.
1:12 "There is this tradition of doing things they way they've always been done" - James Bray, 2022
As opposed to the traditions where people do everything different every time.
I'm from Romania. We have 21 mandatory paid leave. This year, my salary incresed with 20% and because i've asked for more they compensate with 2 more days of paid leave so now i have 23 days of paid vacation, We also have national holidays , free days which are also payd: 1-2 january, 24 january, friday before Easter and monday after Easter, 1 may, 1 june, 15 august, 30-november and 1 december, 25-26 December (christmas). So u make the calculation. Maternal leave can go till (now hold on) 2 years payed with 80%. In order to get that, u must work in the same company for at least 1 year. And trust me, the companies are doing very well....
I think for things like higher wages and capped full-time work week, you need to rephrase it, to "sell" it to the public opinion in the USA. You could argue it like that: if your workes only get payed poverty wages they wont have any money to buy products and wont contribute to the economy. If people work their ass off with 2 (or sometimes more) jobs, they might have enough money, but don't have the time to spend it. But if you raise wages at the same time as you cap the work week, they have the money and the time to buy more goods, which in the long run, highly benefits the revenue of basically every business. Plus, a worker that has time to rest and recharge "their batteries" every now and then, will work better and more efficiently than a worker that is totally stressed and sleep deprived. Therefore, you can produce the same amount (or even more) stuff in less time, which also benefits the company.
Politicians are basically salesman. Specially in a country with such strong lobbies, you have to sell those things, and choose the correct arguments, depending on who you want to convince. And when everything is set for "maximum gain", you can't just talk about "work-live balance", but more how businesses will benefit from it, which they will. Even more than they can imagine.
In France, most things are based on inflation, by law. This means, for example, that minimum wage is adjusted automatically every year depending on the inflation. This year, it takes +2.01% it seems. This is simple to do. The USA don't do it not because they can't, but simply because they won't. Like everything else.
Makes me want to listen to rage against the machine ✊🏻💪🏻
TWO DOLLARS ???????????? dude i dont even get out of the bed for 2$ ... noooo way !!
When and if I go to a Restaurant, I know ppl. get well paid, and if the Service is okay, I round it still up to a 10% Tipp. I know there are a lot of ppl. from all over Europe working here in Restaurant Service, because it is well paid, they could keep the Tipps. I watched a lot of TikToks (search for "Time for another Restaurant Story"), to see how assholing ppl. become knowing the server need the Tipps.
Full time in France is 35h per week ! Anything past that is payed extra hours.
Also come with 5 weeks paid leave per year plus public holidays. Maternity leave is 16 weeks foryour first child, and it is way for your 3rd and afterand even more if you are having twins.
Minimum legal, mandated wage in Australia is $20.33 per hour.
Here, your annual paid leave and other 'benefits' are factored into the basic costs of running the business. Its merely an 'annual salary' factored over 52 weeks. If you only paid for 48 weeks, (we get 4 weeks here in Australia) you would be paying a higher per hour rate so the employee has the ability to save for his 4 unpaid weeks. This type of arrangement is usually found in jobs paid on a 'Casual Employment' basis rather than Full Time or Part Time.
German here. We also get payed holidays and Childleave. we also get Childsuport money which is payed by the government. I unfortunately don’t know how many days since I am still in the FOS, a school.
dont forget that in Danemark every worker has also health insurance AND you pay less for a Mc Donald Menue than in the USA - so summarize - Mc Donald can pay a worker nearly 3 times more, the worker has health insurance and the prices of there products are as low as in the US - AND Mc Donald makes profit - and they tell you they can´t afford it?
In Germany the women get 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after giving birth paid leave 100%. After that they get 44 weeks paid leave at 67%. Aditional the women could get 2 more years unpaid leave. In this time they have a fulll health insurance!!! Men can get additional 2 months paid leave at 67% and after that 34 Months unpaid leave. U can take the parental leave until the chikd gets 8 years old. You even can split your parental leave.
Uh, Second thought. A very very good yt channel. Keep it up, really enjoy those a little more political videos :)
I feel so much better about my job and my country.
I am already working on something that could help or at least could make a difference. Not by changing everything but understand fairness and not to be afraid of it. Maybe that is one of the major problems. There are plenty of intelligent people and everybody could tell another story…and that speaks volumes. Not to do that would be absolutely counterproductive and once people realize that someone who has to face that on a regular basis is depressing.
You know, I used to want to move to USA, seeing everything in the internet about it back then made me want to move there so much.
Now that I grew up and looked up more important things about USA, I changed my mind. Don't get me wrong I want to VISIT the country as it's still great but not live in it. I would rather live in Canada or Australia. Maybe go to France or Germany or Switzerland. They seem like better alternatives.
I love your videos and how far you already got with the German language (even though it might be a pain in the ass learning all that stuff). Anyways the apostrophe in your title (its) is gramatically incorrect. There‘s no need for an apostrophe. Hope your not too mad at me for pointing out such a tiny mistake but somehow it bothers me. thanks for your videos and your positive spirit. peace
I appreciate it man! I guess I completely missed that haha! Thank you for letting me know!!