Over Half of Unemployed Older Workers at Risk of Involuntary Retirement
So far, the Covid-19 depression forced 3 million US workers aged 55-70 into early retirement (50% more than in 2019). Threatens their and their childrens' finances. But capitalism does not plan, prepare, or pay for damages its failures inflict. Professor Richard Wolff --- from my facehack page.
One of the few remaining careers for older men and women would be the trucking industry. I've seen a growing number of this older class of society in the trucking industry over the past 15 years. It's very tough for us to find good paying jobs today. And the multiple large trucking companies that pay less will be more than happy to exploit these men and women in the over the road industry. Which is quite a tough way to gain experience into a trucking career today. Most local companies require at least a 2 year experience to get hired.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.They won't be exploiting them that long. As Yang said in his book, driverless trucks will eliminate most of the jobs in ten years or less. I know exactly what you mean. I used to work and live in a university town where anybody over 50 could never get a decent medium or so-called low skill job, because the uni supplied a constant stream of young, exploitable college kids who would work for peanuts and then be graduated and gone before they ever asked for or qualified for a raise. Plus, they didn't need or demand benefits and even if the employer provided benefits, they cost much less to insure for medical. I left town with my wife because after I lost my last good-paying benefitted job ( My back wore out and I wasn't going to stay in it and cripple myself or get back surgery, plus I couldn't transfer to another job with that employer) there, I was soon going to be unemployable at my age.
So I moved away down the road to a larger city, but even there I had no opportunity as I had no contacts to help me get in anywhere. I decided I was too damn old to start over, so I cashed in on my long experience with driving jobs and got a CDL so I could drive a school bus, which is what I did for my last six years before retiring (after I qualified for SS Survivor's Benefits as a widower and inherited some money). But man, was that gig ever about exploitation. Most of the drivers were retirement age, some were young adults. But none of us got benefits except UE each summer we could collect. No paid time off except a few holidays. Seemed like everybody there that was not retirement age was there because they couldn't get anything with benefits and then as soon as they got a job with benefits, they were out the door. The ones who were retirement age either worked there just for kicks or else because they needed the extra money badly as their SS was low or they were supporting a spouse who was retired.
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
Aug 20, 2020
1
With all the problems that have been reported with the first automated cars released I don't think automation is going to be so soon. Especially within the trucking industry. The passenger service industry didn't pan out well at all as it was riddled in accidents and deaths.
How many are willing to now jump into a automated vehicle after this? What company is now willing to throw a vehicle weighing anywhere from 30,000 lbs to 80,000 lbs on the road and face the liabilities of the damage, harms, and deaths they can cause?
Hype. A delusional perception of us having managed to have made our way into a futuristic setting. Each occasion this hype has been released onto the public it has as quickly disappeared. You're the first person I've seen in several months mention automation when approximately a little more than a year ago, maybe 2 years even, it was being blasted into the public sense almost nonstop for a mere few months. Only when it serves a fear mongering agenda of workforce and employment will we hear about it again. I'll warn as I did then, it isn't happening anytime soon. Hype.
We probably have some of the most vast amounts of road construction going on in Ohio across the US. And I can assure you none of it is in preparation for automated vehicle use. They are constantly redoing some stretches of highways in Ohio approximately every 3 to 5 years just to keep them decent. And our winters here over the past 5 years have had little effect on our roads. Other than easily being torn up due to poor work. Poor work for job security or plainly poor work? Hell, when we use to run out of salt each year and have a hard time getting more for the end of winter, we have had city and state transportation hubs with their salt buildings full throughout summer waiting on winter to come again during those 5 years. Each year expecting a harsh winter to come. I didn't even have to plow out our driveway once last year. But there's no new technology going into our roads for the automation vehicles I keep seeing promoted when it comes up. Although I have a theory it could and should be, but the Jetson's era isn't quite here yet.
@William_Mary I hope you're right. I know that I don't want to rely on a self driving car as long as I'm alive and have my faculties.
It's kind of ironic. People thought it was going to be automation that would have done something like this, and it most likely will in the future, but COVID beat them to it.
Piece2YourPuzzle
Level 8
Aug 19, 2020
2
The world is going to have to make some drastic changes to its modus operandi and the conservative section of society will lead the charge to prevent this and try to return to a normal that can never be again.
rogerbenham
Level 8
Aug 19, 2020
2
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