this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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Rent 1200$?? How much is your real estate market fucked up?
That's very low for the US
$1200 is a studio apartment in a regular neighborhood these days. Or a 2bdroom in fucking nowhere.
Oh my, sounds soo expensive
That's about right from my experience in the midwestern USA. Went looking at options for apartments in this area alongside a lesser populated area prior to moving here at the start of this year. I'm not in some high-income zone, it's predominantly manufacturing around here. My apartment costs 1451/mo, and it was the cheapest I could find out of the options I was open to accepting. I recall seeing apartments as cheap as 1130/mo, but those were apartments in a reeeeeeallly sketchy area, and I can't say I was particularly open to that if I have the option to go elsewhere.
Edited for clarity
Also another edit: This is less rigorous and more rooted in what I've experienced, but when I had a friend from Italy over here in 2022-2023, I recount him commenting a few times on how high the costs for things are. He didn't use words like "Cost of Living" per se, but would speak on how he doesn't get how we can live with things being as expensive as they are. Not to completely shame the system, he did mention a few luxuries of living here that he doesnt have over there, but things were very skewed toward "How tf can you afford this shit?" Case in point, he could afford to fly overseas with a less-than-luxourious job, at the time, I could not.
Indeed that seems really expensive from a western european point of view, I wish we could speak more about this when we talk about the US economy, and not the GDP growth being higher or some other dumb things. Europe often sees the US as an economic compass, but I couldn't tell your situation was so worrying before signing up on Lemmy.
To comparison, my income has been 460€ per month (social scholarship) for a long time, my rent being around 200€ but with the allowances I was only paying 40. And the minimum wages here is 1477€ net (around 9€ per hour), so I was very very poor.
With healthcare, I could take care of my chronic illness without spending anything, and I could eat pretty normally and even have some hobbies. Since uni is free for poor people (170€ per year for everyone else), I didn't have to pay for anything aside from my classic expenses.
With a full time work, you're litterally poorer than an alone ill student without any other income than social allowance in france.
I hope your situation will get better, go unionize and that kind of stuff, don't stay alone, and a big good luck