Originally Posted by richs631 (Post 1931544)

With all do respect your giving to much credit to today’s generation. I’m not painting every kid with the same brush but believe me nobody and I mean nobody will ever get caught lying on an unemployment application. It’s run by the government 😂😂😂

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 1931657)

Yup. When we moved here almost 2 years ago I knew I'd need to still work part time. Up north, I wouldn't EVER work for minimum wage, I haven't worked for minimum wage since the 1980's. And - I've been working entry level customer service jobs for almost all of the years between then and now.

I was never a high-wage earner, always near the bottom. But no one dictated my pay. I negotiated it, or I found a different job that would.

Down here, you are dictated your pay. If they're paying minimum wage, it doesn't matter how much experience you have. You get minimum wage, or you get nothing until something better comes along.

Part-timers are affected most, because part-timers get no health insurance coverage, no life insurance coverage, no paid days off, no paid sick time in Florida.

In MOST other states in the country, you get paid sick time. So that you don't show up to work coughing and sneezing simply because you can't afford to take a day off to recover.

I worked for one place when I first got here, and it was a pretty unhealthy environment. Their employee turnover was pretty much weekly, with the exception of a few core folks who'd been there for years and were used to the somewhat hostile attitude of the owner. We didn't get breaks, even if it was a 7-hour shift. We had to close the store alone at night. But they paid $11/hour to start, so I took it. I lasted several months, and then Publix called me for an interview. I'd applied when I first moved, so this was out of the blue, for me.

Publix started me at $13/hour stocking shelves and doing freight intake. It was too hard for me physically so I took an intentional demotion to the front end, where I was doing mostly bagging and sanitizing shopping carts. THAT was at $10.75/hour. Plus mandatory breaks, gift-card bonuses (ranging from $50 to $100, every quarter), and I picked up their dental plan for just $20/month for myself and my spouse. Not bad in a state that has an $8.65/hour minimum wage.

I would have quit the first job anyway, but I would -not- have traded it in for anyone who only paid me minimum wage. I'd rather be unemployed with NO income (including no unemployment check), than employed for people who don't demonstrate respect and appreciation for their employees. Sadly, this state (Florida) favors the employer, providing absolutely NO protections for the employee. Florida has no fair labor board, and no state labor laws other than those that pertain to minors.

Employees CAN be treated horribly in this state, and they have no recourse. If they complain, they're out of a job and can be blacklisted, because the state has given employers the green light to do so.

You better believe I'd rather take unemployment checks and PEUC ad-ons for 51 weeks if it was available when I quit that first job when I moved here. I'm glad it wasn't though, because I actually LIKED working for Publix and am grateful that they called me for the interview when they did. They saved me from the frustration of wanting to still work, but not willing to give up my dignity for the paycheck.

Originally Posted by bobdeb (Post 1931774)

I find it amusing, sad and pathetic that those leaning in a certain direction believe that Florida is led so horrifically.

I know first hand of part timers in Maine (a state strongly leaning in the opposite direction from Florida) who work on a ferry boat. We're talking adults here. They receive minimum wage and they have but one benefit. They get to ride on the damn thing they work on for one time for every 40 hours of work. Woo whoo baby.

And guess what? The company is short staffed due to the stimulus benefits and they are cutting back on shifts. There goes certain services to customers. Fewer ferries available. That's a bummer when you're trying to make an important appointment.

Maine is fast becoming another Minnesota. You decide for yourself if that's for better or for worse.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 1931850)

Maine has a CV outbreak right now. Young people have been leaving Maine for the last 10 years. I believe that they wanted higher pay and more social life.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 1931853)

And guess where they're NOT moving to:

Florida.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 1931853)

And guess where they're NOT moving to:

Florida.

Originally Posted by FenneyGirl (Post 1931799)

Well you missed a great meal! Why are you in rush? Aren’t you retired ? There is short help all over. We are lucky to have all these great restaurants here at The Villages but sometimes you just got to be patient.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby (Post 1931832)

You can't even apply for Unemployment in Florida right now. Not even for legitimate reasons without the PEUC benefit. Their site is down. This has been a problem for a few years now, since they implemented their new "improved" system. Huge scandal 2 years ago, the accusation is that it was on purpose to keep people from applying at all.

There are thousands of legitimately unemployed people in Florida, who SHOULD be collecting unemployment, who can't even apply for it. And others who have applied for it, but their applications are "lost" in the system. They can't re-apply because the system sees that there's an application already in for them. But the application can't be processed. It can't be approved or rejected. It's just stuck in limbo. HUNDREDS of Floridians are affected in that particular way.

There are also those who have been rejected in error - people whose companies were closed down and therefore they were laid off, had earned enough income in the previous year to qualify to collect, but their application was rejected anyway. HUNDREDS of people in that situation.

There are also people who were approved, who should not have been approved. HUNDREDS of people who are collecting, who applied honestly, but their applications should have been rejected.

There are also people who were approved, yet haven't ever received any unemployment checks at all even though they qualify for them. HUNDREDS of people in that situation.

Don't any of you people watch anything other than fox news and breitbart? This is a pretty serious problem in Florida and it's been going on for years, and the pandemic situation has exacerbated it.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 1931876)

Throughout my whole life, I always saw eating out at restaurants as a waste of BOTH time and money. As a child, I hated it when my parents took me to a restaurant. As a youngster, I even disliked the boring time spent at my own family's dinner table. I would have rather grabbed a sandwich and eaten it while watching TV or outside on the front porch or playing baseball. As an adult, I never saw any beauty or redeeming value in the "so-called" dining out experience. It leaves me cold. I could handle the fast-food experience even though the food lacks nutrition. I never, NEVER wait in a vehicle line for a take-out order - that whole experience, I consider de-humanizing. I can sit inside a coffee shop and drink coffee and talk to friends, but I would prefer to be sitting on a blanket by a lake or at a beach. I can enjoy a bar atmosphere with music, dancing, and alcoholic beverages, even for long hours. That is exciting to me. Spending an hour or more just eating out is boring to me, no action, no excitement, just boring! If there were ZERO restaurants in TV Land I would not be the least put-off! I gladly give up my time and seat at the table to someone else.