Labor standards around the country are under question as never before. After surviving a pandemic, many workers are now very in touch with what kinds of working conditions they are willing to endure.
Under a living wage is one of the conditions people are no longer willing to endure at their place of employment. And employers who are offering poverty wages are beginning to look defensive and obsolete.
One such company is Viahart, a toy company hosted through Amazon and CEO'd by one Molson Hart. Hart's most recent post regarding seeking short-term labor to help unload trucks at poverty wages caught the attention of the internet for its brazen arrogance.
Lol. Shocking that someone wouldn\u2019t want to unload 35,000 pounds in exchange for 4 iced coffees an hour— Sam (@Sam) 1634056071
But $14 is \u201cprobably good enough.\u201d You didn\u2019t earn that money; the people in your company earned that money for you. How much of that are you keeping for yourself, and how much are you giving to the people doing the real work?pic.twitter.com/2TZJP7VbGy— Jonathan Sims (@Jonathan Sims) 1634136221
Here's some helpful info. Hopefully it will lead to a better understanding of your undue entitlement to the labor of others.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-much-you-need-for-rent_n_5942cc92e4b0f15cd5b9e2ee\u00a0\u2026— \ud83d\udc7eBlack Biscuit, Crown Prince of Antifa\u00ae\ud83d\udc7e (@\ud83d\udc7eBlack Biscuit, Crown Prince of Antifa\u00ae\ud83d\udc7e) 1634139043
The cheapest 1-bedroom Apt in Texas costs $700/month. Health insurance (which you don\u2019t offer) average $500/month. Add in utilities, car payments, gas (I\u2019ve heard Texas is big) and food to survive and you wonder why people won\u2019t do back-breaking labor to lose money every month?— noam (@noam) 1634137489
Though $14 per hour is greater than the minimum wage of many states, even the federal government's recent proposal to hike the minimum wage to $15 per hour was not enough to survive in any state in the union, according to recent studies.
I could get like 3 vanilla sweet cream cold brews with $14 an hour. No thanks. Pay better.https://twitter.com/molson_hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— matty matheson wannabe (@matty matheson wannabe) 1634344189
I remember working for $14/hour and only getting a decent paycheck because I worked 70 plus hours a week. No one should walk out the door and come to yall for anything under $20https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— Super Spice (@Super Spice) 1634310486
Absolutely hilarious watching this guy get dunked onhttps://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— Roob Himself (@Roob Himself) 1634297138
So riddle me this you little twerp if YOU don't wanna do it on a CEO-salary how the FUCK do you expect people to want to do it for $14 an hour? I'll wait.https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— \ud83c\udf83 Quill \ud83e\udd95Non-Binosaur (@\ud83c\udf83 Quill \ud83e\udd95Non-Binosaur) 1634188511
how is it wild that $14 isn\u2019t enough?? in all of america, you CANNOT live comfortably off of $14 an hr. you need between $20 to $30 an hr to live comfortablyhttps://twitter.com/molson_hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— stegan the mallion (@stegan the mallion) 1634171696
Hart has gone viral before, for breaking down a friend's wages who made over $1 million per year, and then trying to justify why that wasn't a lot of money.
The median household income in the United States was $67,521 in 2020, a 2.9% decrease from the median income in 2019, and which is a mere 6% of $1 million.
$14 is a lot of money but $400k isn\u2019tpic.twitter.com/oUQFVeCKWC— Guy Freire (@Guy Freire) 1634147484
Hart's lack of touch with reality for most American workers has earned him the unbridled contempt of many.
As someone who works in a retail warehouse, $14 part time doesn't even begin to cut it. Lifting heavy items and repetitive tasks destroys your knees and back. If you're not offering $20 per hour plus healthcare and benefits, don't be surprised when no one shows uphttps://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— I Never Drink . . . Wine \ud83c\udf77 (@I Never Drink . . . Wine \ud83c\udf77) 1634169266
Is anyone surprised that this tweet came from the guy who tweeted this too https://twitter.com/molson_hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/n0n3Ac7G3b— witch better have my money (@witch better have my money) 1634442198
guy who pays $16,000+ for a 24/7 nanny and has plenty of spending money left over thinks that $14/hour is too much to pay someonehttps://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udf15\ud83d\udc07 gay ass bnuuy (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udf15\ud83d\udc07 gay ass bnuuy) 1634261801
this reeks of daddy paid my way through business school and I haven\u2019t worked a minimum wage job and paid for adult expenses ever.https://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— BR\u0112 (@BR\u0112) 1634241628
do you have a humiliation fetish because between this shit and the "400k isn't a lot of money" tweet it's starting to seem like you get off on getting publicly ownedhttps://twitter.com/Molson_Hart/status/1447958674610212865\u00a0\u2026— Sol Wifeguy (@Sol Wifeguy) 1634162787
Hart's continued neglect of the average American's living conditions shows no signs of abating. His immediate follow-up was to complain about how people were interpreting his tweet, rather than to take accountability.
And either way, he is stuck with a team of two people unloading 35,000 lbs. Karma.
@PreetBharara/X
@RepBrendanBoyle/X
@twesq/Bluesky
@christopherharris/Bluesky
@evangelinewarren/X
@FrankC164/X
AMC