You might be assimilated. I guess.

Books - Music - Climate - Fangirling - Kitties "A kind in glass and a cousin, a spectacle and nothing strange"

[shisasan]

2 April, 1937 Letters to Véra by Vladimir Nabokov

[ow-my-skin]

Glasses people love to make you try their glasses on to see how fucked up their eyes are. It's a sign of respect in their culture.

[sovietnam]

[shaipouf]

hi guys-

breaking from my normal posting to bring up something really important to me.

have you heard of powell’s city of books? they’re famously the world’s largest independent bookstore, lauded as a family business, tourist landmark, and progressive icon of portland oregon.

i work there.

currently our union is fighting to have the company pay us a living wage.

it’s embarrassing how little powells pays us- we barely make more than minimum wage right now- and most people don’t know that the famous business they’re supporting treats its workers like dirt.

when asked to consider our wage proposal, our lead hr officer stated: “We have all worked jobs where the pay and our personal needs were not in alignment.” this isn’t about personal needs “being in alignment.” my coworkers can hardly afford rent or afford to even feed themselves with our current wages.

what am i asking for?

if you love books, love or know powell’s, or just want to stand in solidarity with fellow workers, i’m asking for you to let powell’s books know how you feel about their insulting wage proposal: email our union and they will pass on the message to corporate-

[email protected]

it can be as short and sweet as you want to make it. we want to show the company that people are paying attention to the example they set and won’t stand for it.

also literally just sharing this post to let everyone know what we are asking for helps too. share it on booktok, tell your friends, tell your book club, spread the word. powell’s skates by on its reputation and in doing so hides its betrayal of the workers that dedicate their lives to make it the special place it is.

thank you for reading ❤️

links to our original union instagram post: here

and read some examples of community member emails: here + here

[endearmint-moved]

[1ST IMG: Photo of Powell's Books store on a street corner. END ID.]

[2ND IMG: Photo of yellow cards in someone's hand with a QR code. Transcript:

What Powell's workers need: A fair contract; A living wage; Affordable healthcare What Powell's is proposing: A base wage more than $5 below the living wage for Portland; Wage increases that won't keep pace with inflation (and are a substantial decrease from our previous contract); Healthcare plans that will be unaffordable for most workers under their wage proposal How you can help: Let Powell's leadership know you support a fair contract for Powell's workers, with a living wage and access to affordable healthcare. Send an email to [email protected] and we'll pass your message along to Powell's leadership! Note: This is not a call for a boycott; it's a call for solidarity!

End transcript. END ID.]

[3RD thru 7TH IMGs: Comments from anonymous Powell's booksellers answering the titular prompt, "Tell us how Powell's low wages have impacted your life." Transcript:

"I constantly have to choose between medicine, food, and rent. I can't afford all three. If I miss even a day of work, it means I might not get to eat that week. If I can't get medicine, I die." "Nothing the company has said or done reassures me that I will be able to keep this job and still be able to live. You will lose all your employees if you continue to undervalue our work and treat us as disposable, even though all we want is to be able to work here without financially struggling. I will not vote for a contract that does not give employees a living wage. It is my number one priority, and it should be Powell's priority too." "Powell's low wages are demoralizing. With all we have to juggle during a work day, knowing that many of us are struggling to make rent and feed ourselves is absurd. I go home frustrated, stressed out, and often on the verge of panic attacks thinking about how my labor is used. I'm taken advantage of. We all are. Powell's workers make these stores run properly; our paychecks should reflect that." "I am honestly terrified that I will have no choice but to start living in my car sometime this year. I cannot afford my rent at my current wage, and I can only qualify for an apartment that costs $850/month... which does not exist in Portland... I currently struggle to feed myself while also trying to help feed my coworkers who cannot afford food... Shame on the company for continuing to pay us poverty wages." "I feel trapped because I'm making below a living wage here, but I know that my coworker's won't hate-crime me on the job. I don't do this job for the money, I do it because I love my community and this is the safest job I've ever had. Please pay us more so that I don't have to leave."

End transcript. END ID.]

[wordpainting-deactivated2023071]

*sigh*

[not-safe-for-democracy]

[transsending]

Chick-fil-A fined over "volunteer" program that paid people only in meals

North Carolina eatery had asked some workers to direct traffic but paid them only in meal vouchers — not wages.

[nekkowe]

[escuerzoresucitado]

[sirfrogsworth]

Don't threaten us with a good time.

[anxietyproblem]

[kilo-nova]

[sunflxwerwitch]

Stop normalizing the grind and start normalizing whatever this is

[mousenemy]

God the prices of tvs have changed so much let me get my graph

[mousenemy]

wow thats crazy... tvs used to be so expensive!!

[titsay]

a potion is brewing

[firstfullmoon]

Anne Sexton, from “Hurry Up Please It’s Time,” in The Complete Poems [ID in alt text]

[number1girl]

[radical-eve]

[ironbound-oberon]

I have cochlear implants and I can only buy parts to fix them or upgrade then from 1 corporation bc of tech exclusivity. upgrades to get new processors for both ears cost $23k & insurance only covers 90% (and it’s “good” insurance)

cyberpunk dystopia is already here for the disabled. fight for universal healthcare, fight against capitalism NOW.

[athelind]

Cyberpunk dystopia is already here for the disabled.

[notnando]

s/o to myself for my great taste in music

[without-ado]

Forget reality and dive into books (x)

[yes-oh-yes]