welcome back company towns 👋👋👋👋

  • Runcible [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    3 days ago

    I hate that I’m saying this, but it might actually be useful to have companies do this and have housing as part of a compensation package to exert some downward pressure on rent.

    Realistically I know it will be terrible but I can see how it could be beneficial in our current framework/situation

    • JustSo [she/her, any]@hexbear.net
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      3 days ago

      You hate that you’re saying it because you know that in actual fact having your landlord, HOA and your boss all be the same fucken capitalist pig is bad.

      You’re saying it because there’s a gushing artery and we don’t get to be picky about the quality of bandage in a crisis.

      • Asafum@feddit.nl
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        3 days ago

        “Oh you’re calling out because you’re sick? We’ll send someone up to make sure. It’s in the contract you signed for the apartment.”

        • anarchoilluminati [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          3 days ago

          That’s probably depressingly accurate. There is a Costco pharmacy, they’ll probably ask you to get a note from them or send them up to your room.

          I can easily see a world where the pharmacist regularly denies all sick claims to avoid getting fired and evicted themselves.

          • stigsbandit34z [they/them]@hexbear.net
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            3 days ago

            This is exactly why it doesn’t matter how good the CEO of Costco is

            “The purpose of a system is what it does”

            You don’t have to dig very deep to realize all we can really do at this point is try to make hell seem more comfortable

    • trabpukcip [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      3 days ago

      Similar ideas like this pop up every few years regarding teacher housing in expensive areas (SF, NYC) where the district owns and operates some housing units

      • CrowTankieRobot [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        3 days ago

        At least one of the charter schools in one of the smaller MN cities had to build an apartment complex next door to attract teachers. AFAIK, the apartments are reserved just for teachers and their immediate families. The charter school salary and benefits are crappy enough that without cheap (and good) housing, no one wants to move there to have a teaching career. I found out recently that this strategy has been given the rather euphemistic name “workforce housing”. IOW, they have to build housing as a sort of charity project.