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MattS said
My two cents
I work for a very large firm where the lowest pay rate is $24 with built in raises to $29 within 4 yrs plus and annual adjustment per year with decent benefits … for well over a year we have not been able to attract and retain people. People don’t want or need a job regardless of what data points show. And I hear the same from every person I know

There's more to it than the pay. The job conditions are also important.

Truck driving was mentioned. Not for everyone. Long stretches of time away from home. One former trucker told me his wife eventually left him because of that. Money was good. He was able to provide well for her. But, he was out of town most of the time.

HermanH said
… They cannot figure out that their average hourly wage is often below minimum levels and that they are burning up/depreciating their principal asset (car) for the benefit of their employer. Serves them right.

It's not that obvious, until their mechanic explains why the car needed its brakes serviced and its starter starts making noises once in a while, within a year of starting deliveries.

A friend had that epiphany years ago, before Uber Eats and DoorDash were around, doing pizza deliveries after being laid off.

Bill:

I said, "A full-time job with decent benefits."

That's exactly what a government job is. As many jobs as possible should meet those standards. Back when I joined the workforce as a new graduate, public-sector jobs paid less than private industry - but had security, benefits and a bit (limited) more protection from toxic bosses.

As globalization legitimized and promulgated ruthless practices in the private sector, and unionization was cut in half in most of the continent, the private sector has fallen behind - save for the highest of the high earners.

We shouldn't resent good employment. We should insist on it, following what those with good jobs used to have.
RetirEd

Bill: part of a possible solution is the current paranoid de-globalization, part of it is the sudden permanent retirement of a lot of the North American workforce and search for more workers. We also need to fight anti-employee laws in many states.

Bringing back and enforcing US antitrust laws would be a big start. That would prevent huge corporations' use of unlimited financial resources to wipe out entire world markets, as Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tesla and the like from operating at massive losses for years to wipe out competition.

We are now facing a world where time wasted on social media and entertainment has so eroded human time management that former "necessities" like shaving, washing, and home cleaning and maintenance have gone by the wayside. Everyone's wearing hoodies and sweats, and ordering high-priced on-line delivery services. We need to get back to the real world.
RetirEd

RetireEd,

Amazon is centralized delivery of goods. Someone who is pro-unions should be for Amazon, as it wipes out non-unionized mom and pop stores. Likes of Amazon and Walmart bring together labor - which is a must for unions to operate. If union is not there today, it may be tomorrow.

Amazon got that big and popular not because they have access to unlimited financial resources, but because they can operate more efficiently. Their efficiency reduces labor demand and reduces price of goods. Both help to keep inflation in check (to some extent).

For all evils Google did, they saved us from Apple monopoly. It is thanks for Google one can choose from wide variety of smartphones on Amazon. It is thanks for Google our Smart TVs free us from the monopoly of local TV cable provider.
Would you prefer all the world live in Apple monopoly world instead?

As for Tesla, I am not sure what is wrong with them in your opinion. What I see is a company that started much needed push to US energy independence. 50% of all oil consumption in the US is transportation. Just part of that transportation switched to EV could be enough to make US politically independent country again.