Is there such thing as a bad job?

It’s an interesting question that came up during a discussion I had last week about industrial/logistics development in South Central Fresno. Amazon, Ulta and other industrial and e-commerce type centers employ thousands there from across the area. Employers in the district paid $102.7 million in tax revenue in 2022.

Yet Fresno is closed to more industrial development due to efforts of advocacy groups representing neighbors who have had enough warehouse development. Instead, projects have gone to places such as Visalia.

Or consider the big news shared by Cushman & Wakefield Tuesday that Macy’s signed a long-term lease for a new, 272,000 square-foot logistics building in Lathrop, about two hours north of Fresno near Stockton.

Not sure how many jobs that will mean for Lathrop, but it’s sure to be more than there are now.

So that goes back to the question about bad jobs. Is a warehouse job bad?

These warehouses are being built to serve the modern reality of retail spending. If you think a warehouse job is bad, will you stop buying stuff online on principle?

I ask this: Is a job bad to the person who does it with pride? As a society, I think we all believe in the dignity of work. Everyone has a role. They may not be equal, but they matter.

I don’t think there are bad jobs. But there are bad employers.

For the advocacy groups, the message is simple: no more warehouse jobs.

For all the mechanisms California has and continues to develop for controlling conditions in the workplace, can we afford to lose these so-called “bad” jobs?

That’s a question we must all consider — and our elected officials must answer.