At 22:46 25-1-01 -0500, John Giorgis wrote:
>At 09:36 PM 1/25/01 +1100, Autarch wrote:
> >This is not the situation. I don't know what the situation is in the USA -
> >but given comparison to Australia, a laid off manual labourer can't count
> >on immediate reemployment. Usually the worker involved is living from
> >paycheck to paycheck - and the interval between jobs (given that he can
> >find another with a limited skillset) will be a severe difficulty.
>
>The US is currently experiencing record low unemployment - so there are
>plenty of jobs to be had.
Maybe now, but what when in three or four years the next recession hits,
yet another company moves it production lines abroad and their American
labourers find themselves unemployed? It may be years before they can get
an other job (and by then, many of them will be considered too old and
therefore too expensive).
> >So, unless you have a college education you don't deserve a living wage?
> >This is a rather extreme position to take.
>
>What's a living wage? There are a great many people in this world
>*living* on just dollars a day. The minium wages of the developed world
>are almost exorbitant by comparison.
Minimum wages are much higher here, but so is the cost of living...
>My position is that your wage should be determined in part by your
>contribution to society. The value you bring to the market should be the
>value you bring home from your market. If you are unskilled, then you are
>likely not producing much value, and should expect your work to be valued
>as such - minimum wage.
Actually, many corporations are kept up and running by those unskilled,
minimum wage people. If it weren't for low-ranking employees like
receptionists, cleaning staff and cafetaria staff, not much would be done
anymore. If the entire management doesn't do any work at all for a week,
the company stills keeps running. But what do you think will happen if for
a whole week the production personnel goes on strike, or your office
building doesn't get cleaned for a week, or there is nobody around to make
coffee for a week? Exactly: everything in the organisation comes to a
grinding halt... Whaddaya mean, unskilled people don't contribute much and
don't produce much value? Hah!
Jeroen
_________________________________________________________________________
Wonderful World of Brin-L Website: http://go.to/brin-l
Brin-L Party Page: http://www.geocities.com/jeroenvb.geo/party.html
