Labor is just what it says, Labor. All labor needs to be paid a living wage, not just a servile wage. The living wage needs to have some disposable income in the pay check, which will boost the consumer-driven capitalist system. This type of wage, around $15 to $16 an hour, needs to be paid to all wage slaves no matter the type of job. A worker should not have to work and need government support to survive. When workers use government support, other, higher paid workers, are helping to support the lower paid workers.
This government support is nothing more than a subsidy to the corporations, the same corporations that do not pay taxes or their fair share of taxes. These subsidies help corporations increase their profits. Americans need to ask themselves, why corporations are receiving the welfare help that poor Americans aren’t or are criticized for receiving. The corporations are the “welfare queens,” not the low paid workers.
Before you assume that America does not have qualified or educated workers as the corporations loudly proclaim do your research. According to the Labor Department, 13.4 million college graduates working for hourly pay, this up 19 percent since the start of the recession, and one in four workers will be working low-wage or poverty-level work and the average age of these workers is 35 years old.
The income inequality is the elephant in the room, and it belongs to the anti-worker GOP money people, who rail against government handouts, but are the first in line, yet blame big government for the low-paid wage slaves. Who sets the wage level for each job? I’m thinking it is set by the money people who pay the lowest amount they can get people to accept.
Why don’t the workers set the wage they are willing to sell their lives one hour at a time. Remember, you will eventually wear out just like a car, and then what? Do you think the person who has been paying your minimum wage will be there? It is up to the workers either one person at a time or many workers to stand up and just say, “No more.” This is called solidarity.
So all can blame each other for income inequality, but that will not fix it. You, the worker, must be the one to fight for the $15 to $16 an hour wage, which will really help the economy and your families.
The corporations and businesses who say they will go broke or out of business if the minimum wage is increased are either lying or not good business owners. Maybe they should just go out of business because someone smarter will be in line to replace them and they will not then build their profit margin on cheap labor.
A living wage should just be the cost of doing good business and that cost today should be $15 to $16 an hour. Some already have this, such as L.A. airport at $10.74 in wages plus $4.76 in healthcare benefits for a total of $15.67; San Francisco at $10.74 plus healthcare for a total of $13 an hour. Not perfect, but it’s getting there.
Keep up the fight wage slaves here and around the world.
I hope that I am wrong, but what I see at this time is our unions are going to be in the fight of their existence. This is the most perilous time of our life. The life we had is threatened like never before. Unions are the largest organized group of people who can save our country if things keep going the way they are heading at this time. We need to all stand together for power, but we each must prepare and plan to take care of ourselves and our families. We can fight the big fight and not be distracted by worry about things that can and should already be taken care of. For instance, stashing at least one month’s pay and at least a month or even a year’s worth of food, whether the food is staples (pasta, rice, canned goods) and meat or chicken in the freezer. Keep your vehicles' tanks full and if possible a gas can full. It’s in your best interest to also save money for house or rent payments plus extra. This is not new thinking for us old trade workers who had to prepare when...
Comments
Post a Comment