Minimum wage isn't meant to be a living wage (radical, March, Chicago)
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Do you really want all your work lost to foreigners who are willing to work for gruel only?
This is what will happen if there are no restrictions.
So it is the job of the govt to protect its own citizens in this way.
- and it seems highly unlikely that a Real Estate agent would actually be working for $2/hr anyway.
Sounds like you are ok for OTHER PEOPLE to work for this wage but not yourself.
Do you have some reason to believe that a job will stay in the USA if it can be done cheaper somewhere else? If the minimum wage is raised will GM or Honeywell brings more jobs back into the USA? Will companies operating in Mexico brings factories back into the USA?
Oh, and a RE agent works for commission. No sale no paycheck.
If you think someone has accused you of lying, maybe you should report them.
Or maybe you should just calm down. Yeah, that might be an even better idea.
Moving on - back to the topic at hand...
Minimum wage jobs are not the norm in this country. The vast, vast majority of American workers do NOT make even near minimum wage. Those who do are for the most part young and/or inexperienced and/or part time workers in positions requiring the bare minimum of skills.
Raising the minimum wage will increase the cost of all labor - including but not limited to unskilled labor. The overall effect will be an increase in costs of most goods to the American public in general - as well as a higher unemployment rate.
Basic Economics 101.
Hope this gets us back on track.
Minimum wage may not be the norm, but...
...there are too many adult workers that depend on the government because they don't have enough hours to live above what is needed for assistance.
My employer was netting $3M per year and was able to spend 16 weeks a year globetrotting. Clearly the business and the employees were productive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ringwise
Clearly all his hard work, sacrifice and unwillingness to make excuses about why he couldn't possibly start his own business paid off.
The notion that someone who owns a successful business must have worked hard and sacrificed is not self-evident. This business may have been inherited or bought with Lotto winnings and the only hard work and labor is done by the employees, while the boss is a playboy.
This is a graph representing the declining labor share in GDP:
The implication is that what is being lost by those who work is being gained by those who own the capital.
An open market is not exploitation. In fact, it's the exact opposite of exploitation. It lets the employee decide what rate of pay he is willing to accept and allows the employer to hire the best people it is able to hire at the rate it is willing to pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenneth-Kaunda
Do you really want all your work lost to foreigners who are willing to work for gruel only?
This is what will happen if there are no restrictions.
So it is the job of the govt to protect its own citizens in this way.
When we raise the minimum wage here in the USA, are other countries doing the same thing, raising their minimum wages? If not, why would a company that is not location dependent stay and pay the higher wage? Why would they not relocate to someplace that they can get the work done for a lower wage, leaving all their US employees looking for a job? Who is protected by driving businesses away with higher costs? Companies can bring the business to those willing to accept gruel in other countries. Here at home, the government can protect it's citizens by controlling immigration, and stopping all those illegals with nothing to contribute from becoming part of our low wage black market workforce, and by heavily fining any employer that hires an illegal. Immigrants who follow the rules and bring something to the table in the way of education, skills, & respect for our laws are no more likely to accept gruel as payment than any citizen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenneth-Kaunda
- and it seems highly unlikely that a Real Estate agent would actually be working for $2/hr anyway.
Sounds like you are ok for OTHER PEOPLE to work for this wage but not yourself.
I'm ok with anyone having the right to accept whatever wage they can convince an employer to pay, or want to accept. I've educated myself and worked to gain experience so that I am worth, and can command, more than $2.00 per hour. I work in a profession where nothing is guaranteed, where every paycheck is negotiated, and there is no minimum. If I don't get the job done, I don't get paid.
Wages could be increased substantially, and the only thing reduced would be the excess corporate profits being earned. In the meanwhile, the economy would benefit from workers having more disposable income. And businesses would benefit from lower turnover and training costs.
Corporate profits are in red, labor's share in blue.
The notion that someone who owns a successful business must have worked hard and sacrificed is not self-evident. This business may have been inherited or bought with Lotto winnings and the only hard work and labor is done by the employees, while the boss is a playboy.
Why does it matter where the owner got his money? All that matters is that the business exists, paying the employees to provide a product or service to those willing to pay for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTAtech
This is a graph representing the declining labor share in GDP:
The implication is that what is being lost by those who work is being gained by those who own the capital.
The declining labor share in GDP likely has a lot to do with advanced technology. Factories these days are much less crowded with people, and much more humming with advanced technology, machines that do the work more quickly, efficiently, and consistently than people do. With fewer people doing the job, less is spent on labor, and therefore the owner of the capital, who pays for those advanced factories & technologies, gets more of the money.
Wages could be increased substantially, and the only thing reduced would be the excess corporate profits being earned. In the meanwhile, the economy would benefit from workers having more disposable income. And businesses would benefit from lower turnover and training costs.
Corporate profits are in red, labor's share in blue.
That's true for a company that has no choice but to hire labor, but what about companies that can move production to a different country? We can set the min wage at $45/hr for construction, plumbing, HVAC, etc. However, a cashier can be replaced by a self checkout. A hand car wash employee can be replaced by an automated wash.
My dad has a company that hires low skilled labor and he has locations in Mexico as well as the USA. What would stop him from having more of the work performed in Mexico?
That's true for a company that has no choice but to hire labor, but what about companies that can move production to a different country? We can set the min wage at $45/hr for construction, plumbing, HVAC, etc. However, a cashier can be replaced by a self checkout. A hand car wash employee can be replaced by an automated wash.
My dad has a company that hires low skilled labor and he has locations in Mexico as well as the USA. What would stop him from having more of the work performed in Mexico?
Using that argument why is any manufacturing done in this country at all?---since labor is cheaper in other places.
Wages could be increased substantially, and the only thing reduced would be the excess corporate profits being earned. In the meanwhile, the economy would benefit from workers having more disposable income. And businesses would benefit from lower turnover and training costs.
One might have thought that the government would have more concentrated on that the last 4 years as opposed to making sure the stock market recovered, but alas, they didn't.
What do you propose we do about that?
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