One view as to why wages are seeing little increase--

[mshultz]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Those who long for the days when America was "Great" forget there was a good labor shortage. Made possible by sharply low birth ratss during the Great Depression and about half a million dying in WWII.

I agree. Otis Earl Hawkins wrote an autobiography which included his WWII experiences. He said that a small minority of soldiers accomplished most of the work, and were most likely to die. I suspect that the low crime rate following WWII was at least partially a result of the loss of a large number of risk-taking young men.

[Lekrii]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

People expect rewards for working, otherwise what is their motivation? The relationship between employer and employees is a business relationship and so is subject to negotiation. Employers have a price to pay for employees and that price can be in control as well as money and negotiations determine the price.

Business owners shouldn’t be a protected group isolated from market realities nor should the freedom of employees to negotiate be infringed. Business owners just have to deal with it. If they want to be in business then they have to do business and part of that is negotiating costs, including labor.

People do get a reward from working. They get what the person they are working for deems to be appropriate. If that don't like it, they are free to quit and find a new job. If they feel they deserve more, they can prove that to the person writing the paychecks, or quit and start their own company.

Forcing a business owner to only hire union workers is not inherantly fair. That makes employees a protected group legally isolated from market realities. Of course employees are free to negotiate. Every employee can negotiate their wage without unions. There has never been anything illegal about walking into your bosses office and asking for a raise.

I agree with what you just said. I don't know why you brought up unions though, since everything you said is true without them. Unions current day actually restrict how employees can negotiate for wages. If I want to negotiate for a better wage than I think I'd get through a union, I can't right now.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

However, in some sort of basic sense, I definitely think we are moving closer toward a caste system of haves, the upper middle class professionals in the major urban areas, and everyone else.

If that's true, I want to position myself to be part of the upper caste, not the one sitting there complaining about how unfair the system is and getting left behind at the station because I didn't get on the train.

I cannot fix society. What I can do is the best deal for myself and my family.