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Now that unemployment is at record highs what do you guys think about getting rid of minimum wage, 40 hour work weeks (ie. if over 40 hours you get over time) and other such laws that protect workers. Normally these types of laws make our companies less competitive and add costs to employing people. If it costs more to employ people less jobs will be created.
I think alot of small businesses would be alot more successful if they could hire cheaper labor.
Now that unemployment is at record highs what do you guys think about getting rid of minimum wage, 40 hour work weeks (ie. if over 40 hours you get over time) and other such laws that protect workers. Normally these types of laws make our companies less competitive and add costs to employing people. If it costs more to employ people less jobs will be created.
I think alot of small businesses would be alot more successful if they could hire cheaper labor.
Min. wage is a joke, and all this Lefty "living wage" stuff hasn't worked in places where it's law. The law of unintended consequences definitely comes into play, here.
40 hour work week is a good idea, I think, in fact I wouldn't have the standard of living, retirement savings, "stuff", etc., I do have, without OT pay. Besides, any company which works their help like dogs (I've worked for a few) and requires mandatory OT should compensate their help accordingly. Without OT some people would be forced to change jobs, get a 2nd job, and in some cases become more dependent upon the government. Some would probably go on welfare, full time.
Anyone who understands business and knows how many companies run, knows OT is one cheap way out of having to hire more people. Costs money to hire people, train, offer benefits to, etc., so why not just keep the bare minimum # of employees and either force OT or offer it to folks who will probably take it? I know some of that may sound harsh but that's how many businesses are run, for better or for worse.
I think tort reform, and getting rid of or modifying some of the byzantine labor laws this country has (and many states have) would make us more competitive.
There is significant pressure by business groups to get rid of minimum wage so employers can flood millions of desperate immigrants into America and pay them chicken feed, all in the attempt to maximize profits. The argument though will be that minimum wage limits our economy and increases unemployment but because the wages will go so low in relation to the cost of living, the only people who will do these jobs will have to be immigrants.
Okay well from where I am standing companys are already hiring cheap labor and they pay garbage wages and that is what is keeping the economy in the toliet . Please dont give these employers anymore ideas of how to swindle the american worker . What are some of us going to do ? Live in europe ,canada or mexico and work there ? or let the foreigners buy all of america and put us to work ? Oh when will it all end ?
It depends on the employer. Wal-Mart, yup, they hire the cheapest labor they can because frankly their target audience is their own empoyees. And with what I've seen of the average Wal-Mart employee, they are lucky that minimum wage exists. They are disposable, unskilled labor with jobs that often a 5th grader could do.
On the other hand, where I work, 90% of our workforce is highly skilled labor. It's blue collar, but blue collar with education, skills, and certifications to back it all up. Additionally we drug test, which rules out 50% of the labor pool in this industry. So in order to get the best employees (which in this business means lower labor costs because things get done right the first time) and lower workers comp costs (because workers work safer and get paid a good wage to come to work so they have no reason to have "back strains"). Paying a low wage would give us the dregs of the industry, because the our crew would get snapped up by our competition.
I think that the most obvious way to fight unemployment is to stop issuing H1B visas unless the employer absolutely proves they are unable to find a suitable US citizen/green card candidate at prevailing wage. It would require reams of paperwork.
Next, get rid of the labor unions which have put so many people out of business because they've got a chokehold on so many industries.
And for those who scream and holler that the executives make so much money, if you dont like it, quit your job and open your own business and be an executive and pay yourself what you want. Put up or shut up.
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On the other hand, where I work, 90% of our workforce is highly skilled labor. It's blue collar, but blue collar with education, skills, and certifications to back it all up. Additionally we drug test, which rules out 50% of the labor pool in this industry. So in order to get the best employees (which in this business means lower labor costs because things get done right the first time) and lower workers comp costs (because workers work safer and get paid a good wage to come to work so they have no reason to have "back strains"). Paying a low wage would give us the dregs of the industry, because the our crew would get snapped up by our competition.
Having worked in manufacturing for 10+ years, I can relate with the above text, as well as some I snipped out.
I've seen competent, skilled folks get angry and leave a job because they had just interviewed for a "guaranteed" job at a different plant, only to fail that employer's drug test. Most employers require a minimum 12 months after that, for the applicant to be allowed to reapply, but, who wants a druggie working for them? I mean, really now. It goes to show we have chronic drug abusers in this country, to include users of anabolic steroids and other stuff some people may not realize will guarantee a fail on a drug test. Just about anywhere manufacturing is done in this country, fully 50%-60% of applicants can't pass the drug test, with another 10% or so who somehow cheat the system and/or quit and give themselves just enough time to get stuff out of their systems.
I guess some people just don't care.
Having worked around drug addicts in manufacturing, I can attest that it's not fun, and the obvious safety issues involved are not lost on me. The decreased productivity has to be made up somewhere, and usually it's done by folks shouldering the burden and working lots of overtime.
The oft said joke on the shop floors of places where I've worked was that if those employers started doing random drug tests, fully 50% of folks in most of those companies would probably fail. Some would put the number at closer to 75%.
If anything, the minimum wage needs to be INCREASED. Compared to the actual cost of living, it is pathetic. In the lower paying jobs, pay has been flat for years, while the cost of everything else has gone up such as gas, health care premiums, utilities, etc. People in these lower income postions have very little disposable income; if they made more, it would actually STIMULATE the economy,
What needs to go down is the obscene pay of those CEO's and board members at the TOP levels of these companies.
Actually I feel that minimum wage should maybe go up a tiny bit to about $8 an hour (slightly higher in really high cost of living areas), because there are some folks who just don't have the intelligence to find better employment and need to be able to keep a roof over their heads. But I'd hate to see it increased dramatically. The motivator to get people to want to work harder and make soemthing better of themselves is generally money. If you hand it out because someone can fog a mirror, there's no incentive to work harder and you create a culture of slackers.
What needs to go down is the obscene pay of those CEO's and board members at the TOP levels of these companies.
The CEO where my husband works made about $6 million last year when you add in all the perks. The company is profitable, the lowest paid f/t employee makes about $18K + benefits (this would be for a first year file clerk type of position), the median income is $80K, over 25% of the employees make six figures. I see nothing obscene about any of this.
Actually I feel that minimum wage should maybe go up a tiny bit to about $8 an hour (slightly higher in really high cost of living areas), because there are some folks who just don't have the intelligence to find better employment and need to be able to keep a roof over their heads. But I'd hate to see it increased dramatically. The motivator to get people to want to work harder and make soemthing better of themselves is generally money. If you hand it out because someone can fog a mirror, there's no incentive to work harder and you create a culture of slackers.
Studies re living wage ordinances/laws reveal that the law of unintended consequences always applies to them. Case in point (I forget which city it was): They raised the minimum wages within the city limits, to include those for wait staff at restaurants who are dependent upon tips, thinking it would help more minorities (mostly single women parents) get higher pay/get higher paying jobs in the inner city. What resulted was restaurant owners started getting more qualified applicants from the college set, as young single college women found they could get a better paying waitress job, and the owners happily obliged since single women going to college may be more flexible with work hours, work just part time, etc. A college student has at least a HS diploma or GED. So, the unemployment rate for these inner city folks actually went up, due to the government getting more involved. Artificially pushing up these wages made the jobs more attractive than they normally would be.
When government gets involved in markets, it skews things, sometimes greatly. "Prevailing wages" laws and "living wages" laws drive up the costs of doing business in this country. By meddling in various marketplaces, the government actually makes things worse.
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