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Only in cases where the labor market is perfectly competitive. Factors like wage collusion, oligopolies and monopsony that occur in unregulated markets can make employers able to pay their workers far below what their labor is worth, leaving few options for people seeking to change their employer to gain better pay. Without unions, then, they can become stuck in an exploitative relationship with the employer. This is why unions are an absolute necessity in a free-market capitalist society.
Unions don't exist in a true free-market society. Unions diminish the free market, making the employees defacto owners of the company, though they've done made no direct investments in the company, with nothing at stake. The U.S.'s statist regulations on businesses prevents wage collusion and the like, so Unions aren't necessary to prevent them.
Fortunately unionized corps. are a small minority these days. But isn't it a wonder how the 80% that don't have unions manage to be competitive and provide good wages?
A quote from Adam Smith, the "father of capitalism"...
“Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate the differences between masters and their workmen, its counselors are always the masters. When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes otherwise when in favour of the masters.”
As long as corporations and the wealthy have the most influence over government, unions are an absolute necessity. Anti-monopoly legislation and enforcement has been relaxed in recent times. Collusion may be illegal but won't prevent it from happening secretly in all cases. If workers don't have a voice then they run the risk of being exploited.
“Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate the differences between masters and their workmen, its counselors are always the masters. When the regulation, therefore, is in favour of the workmen, it is always just and equitable; but it is sometimes otherwise when in favour of the masters.”
As long as corporations and the wealthy have the most influence over government, unions are an absolute necessity. Anti-monopoly legislation and enforcement has been relaxed in recent times. Collusion may be illegal but won't prevent it from happening secretly in all cases. If workers don't have a voice then they run the risk of being exploited.
You would have an argument if most workers were unionized. But since over 80% of workers aren't and the economy is strong with low unemployment, your argument is a strawman.
"You would have an argument if most workers were unionized. But since over 80% of workers aren't and the economy is strong with low unemployment, your argument is a strawman."
And (surprise) real wages for low-wage workers have declined and stagnated.
"You would have an argument if most workers were unionized. But since over 80% of workers aren't and the economy is strong with low unemployment, your argument is a strawman."
And (surprise) real wages for low-wage workers have declined and stagnated.
The answer is to get an education and don't depend upon the government to get you a pay raise. As the victims of Katrina found out, if you depend upon the government you will be disappointed.
The answer is to get an education and don't depend upon the government to get you a pay raise. As the victims of Katrina found out, if you depend upon the government you will be disappointed.
Education... it's easy to say that but decent college education isn't exactly an "equal opportunity" asset.
All the Pell Grants and community colleges in the world still don't make up for the large discrepancies in availablility of quality college education between people from different income groups.
All the Pell Grants and community colleges in the world still don't make up for the large discrepancies in availablility of quality college education between people from different income groups.
Ahh yes. Education. Interesting that we have come full circle.
Remember the original poster's question:
Quote:
It seems that most hard working middle class people struggle very hard to keep from going broke. The cost of living is steadily rising while pay rates stay the same. It even seems that in a lot of cases a college degree is the new high school degree. So is the middle-class the new low-class in the near to distant future?
I hate that "answer" (get an education) because I'm not sure that it's the absolute 100% truth.
Please note, I am not against higher education (<----she says as she glances warily at the stack of paperwork required to file her daughter's 2007/08 FASFA).
I think (?) we can agree that there has indeed been degree inflation? That the Bachelor's is the new HS Diploma?
Once upon a time...one went to college. Got the B.A. Got hired. Got promoted. Moved steadily up the ladder. And retired ~40 years later with a healthy pension and a gold watch.
Soooo. We tell kids of today to "get an education". And at the same time the costs of getting said education is rising. And, larger question, what do we tell them when they graduate, often deeply in debt, and they head to land that first job and find that many of those jobs have been downsized, outsourced, off-shored and eliminated?
Obviously, this is not true for all fields. Those in science, engineering and the medical fields seem to be doing quite well.
I do, however, know more than a few folks with Bachelor's, and even Master's, who are un- or under- employed. It happens.
So, I think, in order for "education" to be the answer, we need to make sure that said education is a) affordable--perhaps even free--for all and b)relevant to the current economy.
I'm interested in other's thoughts on this. Obviously, as the parent of a college student, I think about this topic frequently.
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A quote from Adam Smith, the "father of capitalism"...
