A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
Moderators
Jemmy
FenrirIII
Reminder that every dollar possessed by the ultrawealthy is time you wouldn't have had to spend working and could have instead used that time to enrich your personal life whether it's alone, with family, or friends.
And to help illustrate your important reminder, a (probably now outdated) visualisation of just how many dollars they actually posses:
https://mkorostoff.github.io/1-pixel-wealth/
This is really cool
Glad you found it helpful/interesting!
Outdated sure, but captivating nonetheless
Yeah, it's mindboggling as it is, but when you know how much more money the richest few people have made since it was last updated (the worldโs five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes to $869bn since 2020), or how much all of the world's billionaires are hoarding combined (2,781 billionaires with a total net wealth of $14.2 trillion - the pixel site only goes up to 3.2 trillion), or that this trend isn't going anywhere or slowing down, it really is overwhelming.
"BuT tHeN i WoUlD bE mAkInG lEsS cOmPaRaTiVeLy"
Yes, that's the point, everyone should be making more.
The minimum wage should grow with inflation according to an annual review. It's an injustice that there must be this huge battle every time it needs to be increased every few years but only when people get fed up because they can't afford to live.
I don't need no stinkin' government getting involved in my business trying to... Get me more money. Same as when that Obama tried to save me money on healthcare. Don't tread on me!
Yeah! I want to live a lifetime of suffering and pain so that no illegals get shelter and no children get food! Disgusting! Republican Jesus woulda shot those immigrants and fed those kids to the lions.
Don't tell me about no Bible, I haven't read a book since I was 7 and I ain't about to start now. Fox News is the one source of truth!
Immigrants are the enemy! Billionaires are friends. Just like it says on the TV channel that the billionaire owns! It has to be true! I'm stupid btw.
Don't tread on me being treaded on!
Pretty much how it's handled in Australia, although they sometimes increase it above inflation. Importantly, it's handled by an independent body and not something that is subject to votes in parliament.
So if industrialists could manage inflation while increasing productivity, they should keep all the gains?
We'd have a different system in an ideal world but I'm not commenting on that now.
I'm not sure you get the point I am making. You changed something, perhaps without noticing. The quote is about productivity, not inflation. Merely keeping pace with inflation when productivity is booming hardly seems enough.
If you think productivity should be factored in that's fine, but I'm not talking about productivity like the post is. I purposely left it out. I'm merely saying that wages should keep up with inflation at the very least.
Should be much higher.
A combination of inflation, gap between workers and leaders at the company AND productivity.
50$/hr and 3 day weeks. Thereโs no reason to grind to make the ruling class more wealthy.
According to my father in law it's the participation trophies that are to blame.
Could I please get a source for this? I want to post it in the break room at work.
data:
https://www.bls.gov/productivity/charts/
article search "wage gap":
https://usafacts.org/articles/what-is-labor-productivity-and-how-has-it-changed-in-the-us-over-time/
That happened when Ronnie Reagan was president.
Of course I can't read it for you, too.
You rock
Even just accounting for inflation, the $1.25/h federal minimum wage in 1963 would be about $13/h today.
Holy fuck the Gravel Institute is a nostalgia trip. Can't believe those kids still have a job.
They're back? Oh please oh please oh please....
To make their line go up, they must make your line go down.
Not necessarily.
Increases in productivity could have been split between labor and capital, giving benefits to both. (Or even better, gone just to labor, but that would not be a "both lines go up" scenario.)
Yes. I was referring to how capitalism tended to have worked in the past decade or so, and not to how to actually make the line go up.
E: autocorrect
Can't exploit me if I'm unemployed, checkmate capitalists
Really? Not more?
Edit. Oh I see, back then minimum wage was about $1.15. Lol. Yeah a 23x increase seems reasonable.
Probably regionally dependent. $23 in the Midwest but $50 in the big cities
Is this super outdated?
I'm pretty sure rents have gone up at more than double that number. Giving our shrinking wage even less worth.
The federal minimum wage was $1 per hour in 1960, so productivity has increased 23 fold according to the OP.
Shouldn't this mean we should be able to cut down to two hours of work per week?
Having to work 40+ hours when 2 should be enough does sound like exploitation.
I should only have to get out of bed once for every 23 mornings that I wake up, am I right?
Capital statement
Only $10.29 with inflation though. Turns out we just make double value now.
This is an interesting factoid but without more information, no one can really trust or use it. Propaganda can never help our cause.
There's a million fuckin sources that prove the wage gap. Literally type "what is the wage gap "productivity"" in Google and go nuts. Wtf is this comment
I don't have minimum wage though.
A good way to avoid being exploited is to have some skills worth paying for...
That being said, I would double minimum wage if I was in charge, because I value human happiness more than profits.
Fuck extreme capitalism. Needs to be a balance between that and human happiness.
This isn't about you though, it's about us. The collective. The country. Minimum wage will be paid to some people because capitalism, and it's abhorrent. Double it and you're still not paying enough to reach a livable wage in a low cost of living state.
Make it $20 federally and those of us that are privileged to make more than minimum wage will also get raises. The companies and executives will have to make less money. If a company can't afford to pay that then they can go out of business.
A rising tide lifts all ships.
Absolutely. Put it at 20 or 30 or whatever is needed. I would do that in an instant, but of course, making enemies from the powerful greedy corps will mean that I won't be around long.
Keep telling yourself that.
Everyone who works has skills worth paying for. That and having sought after skills doesn't mean you won't be exploited.