Our natures, humans, is to always want more. We all do. Individual employees all love raises in pay and well they should, nothing wrong with that. But higher pay exposes employees to certain risks. The more you make, the easier you are to replace. You had better be sensational if you are paid sensationally, otherwise someone will come along and do your job equally well or better for less money and you will be standing in the unemployment line.
Unions push wages and benefits higher than any single individual employee could ever achieve. And unions provide some protection against replacement for overpaid workers, all through mob intimidation aka union negotiations. Employers easily replace one under-performing, over-paid worker but replacing the entire staff is difficult. Throw in a little intimidation, a smatter violence and a pinch of "legal" protection, and we have a hamstrung employer.
So when Hershey can finally dump its $30 an hour candy packer for an $8 candy packer, it jumps at the chance (English optional). Is Hershey evil and greedy for doing what any reasonable person would do when hiring the kid next door to mow the lawn? "Johnny, I can't pay you $30 to mow my lawn because Billy will do it for $8, and he promises not to break my windows when I refuse to pay him more." Now Johnny rails that you are running a lawn mowing sweat shop and you say though noogies. You are happy, Billy is ecstatic and the lawn looks great. Congratulation, you are an evil capitalist.
This little sweat shop has worked out well for everyone except Johnny, who is frantically seeking someone to blame because it was certainly not his fault that he lost his job. It was your fault for not wishing to pay his demands and Billy's for working so cheaply. So Johnny seeks to form a Union of Lawn Workers and lobbies Congress to pass fair lawn labor laws. And the New York Times writes another scathing expose on "
Lawn Mowing Sweat Shops in the USA".
We at ThePeoplesCube are appalled at sweat shop inequity. We would rather not work than earn less than globally equal pay. We vehemently insist that no one else be allowed to work for less either. Show your solidarity with Johnny and quit work now. Let there be Lawn Mowing Justice.
