Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Not a "fair" wage

There is one group of people that is possibly overpaid in this state: workers who make minimum wage.

I wish that people would work for what their labor is worth. For some that's $5.00/hour and for some that's $50.00/hour. But if your labor is worth five dollars and you are getting $7.50/hour then you are overpaid.

But government (and Oregon voters) have decided that your employer should have to pay you more than you are worth.

Now I know that some of you will insist that if we eliminated the minimum wage that "all workers will be paid ten cents an hour" but that argument doesn't hold up. I make more than minimum wage and no one had to tell my employer to pay me that, I earned it. If the minimum wage was repealed tomorrow would it affect your wages? Would you start making ten cents an hour?

Which brings us to the second group of people who could possibly be overpaid: Union workers. While they have negotiated a wage they do tie it to the minimum wage. If we have established that the minimum wage is not a market driven salary then union workers are overpaid as well.

What's my point? Nothing. Just an early morning rant.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes Daniel, but it's a rant with substance. As far as Unions...to me they are nothing more than socialist dictorships on parade. Everyone getting the same pay regardless of worth or amount of work performed. The guy sitting on his ass all day gets paid the same as the guy who busts his butt all day.

Union officials livin' large on the backs of their memebers. Not to mention raises tied to time on the job not merit, now that's Utopia.

Anonymous said...

The plan is to bring job training into the schools where students can work as Interns (uncompensated) until they build their skill level to where they are worth the minimum wage.

There won't be any need for an Entry Level Wage!

But there will be much more need for more bilingual schools and teachers and administrators.

davidhamilton said...

Entry-level workers get more than money. They establish a reputation for showing up on time, doing the job properly, avoiding stealing from the employer, and so on. They may live at home with mom and be without the expense of being married, which reduces financial need.

Anonymous said...

Protest the hiring of illegals.
BOYCOTT TYSON FOODS.
Remember, Keep It Simple
One Company, One Product.


I have been passing my idea around to friends this week. I tell them, let’s boycott Tyson Foods to protest the hiring of illegal aliens. Every time I mention it someone chimes in with something they think is helpful. But adding more companies is not helpful. It muddies the plan and makes it impossible to execute.

Remember Keep It Simple!!! We must target a single company and a single product and make it clear this is a protest against hiring illegal aliens.

A few years ago I got an email about boycotting Exxon. Within a month I got all sorts of derivatives of the same idea. The whole concept became muddled and everyone was adding their particular 2 cents. And in the end nothing happened.

1) Target a single company and a single product. Tyson Chicken. This makes it easy to replace that product with something else. Easy to understand and easy to execute. Everyone you tell, be sure to stress, we must remain targeted and keep it simple if it is to be effective. Just Tyson Chicken.

It has nothing to do with vegetarianism, wicca, world peace, or any of the other wacky ideas that got added to the Exxon boycott of prior years. This is about picking one company, and punishing them for hiring illegals.

2) People often say "It won’t have an effect because the other companies hire illegals too."

True, other companies hire illegals. There will be all sorts of articles written about how there is no way we can be effective. Do not believe it. The fact that Perdue also hires illegals is unfortunate. But if we try to get everyone to stop buying all products related to the hiring of illegals, nothing will happen.

Forget Perdue and Wal-Mart, target one company, one product, do not stray from this simple plan. Bring Tyson to its knees.

WE CAN DESTROY TYSON CHICKEN. BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES. MAKE THE MONEY CULT IN CONGRESS AND ON WALLSTREET HEAR US!

Tyson has bitten the hand that feeds it. DOWN WITH TYSON.

Copy this and email it to a friend.

Anonymous said...

Too bad Annon. We just bought 80 lbs of Tyson Chicken for our school district.

As for the "rant" on Unions. Isn't it more about the fact that Daniel Miglavs would never be able to get a union job. As it is he is on just about every shit list from unions to OJIN.

Anonymous said...

I don't actually work right now, so my labor is worth nothing. But rather than receiving nothing, I should be receiving minimum wage for the many hours each day that I do nothing.

Yes, it sounds ridiculous. But is it substantively any different from saying "even though my labor is worth only a buck an hour, you should have to pay me seven"?

Anonymous said...

Gullyborg,
I hear ya', man! It's hard work doing nothing!

(I'd strike if I were you!)

Kate said...

Amen.

Anonymous said...

Obviously union workers are overpaid, and overemployed. They form unions to achieve that.

The min wage argument has legs on another of your favorite subjects: Illegal immigration.

A point I've tried to make many times is that states like Washington and Oregon need to look in the mirror in terms of attracting the masses flowing through the unprotected southern border.

The 2 highest min wages in the country, along with loads of social freebies, is not lost on destitute Mexicans.

Anonymous said...

el razonador,

If you think Mexicans aren't drawn to states with high min wages, you are nuts.

Enough said.

Anonymous said...

If you go from 1 to 4 that's a pretty big growth rate. Pct growth shows nothing.

So what's your theory? Mexicans are attracted to states with low min wages?

I know lots of Mexicans who tell me the ridiculous WA min wage and health freebies are well known throughout Western Mexico.