Watch what happens when capitalists set wages...

[Xamonas Chegwé]

[Seth]

Posted Wayback Machine Hollywood horseshit...

Life in the Marxist Utopia of Nicaragua today:

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At least Oliver Twist got a bowl of gruel.

[tattuchu]

Adversity build character. And gives kids something to sing about

[pErvinalia]

[JimC]

In most relatively free societies, wage levels in a given industry come from some sort of bargaining process between business and organised labour. The pendulum swings between the 2 depending on the relative strength of their positions at a given time. Government can have a role in arbitration if the struggle is too protracted...

[Seth]

In most relatively free societies, wage levels in a given industry come from some sort of bargaining process between business and organised labour. The pendulum swings between the 2 depending on the relative strength of their positions at a given time. Government can have a role in arbitration if the struggle is too protracted...

Yup. Government's role is to force both parties to the negotiating table and ensure that no force or fraud is used by either side in an attempt to gain advantage in the negotiations, and that is all it's role is.

If, in the end, the employer declines the offer of the workers representatives, then the workers either suck it up or quit and find other jobs, which leaves the employer with nobody to work for him...unless there's someone else out there willing to work for a lower wage of course, in which case the workers overplayed their hand and have screwed themselves out of jobs.

Sucks to be them I guess. The laws of supply and demand are immutable. Charge too much for your product/labor and your customer/employer won't buy from you, he'll buy from someone else. Too bad for you.

[JimC]

In most relatively free societies, wage levels in a given industry come from some sort of bargaining process between business and organised labour. The pendulum swings between the 2 depending on the relative strength of their positions at a given time. Government can have a role in arbitration if the struggle is too protracted...

Yup. Government's role is to force both parties to the negotiating table and ensure that no force or fraud is used by either side in an attempt to gain advantage in the negotiations, and that is all it's role is.

If, in the end, the employer declines the offer of the workers representatives, then the workers either suck it up or quit and find other jobs, which leaves the employer with nobody to work for him...unless there's someone else out there willing to work for a lower wage of course, in which case the workers overplayed their hand and have screwed themselves out of jobs.

Sucks to be them I guess. The laws of supply and demand are immutable. Charge too much for your product/labor and your customer/employer won't buy from you, he'll buy from someone else. Too bad for you.

I should have added "and set minimum wages", which I know you would disagree with. Once a year, the arbitration panel gets submission from employer groups (naturally arguing for zero or minimal growth in the minimum wage), peak union bodies (always arguing for something a bit more than inflation) and government, hoping for something that doesn't hurt them politically...

The usual argy-bargy occurs, some form of compromise is reached, and life goes on.

Hasn't hurt our employment rate, which is in a much better position than the US...

PS - you forgot the other union option if employers are more than usually recalcitrant...

STRIKE!