[GCFL-discuss] Higher Wages

[Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies List]

Of course, if anything like this does happen, people will be very upset
when prices of produce and other products shoot up to pay for the higher
wages that the new(ly) documented employees will demand.


greenBubble 

Don't believe it. I have a friend who worked at McDonald's. After a rough
analysis of the daily cash flow and wage levels, we figured 8% of gross
revenue goes into employee's paychecks. It would be 16% if the owner
maintained proper staffing levels, instead of keeping everyone doing two
jobs to compensate for unfilled positions. When United Farm Workers was
most active and controversial, simple math showed that the wage increases
being demanded in collective bargaining would have added one or two cents
to the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables. When a twelve pound case of
tomatoes wholesaled at Hunt's Point (NYC) for $8, field hands in
California were getting 45 cents to pick 24 pounds. It isn't only that
such a disproportionate share of revenue and wealth goes to such a tiny
minority of the people -- it is also the fact that the price we pay in
the supermarket reflects so many transactions, including processing,
packaging, shipping, warehousing, etc. And multi-million dollar bonuses
for executives at each step.

When the first federal minimum wage law was adopted, employers screamed
that it would bankrupt them all and put millions out of work. Actually,
it increased sales and made every business in the country more
profitable, leading to increasing hiring, which meant even more people
could afford to buy products, making business even more profitable.

As it says in Qoheleth, it is good for a man to enjoy the fruits of his
labor.

Siarlys
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