this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2024

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Strange, isn't it? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 144 points 7 months ago (3 children)

When the term "essential worker" was coined, it made many of the people it applied to feel flattered. They were considered essential! However this is a misunderstanding of what a capitalist is saying. The term "essential" doesn't actually refer to the worker. They consider the work essential. It is very important that those jobs are carried out. The worker that does it though is irrelevant, and considered fungible.

You know how corporations have a department called "Human Resources?" That's exactly the mindset. Your job is essential, but you are expendable.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago

Never heard anyone be flattered when called an essential employee. Mostly they just say "if I'm essential then pay me more."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Exactly, those terms are not mutually exclusive to corporate bean counters.

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 7 months ago (2 children)

A recent Unlearning Economics Live video had Cahal mentioning that it was pretty easy to identify essential workers, and if that's the case we should earmark housing for those workers in the relevant areas. If it's been so easy to classify them, there should probably be other similar accomodations (eg tax breaks) from a payment perspective.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Fuck earmark; appropriate from landlords; plenty of empty units.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 7 months ago (52 children)

There is no such thing as unskilled labour.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Have you met any of my coworkers?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (3 children)

This is something only doofuses playing semantic games say.

"Unskilled labor" is a term with an established definition: it's work that you don't need special schooling or training beforehand to be qualified to be hired to do, and also generally means that someone who is hired to do it can be fully trained to do the work to a satisfactory level within a month.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

And you absolutely do get better at the job over time. A seasoned employee doing nearly anything is better at it if they've done it a few years.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

There are jobs where you need to trust people to not abuse their power more than others, though.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Easy enough. Set minimum wage for essential workers. (And raise minimum wage.) Declare a holiday for everyone for a month.

Everyone that works is essential.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

I like your way of thinking.

Actually, Unions tend to do something similar with overtime and weekend pay.

If the factory needs you at night or in the weekend, they gotta pay up.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

it would be better to just raise the minimum wage to a living wage and then regulate housing prices. And then tie the minimum wage to the cost of living.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Billionaires are going straight to the boiler room of hell for the suffering they caused.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago (4 children)

They know where they're going, they already made their deal.

They don't care

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 months ago

No, no, no, you misunderstood. Essential doesn't mean highly paid. They are the suckers who are left doing the dirty work that keeps high society moving but of course they'll get the lowest possible wage if they can be replaced easily.

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