No one is worth $66 million a year.
Agreed.
No one is worth $66 million a year.
Maybe they can import some one from the Caribbean for the CEO position too. They could save the $66m they are paying Bob Iger. I'm sure they could get someone from Puerto Rico to do the job for far less that.
I think a lot of people forget that we have lost our base of manufacturing jobs in this country. Previous generations could live on unskilled labor because we had decent paying manufacturing jobs. Someone could start in a factory sweeping floors right after high school and work their way up. These jobs had good benefits, offered pensions for retirement, and gave decent raises.
Not everyone is able to go to college or even trade school. They just aren't. Some aren't able to intellectually, some aren't able to because of family circumstances, some don't have the money. Where were these unskilled laborers supposed to go? They went to the fast food/retail jobs that were supposed to be for teenagers. When those are the only jobs available, that's what you do. But, unlike previous generations unskilled labor these jobs don't come with benefits (unless you can afford to pay for them), no retirement, only 0.50 per year raise, no promotions, and if you don't like it there are 10 others willing to start your shift tomorrow. So, while these types of jobs weren't originally intended to support a family on, the fact is that there are a lot of people trying to do so because there isn't any alternative.
We have a lot of manufacturing plants here locally, 95% of the unskilled jobs at these plants are outsourced to temp agencies. 6 month assignments, no benefits at all, no retirement, no raises and no job security. Same with janitorial and mainenance jobs at the local university. These used to be great unskilled jobs that a person could live on. Now they are outsourced for minimum wage. State and city jobs, too. We have to have people to do these jobs, how do we justify the fact that a lot of them earn so little that they qualify for government assistance while working full time?
There is no such thing as unskilled labor. EVERY job requires skills.
Yup...it all comes down to what the fickle, totally illogical marketplace will PAY for those skills.There is no such thing as unskilled labor. EVERY job requires skills.
What are the solutions? Can government (i.e, taxpayers) fund the difference? Change laws so companies are required to pay higher wages and reduce their profits? I don't see either of these happening anytime soon.
Can we open up more avenues to get people into training - make it easier for them? I think so. Will some people just never be suited for that or just don't have what it takes to complete training? Yes...but at some point, healthy adults over 18 have to take some responsibility for themselves (barring sickness, etc). You can't save everyone. But I think we can save more than we do now.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of us saw this play out in our own small towns. I know it did in mine.For those of you who enjoy reading, I just read a terrific play by the well known and well awarded American playwright, Lynn Nottage. It is called Sweat, and it won the Pulitizer Prize for Drama in 2017. This powerful and insightful play grapples with exactly the ideas we are grappling with in this thread. You can purchase it for ten bucks from Dramatist Play Service, Inc. if you are interested in reading it.
It is set in Reading, PA which in the 2019 census had the highest per capita incidence of poverty in the United States. Nottage went to Reading and did countless interviews, researched the city's history, etc. And then she put together a wonderful fictionalized account of what happens to a community when the big factory leaves town and makes the move to Mexico in order to lower its costs and increase its profits. This town had been a "factory town" for many decades with generations of families all working there, and the loss of the union factory jobs which kept households afloat, even as years of working there tore down their bodies, caused all sorts of community, and even family, schisms, fractures, and destruction. By the end of the play, one of the characters who had risen up in the ranks from the machines to being a floor supervisor was working two jobs at two different nursing homes and still was not able to earn enough to live in a decent, safe apartment and feed herself reliably. Her family had splintered with people taking sides as the corporation split their hoursly wages in half, took away benefits, and finally closed it down and moved it off-country. Some felt they needed to protest and picket, others felt that they had to accept the crumbs in order to survive. Still others, broke the picket line and became scabs.
In this case, the "American Dream" was to be able to make it into the union factory, work until your body couldn't do it anymore, save some of your earnings, retire with your pension, and feel proud that you and your spouse (also working there) had been able to support your family. No one was aspiring toward expensive fancy vacations, dream houses, flashy material goods. They just wanted to be able to work hard at their 40 hour a week job and do well for the people they loved.
It's a compelling, very well written, gritty play that is based on historical events and opens our eyes to hard truths about the "haves" and the" have nots" in our society. The best art mirrors life, and that is one reason that this play won the Pulitzer. I recommend it highly.
I suppose I have a slight issue with the idea that a 35 year old woman with 2 kids who is working full time (or more) is irresponsible because she can't earn enough to feed her family without government assistance. Yes, she could go get more training and maybe a higher paying job but what if she lacks the intellectual capacity, financial support, child care, reliable transportation, time, whatever to do so? What if she lives in an area where those types of jobs aren't available even if she did go get training to do something else? Irresponsible would be sitting on her couch collecting welfare.
It's harsh but true. Why would people work hard to attend college (university here in England), go into debt and give up their free time for assignments and part time work to make ends meet, only to be paid the same as someone who doesn't? There has to be some recognition for qualifications and specialised skills (e.g. doctor, nurse, lawyer).Yeah - I mean who deserves a living wage for unskilled labor?