- sushibowl ( @sushibowl@feddit.nl ) 80•6 months ago
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.
- cobra89 ( @cobra89@beehaw.org ) 6•6 months ago
Exactly, those terms are not mutually exclusive to corporate bean counters.
- alvvayson ( @alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 3•6 months ago
True. It also shows how most humans tend to think in social hierarchy where money and status are interlinked.
That’s actually one thing capitalists (as you call them, I’d call them managers) are good at. Their focus on money allows them to ignore status.
This is also why workers need unions. Workers need experts that understand the inner workings of corporations to lobby on their behalf.
- dillekant ( @dillekant@slrpnk.net ) 41•6 months ago
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.
- melpomenesclevage ( @melpomenesclevage@lemm.ee ) 11•6 months ago
Fuck earmark; appropriate from landlords; plenty of empty units.
- dillekant ( @dillekant@slrpnk.net ) 1•6 months ago
Well that too, but it doesn’t require legislative change.
- MNByChoice ( @MNByChoice@midwest.social ) 8•6 months ago
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.
- alvvayson ( @alvvayson@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 6•6 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.
- EmperorHenry ( @EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de ) 5•6 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.
- EmperorHenry ( @EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de ) 6•6 months ago
Billionaires are going straight to the boiler room of hell for the suffering they caused.