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Binya's avatar

American workers are being treated with a measure of respect by employers for the first time in twenty years. I think that's fantastic, and well overdue. I think a lot of the fracturing of American politics in recent years has resulted from deteriorating prospects for the working class, men in particular. Now you can earn $100k driving a truck, and your employer will take seriously improving work conditions as well.

During the underemployment years of the 2010s in particular, workers were subjected to endless criticism and condescension. They're unskilled, they only want to play video games, or they're just plain lazy. America's "job creators" could do with similar treatment. They're bad at workforce management, they've under-invested in automation, or just have mediocre products that aren't viable in a tight labour market.

I love immigration and would support for any pro-immigration bill conceivable in the American political system. But given that most Americans don't share my views, I think many people will be extremely reluctant to let employers out of their current predicament with a change in immigration law.

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squidkid's avatar

You mention meatpacking as an industry where workers are subjected to low pay, long hours, and terrible working conditions. Yet you hold it up as a case where employers have ~tried everything~ to attract workers. This is obviously wrong. Even in a tight labor supply market, employers can attract workers in one of two ways: 1) by boosting the monetary benefits of employment or 2) by boosting the non-monetary benefits of employment.

The meatpacking industry has barely tried raising wages. The article you link to references $3,000 signing bonuses being offered to new employees. This sounds great on its face, but few rational people will be enticed by this offer. A $3,000 bonus divided by 52 weeks amounts to a pre-tax pay increase of about $58 per week. The article also states that meatpackers work 72-hour weeks. So a $3,000 bonus amounts to a pay increase of about $0.80 per hour, with that bonus lapsing after one year. You'd be hard-pressed to call this a generous compensation package.

The meatpacking industry has also done little to improve working conditions since the pandemic. When your industry has an on-the-job injury rate 3 times higher than a standard American workplace, the most effective compensation is creating a safer workplace. To do that, employers could try such novel tactics as 'reducing shift lengths', 'offering more time off', and 'providing health insurance'. These non-monetary benefits would undoubtedly help entice workers to the meatpacking industry.

I have no sympathy for employers who cry 'labor supply shortage' while maintaining terrible working conditions. People shouldn't have to spend 72 hours per week risking life and limb for $15 per hour. And although we *could* import immigrants to do these jobs, it's not clear why they should be subjected to this treatment either.

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