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Re: Obama 2001 Interview on NPR-Restribute the Wea
Just an anecdote: a lawn care / landscaping company which was constantly busy in the neighborhood where I lived when at OSU became the study of some students (in sociology? economics?). During the time of that three-month study, there was a sudden change in employee retention and productivity, both upward.
The change took place in the first few weeks after increasing from minimum wage to $8.00/hr for all employees who'd been there six months.
And I worked in a place that was non-union and went union -- and after the change, productivity and quality went down.
It's a mixed bag.
For the first problem, I don't understand why the company you're moving the load for doesn't require the company doing the loading to pay a penalty for dithering around, and pay you for waiting. After all, while you're watching other people not work, you're working for them. As a small business guy, if I send an employee to pick up materials at a supply store, and he has to wait two hours because they've screwed it up or are busy and can't load as promised, my employee gets paid for waiting -- and then I complain like the dickens later about the supply people keeping my employee standing around wasting his time (I got a discount on a load that way once).
The second issue does seem to be one susceptible to collective bargaining. My concern would be that once again, a union would be born for good reason, then swiftly become an instrument of greed that effectively conspires to keep prices high for ordinary Americans.
I had one offered just because of my quality/productivity. I got another because the foreman overheard that I was thinking of finding another place to work. And I was the one picked for overtime (triple-time, under the circumstances!) because I'd shown I was dependable and all. But most people I know have never even gotten their longevity raises without making an issue of it, even when their productivity made most of the workers look as active as slugs.
As a small business owner, I can tell you they're usually right! And a lot of that is due to government regulation that drives expenses up, limits opportunities, and otherwise hobbles businesses too small to hire lobbyists.
Small businesses do more to spread the wealth around that most anything else around, so don't badmouth them.
That time is likely coming. But going much more socialist than we are will only postpone it.
Just an anecdote: a lawn care / landscaping company which was constantly busy in the neighborhood where I lived when at OSU became the study of some students (in sociology? economics?). During the time of that three-month study, there was a sudden change in employee retention and productivity, both upward.
The change took place in the first few weeks after increasing from minimum wage to $8.00/hr for all employees who'd been there six months.
And I worked in a place that was non-union and went union -- and after the change, productivity and quality went down.
It's a mixed bag.
For the first problem, I don't understand why the company you're moving the load for doesn't require the company doing the loading to pay a penalty for dithering around, and pay you for waiting. After all, while you're watching other people not work, you're working for them. As a small business guy, if I send an employee to pick up materials at a supply store, and he has to wait two hours because they've screwed it up or are busy and can't load as promised, my employee gets paid for waiting -- and then I complain like the dickens later about the supply people keeping my employee standing around wasting his time (I got a discount on a load that way once).
The second issue does seem to be one susceptible to collective bargaining. My concern would be that once again, a union would be born for good reason, then swiftly become an instrument of greed that effectively conspires to keep prices high for ordinary Americans.
I had one offered just because of my quality/productivity. I got another because the foreman overheard that I was thinking of finding another place to work. And I was the one picked for overtime (triple-time, under the circumstances!) because I'd shown I was dependable and all. But most people I know have never even gotten their longevity raises without making an issue of it, even when their productivity made most of the workers look as active as slugs.
As a small business owner, I can tell you they're usually right! And a lot of that is due to government regulation that drives expenses up, limits opportunities, and otherwise hobbles businesses too small to hire lobbyists.
Small businesses do more to spread the wealth around that most anything else around, so don't badmouth them.
That time is likely coming. But going much more socialist than we are will only postpone it.
](/images/smilies/bang.gif "Brick wall ](*,)")
