A head of winter lettuce would also rise dramatically in price
Agricultural economist Philip Martin of UC Davis has calculated the cost would increase by about five cents a head. Is this another one of those "depends upon the meaning of is" thingies? Is that a "dramatic increase?"
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/krikorian200401070923.asp
What does "winter" lettuce have to do with it? Labor is labor. Other factors may apply.
"Agricultural economist Philip Martin has pointed out that labor accounts for only about ten percent of the retail price of a head of lettuce, for instance, so even doubling the wages of pickers would have little noticeable effect on consumers."
That don't make a lick of sense.
Typically the BLS says each month that the "employment-population ratio also was little changed over the month at 62.8 percent, and the labor force participation rate held at 66.1 percent." [End]
"The employment population ratio is the ratio of employed to the working age population."
"This is the percentage of the working age population which is employed. A high employment/population ratio can mean that an economy is creating jobs and employing a large percentage of its working age population."
One definition for labor force participation rate is
"the fraction of the working-age population that is employed or seeking employment"
I bet a lot of of citizens would get crackin' when REAL economics took hold as labor became more dear -- NOT the distorted, government-promoted labor glut.