“Do you support paying someone $25 an hour for a job that’s only worth $13 an hour?”
If the $25/hour worker has 20 years’ experience, I don’t know that it is $13/hour work anymore. I don’t know what to think about these situations, because just as the company may decide it is more profitable to re-locate to a right-to-work state (or Red China), workers can often deduce they are better off on public assistance than with a paycheck. I’m not advocating this, but $13/hour in NJ would be nothing for a 40 year-old worker; they would struggle for the rest of their lives for some basic necessities that would be given to them for free or at a discount (legitimately) if they weren’t working at all.
I’m the last one to support unions, but have often said that we’re being reduced to the status of Red Chinese peasants. $25/hour for a 40 year-old worker (with 20 years on the job) is difficult enough; $13 per hour is just ridiculous. Anyone who really believes the free market will work this out should keep in mind that while it “working it out” Americans have basically stopped breeding and their scabs are being imported by the millions - the free market at work.
There does have to be a balance; we can’t compete with Asians who will never own a home or automobile, have more than one child, or have the right to vote.
These folks are building heavy equipment; you want some dufus on the floor at $12.50 an hour?
you know, one could go on SSD and earn more than $13 an hour....