4 ms·

It seems like most of those rights have been eroded to near nothing. Effective wages (and minimum wage) have gone down in many places since the 1970s. Unemploym

It seems like most of those rights have been eroded to near nothing. Effective wages (and minimum wage) have gone down in many places since the 1970s. Unemployment insurance is a luxury for white collar workers, few people get that benefit anymore. What are we preserving exactly? The memory of some ghost? That's the wrong stance, if you want to advocate for something in this area it should be with shameless and unbridled aggression for change and new systems, not defensiveness or preservation.

pasquinelli 8y ago
once change is achieved it needs to be preserved and defended from attack, forever.
hobls 8y ago
I absolutely agree. We need to be fighting for modern legislation to protect workers as well as trying to hold on to badly eroded victories of many decades past. I must admit that I’ve been working white collar engineering jobs for nearly 15 years now, so I’m not exactly an authority on being a minimum wage worker. I thought you were still eligible for unemployment and that it was paid for by your employer?
- chimeracoder 8y ago
  > I must admit that I’ve been working white collar engineering jobs for nearly 15 years now, so I’m not exactly an authority on being a minimum wage worker. I thought you were still eligible for unemployment and that it was paid for by your employer? Yes, this is correct.
knuththetruth 8y ago
The two things are not opposed to each other. The Fight for 15 movement has been successful in many places by explicitly invoking the true legacy of a “minimum wage,” socialized healthcare is more popular than ever under the banner of “Medicare for All.” I agree that it’s important to push intellectually beyond a reform-minded liberalism that seeks to “take the edges off” of Capitalism. But that doesn’t exclude using the history of labor protections or organization as a jumping off point.
s73v3r_ 8y ago
We absolutely should be fighting for more. But we shouldn't be so hardlined on more that we lose what we have.

pasquinelli 8y ago

once change is achieved it needs to be preserved and defended from attack, forever.

hobls 8y ago

I absolutely agree. We need to be fighting for modern legislation to protect workers as well as trying to hold on to badly eroded victories of many decades past. I must admit that I’ve been working white collar engineering jobs for nearly 15 years now, so I’m not exactly an authority on being a minimum wage worker. I thought you were still eligible for unemployment and that it was paid for by your employer?

chimeracoder 8y ago
> I must admit that I’ve been working white collar engineering jobs for nearly 15 years now, so I’m not exactly an authority on being a minimum wage worker. I thought you were still eligible for unemployment and that it was paid for by your employer? Yes, this is correct.

knuththetruth 8y ago

The two things are not opposed to each other. The Fight for 15 movement has been successful in many places by explicitly invoking the true legacy of a “minimum wage,” socialized healthcare is more popular than ever under the banner of “Medicare for All.” I agree that it’s important to push intellectually beyond a reform-minded liberalism that seeks to “take the edges off” of Capitalism. But that doesn’t exclude using the history of labor protections or organization as a jumping off point.

s73v3r_ 8y ago

We absolutely should be fighting for more. But we shouldn't be so hardlined on more that we lose what we have.