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Worker protections have been going down in our longest bull run ever. Just recently the Supreme Court ruled that forced arbitration was legal and we are at some

• AnthonyMouse 8y ago
  > Worker protections have been going down in our longest bull run ever. Affordable Care Act (and subsequent non-repeal), disclosure requirements for executive pay ratios, very long list of state-level measures (which is where most of this actually happens in general). This is just 2018: https://www.littler.com/publication-press/publication/ready-or-not-here-it-comes-2018-brings-new-labor-employment-laws https://www.littler.com/publication-press/publication/ready-... The current era is also a bit odd because Wall St. and a handful of megacities are booming but real wages in general haven't risen much, the rust belt is still falling apart, suffering from the opioid epidemic, etc. So it's not that surprising to see lots of new labor laws in places like California while other places are more worried about saving local businesses. > Just recently the Supreme Court ruled that forced arbitration was legal and we are at some of the highest profits and productivity ever. There are always counterexamples, and that one is from the courts rather than the legislature. > Those protections weren't going up during the boom cycles in the 90s either. Arbitrary sample of state-level changes (1990 and 1998), BLS has the whole set if you're interested: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1991/01/art4full.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1991/01/art4full.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1999/01/art1full.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1999/01/art1full.pdf
  • lovich 8y ago
    I find your examples as arbitrary. Just look at the results. If labor rights were increasing they'd be able to pull more compensation due to a better negotiating position, but real wages are falling. Look at the right to work movement and at will employment. Hell, I gave less than two weeks notice at my last job and was privately approaches by multiple coworkers asking me if I was worried about the company black listing me. When we have companies lay off/fire people though, no one bats an eye at them being immediately walked out the door. Stating that labor rights have been going up just seems willfully ignorant based on the actual results in the economy
    • AnthonyMouse 8y ago
      > Just look at the results. If labor rights were increasing they'd be able to pull more compensation due to a better negotiating position, but real wages are falling. That's just assuming the causation goes the other way again. If the labor rules instead are pricing smaller businesses out of the market leading to business consolidation that gives capital more power over labor, you would expect just what we see. It also doesn't make a lot of sense to expect a lot of labor laws to increase wages regardless. If you pass a law requiring maternity/paternity leave, that benefits the employee but raises costs for the employer who has to find and pay a temporary replacement. The expected result of that is to suppress wages rather than increase them -- the money has to come from somewhere and most businesses don't have huge margins.