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Alternatively - if all the engine mechanics decided they could no longer afford to live in the city and moved away, what do you think would happen to engine mec

by cascom 8y ago

Alternatively - if all the engine mechanics decided they could no longer afford to live in the city and moved away, what do you think would happen to engine mechanic wages?

oxryly1 8y ago
They rise slightly so that mechanics with the ability to commute for 3 hours a day are the only ones who work in the city.
- kypro 8y ago
  Assuming that did happen - which I doubt - what's so wrong with that? Presumably they're only willing to commute 3 hours because they feel they're getting a better deal than what they could get locally? Why would you force them to choose what they consider a worse job?
  - oxryly1 8y ago
    Nothing wrong with it per se. The externalities of it are a disaster, though: carbon depletion and pollution, traffic congestion, traffic related injuries and death, feeding the automotive industrial beast, less time for family and community commitments, less sense of belonging, etc etc...
- circlefavshape 8y ago
  Exactly! Life gets shittier for mechanics. And cleaners. And teachers ... until eventually it doesn't matter, because all accommodation in the city is owned by investors who don't actually live there
ohithereyou 8y ago
Thank you. The main way people are looking at this article is from the housing cost side and less from the wages side. If your community prices out certain essential services then those providing the service will leave, raising the price of that service, thereby ensuring that those that stay (or come back after the price changes) can make a living, can have a wage that allows them to pay for housing in the city. Rent control distorts this type of adjustment, indirectly providing a subsidy that benefits those that could afford to pay market rate for a service by allowing those that provide the service to live below market rate and thus charge less.
- eiaoa 8y ago
  > If your community prices out certain essential services then those providing the service will leave, raising the price of that service, thereby ensuring that those that stay (or come back after the price changes) can make a living, can have a wage that allows them to pay for housing in the city. Or, more likely, the people providing those services will not actually be paid enough to live in the community, but instead forced endure grueling commutes and other practices that lower their quality of life if they want to remain employed. https://www.sfgate.com/traffic/article/Bay-Area-commute-San-Francisco-traffic-12861808.php https://www.sfgate.com/traffic/article/Bay-Area-commute-San-... https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/8/17097154/affordable-housing-coliving-starcity-common-sro https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/8/17097154/affordable-housing-...
  - cascom 8y ago
    If they don’t actually move away (and find work locally), then they just trade rent $ for a lower net hourly wage (hours worked + commute time), perhaps to their benefit - changing jobs is not frictionless, but it’s not like it’s a bad economy
DanBC 8y ago
They go down, because the only people willing to do huge commutes for any mechanic wage are very poor people who need the work.

by cascom 8y ago

Alternatively - if all the engine mechanics decided they could no longer afford to live in the city and moved away, what do you think would happen to engine mechanic wages?

oxryly1 8y ago

They rise slightly so that mechanics with the ability to commute for 3 hours a day are the only ones who work in the city.

kypro 8y ago
Assuming that did happen - which I doubt - what's so wrong with that? Presumably they're only willing to commute 3 hours because they feel they're getting a better deal than what they could get locally? Why would you force them to choose what they consider a worse job?
- oxryly1 8y ago
  Nothing wrong with it per se. The externalities of it are a disaster, though: carbon depletion and pollution, traffic congestion, traffic related injuries and death, feeding the automotive industrial beast, less time for family and community commitments, less sense of belonging, etc etc...
circlefavshape 8y ago
Exactly! Life gets shittier for mechanics. And cleaners. And teachers ... until eventually it doesn't matter, because all accommodation in the city is owned by investors who don't actually live there

ohithereyou 8y ago

Thank you. The main way people are looking at this article is from the housing cost side and less from the wages side. If your community prices out certain essential services then those providing the service will leave, raising the price of that service, thereby ensuring that those that stay (or come back after the price changes) can make a living, can have a wage that allows them to pay for housing in the city. Rent control distorts this type of adjustment, indirectly providing a subsidy that benefits those that could afford to pay market rate for a service by allowing those that provide the service to live below market rate and thus charge less.

eiaoa 8y ago
> If your community prices out certain essential services then those providing the service will leave, raising the price of that service, thereby ensuring that those that stay (or come back after the price changes) can make a living, can have a wage that allows them to pay for housing in the city. Or, more likely, the people providing those services will not actually be paid enough to live in the community, but instead forced endure grueling commutes and other practices that lower their quality of life if they want to remain employed. https://www.sfgate.com/traffic/article/Bay-Area-commute-San-Francisco-traffic-12861808.php https://www.sfgate.com/traffic/article/Bay-Area-commute-San-... https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/8/17097154/affordable-housing-coliving-starcity-common-sro https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/8/17097154/affordable-housing-...
- cascom 8y ago
  If they don’t actually move away (and find work locally), then they just trade rent $ for a lower net hourly wage (hours worked + commute time), perhaps to their benefit - changing jobs is not frictionless, but it’s not like it’s a bad economy

DanBC 8y ago

They go down, because the only people willing to do huge commutes for any mechanic wage are very poor people who need the work.