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Economists don't like protectionist unions. Who determines a "living wage"? Should someone working as a cashier in Walmart be able to afford an apartment in Man
by qwerty888 13y ago
Economists don't like protectionist unions. Who determines a "living wage"? Should someone working as a cashier in Walmart be able to afford an apartment in Manhattan?
- reader5000 13y ago"Living wage" is a pretty common economic concept. Feel free to google it.
- qwerty888 13y agoI'm actually an economist and the term is only used by non-economists.
- reader5000 13y agoI'm actually an economist and I use it all the time.
- CleanedStar 13y ago> Economists don't like protectionist unions. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
- qwerty888 13y agoWhat peer-reviewed research paper are you citing for your claim?
- krapp 13y agoSomeone working as a cashier in Walmart should be able to afford shelter, food, and necessary non-emergency medical expenses. A 'living wage' is just that -- I work for you, you pay me at least enough to survive employment. What that amounts to, obviously, depends on the standard of living in any particular area.
- qwerty888 13y agoSo minimum wage in Manhattan should be set at $50/hour?
- krapp 13y agoIf it's impossible to survive in (or on, whatever) Manhattan for less than that, then yes. But I suspect there's a more flexible reality to the market than your question implies, given that people there already work for less than that and aren't dying in the streets as a result. A minimum wage just means you can't decide one day that sales are down and now everyone makes 2 cents an hour to cover costs [1]. It means there should be an implicit minimum cost to maintaining a human workforce, because people need to eat. [1]obviously not an economist
- smileysteve 13y agoNo,because rent in Harlem (a few train stops away) requires less to live on.
- artsrc 13y agoIf there is 1 adult with 3 children it is close: $41.91 http://livingwage.mit.edu/places/3606151000 http://livingwage.mit.edu/places/3606151000