Not all employees are the same. Even in "unskilled labor" there is a difference. Some employees are stronger, some are forgetful, some show good judgment and pe

Not all employees are the same. Even in "unskilled labor" there is a difference. Some employees are stronger, some are forgetful, some show good judgment and personal initiative, some are late, some need a week of training, some have done it for years and know a lot of little tricks. The economic mechanism that makes companies pay more is competition with other companies for the better workers. The evidence I have that better working conditions mean lower wages, and vice versa, is what I already posted: they both cost money, and there's a limited amount of money. Spending more on one leaves less for the other. Of course if you're doing well you can have a good amount of both, it's only when there isn't a lot of wealth that it gets to be a real tough choice.