"We're probably several decades from wide-spread, pervasive, advanced robotics automation. Heck, auto assembly lines and such have had advanced robotics for sev

"We're probably several decades from wide-spread, pervasive, advanced robotics automation. Heck, auto assembly lines and such have had advanced robotics for several decades already. A whole-sale transition to a post-worker economy is definitely not just-around-the-corner." It's not as simple as "is the technology there". It's a balancing act between costs. Is it cheaper to hire people to work these factories, or is it cheaper to dump some R&D money into robotics and then install them? There's also a degree of uncertainty with the robotics, but ultimately workers can be replaced either because robots become cheaper or because workers become more expensive. It's really not a rationalization because I don't feel it justifies mistreating workers, but it's worth keeping in mind that there is a tipping point. Part of the problem is that you or I or the workers on the line have no idea what that tipping point is, which creates a lot of FUD, which corporations happily exploit. "Oh, you really don't want to ask for benefit Y, that just might make the robots cheaper...". And as far as people still working 40 hours a week, you're right. But what do you think this lady is going to do (even if she had her hands) if the robots replace factory workers? McDonalds is already doing some pilots of replacing their in-shop workers with robots, and the cashiers are now just kiosks. How long is it before all the low skill jobs are gone, and the displaced workers don't have the money to learn skills?