Quote:
Originally Posted by #-3
I actually think the reason we haven't seen shorter work weeks, is that higher productivity & automation favors capital.
It's a little overly simplistic but Labour + Capital = Economic output.
Basically in a higher productivity world the same operation requires more equipment, more materials, more... to keep up with competitors, and automation leaves labour less and less specialized. So really the labour in general is negotiating from a weaker and weaker position over time, meaning they can't reap the benefits of higher productivity by receiving a comparable quality of life in exchange for less time.
The reason food specifically plays a smaller factor in all of this, is not because we are richer, but because of the green revolution, food is comparatively cheaper to produce now than it was 100 years ago, while land in comparatively more expensive to supply to everyone (because there are more people now), and the basic communication tools required to be a functioning participant in our economy are almost infinitely more expensive. So we spend more on shelter and communication, we have to travel further to reach our jobs (because jobs are more centralized and land is more expensive) so more on transportation too, as a ratio of income. But basically pump us full of some of the sweet sweet agrotech, and everyone can be fed now a days.
In order for labour to effectively reap some of the benefits of increased productivity we will need to see1 of 3 things. Massive collective actions (unions), Government Intervention, or labor shortages (which aren't too likely, because of those ever productivity increases). I for one have always hated the idea of Unions, playing to the mean and allowing small underqualified subgroups to negotiate on behalf of other peoples interests has always been ripe territory for abuse.
So I am generally in favor of robust government regulation, high minimum wages, strong worker protections regarding maximum hours and overtime pay. This doesn't come without it's own problems, the very people who need to enact these regulations are often supported the most by those who would be harmed by them. It drives a big incumbency advantage in business, because startups can't always pay the high wages and hire enough people to cover off all of those short hours. and it also requires collective action with other governments to make sure your jurisdiction is not hamstrung. But these problems are the type of things a functioning government would a long view could work on.
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The bolded is kind of an odd take, especially within the context of the rest of your post. I hope you know your history well enough to understand that things like shorter work weeks, higher wages and better worker protections weren’t just gifted to people by benevolent governments and corporations, they were, and continue to be, literally fought and died for.
Curious as to how you consider trained professional negotiators who have access to legal counsel, who also likely have experience dealing with multiple employers and individuals to be under qualified compared to an individual employee whose only negotiating experience is likely their own.