My tribute to my father

[CharlieK]

My father died in 1967 at 81 years. He taught me that if you are working for pay, then the person paying you must make a profit from your labor, otherwise he will not be able to afford to pay you.

Labor unions take notice.

[Jayman720]

What he said!

So happy I live in Wisconsin.

My father died in 1967 at 81 years. He taught me that if you are working for pay, then the person paying you must make a profit from your labor, otherwise he will not be able to afford to pay you.

Labor unions take notice.

[swsd40]

Amen brother!!!

[wolf_fire]

My father died in 1967 at 81 years. He taught me that if you are working for pay, then the person paying you must make a profit from your labor, otherwise he will not be able to afford to pay you.

Labor unions take notice.

Just playing devil's advocate here. How does this advice play into a service worker's pay? For example, how do you make a profit (and quantify that profit) from an officer, firefighter, EMT, social worker, teacher, etc.?

As far as production work, I wholeheartedly agree with you on your father's advice. But not all jobs are production jobs.

[JohnD13]

Dad had a sign on his desk that read "And Samson slew the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, Judges 15:16, and many a working hour has been killed in the same fashion." I've had it for the 33 years since he passed, and it's still true. Great advice from Dad.

[CharlieK]

Actually, I slightly misquoted by father. I checked my database and here is what he said:
"If you are being paid for work, then your work must be worth more than you are being paid, or else the person paying you cannot afford to do so." It doesn't change what wolf-fire is asking, though.

To apply that to public workers, I suppose you have to say that if your work is not worth more than that of the other workers, then your boss should hire them and let you go. But public unions would prevent them from doing that. We've all seen three city utility workers standing around leaning on their shovels watching one other person doing the digging...so to speak.

[BC1]

Just playing devil's advocate here. How does this advice play into a service worker's pay? For example, how do you make a profit (and quantify that profit) from an officer, firefighter, EMT, social worker, teacher, etc.?

As far as production work, I wholeheartedly agree with you on your father's advice. But not all jobs are production jobs.

Labor may be in the form of direct or indirect cost. You're talking about municipal workers. No profit is to be made from their services. Those labor costs are directly related to taxation. The "profit" could be characterised as a lesser burden on taxpayers... we're the ones who can't afford to pay them.

The OP applies more to private employers strapped with union workers. In some cases such as commerical/industrial construction a union worker trained at a higher level is a must. But if employers were forced to use union workers to build your house you couldn't afford it.

[walt629]

Your father was a wise man, God rest his soul. It never ceases to amaze me how many workers actually believe the positions they hold are "their" job, when actually the job belongs to the employer and the worker is just filling a spot the employer needs filled.