this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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We should remember who is parroting the “unskilled jobs” thing over and over. It’s always capitalists that benefit from paying these folks poverty wages like the meme states. So while the category can be called “unskilled” to differentiate from jobs that require months/years of formal (or informal) training, capitalists use it as an excuse to exploit. Both things can be true at the same time for different reasons.
I learned how to drive a forklift in a day for a stock room. Capitalists would still call it an “unskilled” job because I didn’t put myself into massive debt with a student loan, spending time I don’t have in a classroom. When does that job suddenly become “skilled”? Is there some imaginary threshold capitalists will accept?
Anyone that is contributing to the pool of labor is using a skill of some sort. Whether you think your job is easier than another or not doesn’t matter. All of the voids are filled with people willing to do a skill. CEOs and landlords, on the other hand, are contributing nothing to the labor pool. Simply owning a thing is not skilled work, but they will tell you otherwise, just like they set the standards for what is “skilled” vs “unskilled.” It’s all skewed to benefit the ruling class and give them an excuse to not pay a living wage.
For context, I’m a programmer that has been in the field for 18 years. Until the working class undoes this conditioning and equally supports each other, nothing will change for the better.
There are also so many "skills/abilities" that aren't something you learn in school.
I've found through my experience that I tend to be a more "valuable" employee because not only do I actually give a shit about what I do, but I also care to ask questions and actually learn about my position and how other positions play into my role. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, it's just something I've noticed very very very few people I've worked with do as well.
That's not something I'll ever get paid more for because it's not written on a stupid piece of paper certified by some expensive university, but it's 100% beneficial to the company.
Yeah, exactly. There are tons of people out there that have amazing soft skills and curiosity they don't get paid anything extra to put forward. Now we have this stupid phrase "quiet quitting" for people that are doing exactly what they are paid to do, while contributing nothing over and above. Capitalists will constantly demand the "over and above" in things like annual reviews etc, but they rarely compensate to match it. It's a system where one side holds all of the leverage.
I disagree that CEOs are equivalent to landlords. CEOs do create value by providing direction for the efficient application of resources to solve business problems and leadership and direction to employees. It's not an easy job, by any stretch.
That said, taking skill doesn't mean that CEOs should be entitled to massive take-home pay. I think the "fix" comes in adjusting our taxation system, not CEO compensation. Well, at least so long as we're tied to the profit-seeking corporation structure we're in. A "good" CEO can lead a company to producing significantly more value than a bad CEO, so let them fight for big compensation packages all they want.
The highest marginal tax rate in the US for individuals peaked at 92% in the early 50s. If we had sane marginal income tax rates at higher income levels, then there would be no problem with executive income. (Granted, we also need to fix taxation on other forms of compensation and capital gains, too.)