Workers in the US today face serious problems. With unemployment high and signs of recovery spotty, even people with a job worry about when the ax may fall on them. In these times when people are spending less, businesses are trying to improve their bottom line. They are doing it by working their employees harder to increasing productivity, by cut their benefits wherever they can, and by invest in machines that will replace workers. What does this trend mean for the future of workers?
While a constant increase in productivity is very good for business, it can destroy workers and the middle class. Less than a hundred years ago it was the dream of many that in the future robots and computers would be doing most of the work and humans would be free to enjoy life. This is not what is happening. After our economy recovers, what will happen is that the business owners will take most of the gains in greater profit while workers are laid off. I will not go into the arguments presented by both sides because each has valid arguments. The point I want to make here is that we need a plan to account for the decreasing number of workers needed to produce our country's goods and run its businesses. If we don't want to see unemployment or underemployment continually increase, some of the profits gained through this mechanization of industry should be used to reduce worker's hours while keeping salaries the same.
Of course, there will always be low wage and high wage jobs around, without much in the middle. The question then will be who will buy our consumer goods. The answer is the rest of the world. The middle class in this country has always been a thorn in the side of some of the biggest businesses; people in the middle class are always making demands that reduce their bottom line. What could be better for these businesses than to be engaged in the design and financing of products that are shipped elsewhere to be made and distributed to customers. One example of this is the production of Apple's iPhone. They have almost completely isolated themselves from the complaints of the Chinese workers.
This answer does not help the small-business owner--the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker--who deals with local people; even the local banker, who runs his bank like bankers use to run them, will be hurt. Their customer base will continually decrease.
This destruction of our middle class may take decades, but now is the time to consider how large populations, in advanced countries, can be gainfully employed when human labor is being replaced by machines. Workers must push for a plan to share the gains in profit due to increased productivity. Those gains come, in part, from the workers working harder and longer.
Too many artificial differences separate humans from fellowship with other humans. This estrangement serves those who, for personal gain, would divide us by setting one good person against another. If people want to free themselves from their oppressors and those who impoverish workers by taking more than they deserve, they must unite under one banner. Honest people of all races, religions, and nationalities should unite under the banner of JUSTICE FOR ALL.
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