this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not saying the employees are slaves at all. The point I'm making is that, if a company finds a way to make more money, then it's only logical that the workers, whose work is the very reason the company is profitable, should at least get part of the profits, whether it's through worker benefits, more pay, or anything else.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And this is the crux of the problem with randism (and modern capitalism).

Nothing forces companies to treat workers well which means the natural direction for money to flow is towards the owners of resources and not to the producers of them.

As time goes on and tech advances, the natural action of the owners is to reduce the number of workers they employ to maximize their own income.

If you don't own things, the response is "tough shit".

This is why so many businesses and investors are jizzing themselves over AI. The very thought of being about to fire people gives them a boner.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago

Totally true.

Nothing forces companies to treat workers well

Because the power of workers (via unions or simply a fair job market or labor regulations) has been systematically attacked since forever, because that is in the self-interest of corporations and their owners.

As corpos and rich fucks amass more power, it is easier for them to take power from workers. They can more easily crush existing unions and attempts at unionizing, change or hobble labor laws, meddle with the job market itself, and influence the government's management of the economy.

So the trend is towards overpowered corporations and underpowered workers. We get to a point where workers don't really have many options for better jobs, and they don't have enough sway to raise the minimum wage for decades, let alone attain a more fair job market. Or implement regulations requiring better treatment.

That's in addition to seeking ways to replace workers with technology, or increase their productivity.

Thing is, if most of us are unemployed because of automation, who's buying the products and services enough to sustain these companies?