<!--quoteo(post=1867167:date=Aug 7 2011, 06:30 AM:name=locallyunscene)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (locallyunscene @ Aug 7 2011, 06:30 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1867167"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's not true. It's like saying the water is hot because it's boiling, while ignoring the flames underneath. Even if Detroit workers were willing to accept the same working conditions as "developing" countries it would have to be made legal to do so and the places they work would have to become real ######holes in order for rent and other infrastructure costs to level out.
Basically you need to create a capitalist dystopia in order for Detroit to work without unions. So that or tariffs could have "saved" Detroit and it looks like it's well on its way to the former.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I wouldn't go that far. Some of the members on the lines got up to some serious dough in compensation per year. Yeah, it's pretty darn hard to fight the developing countries, but there's a reason everyone left Detroit and are setting up in other states now. It's not that under US law or US standard of living we can't compete, it's that if either side gets their way, both lose. Either the workers get ###### for pay and working conditions, or the company can't turn as good of a profit to expand and stay competitive.
<!--quoteo(post=1867180:date=Aug 7 2011, 10:23 AM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DiscoZombie @ Aug 7 2011, 10:23 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1867180"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Some contractors really roll in the dough though - the ones that are contracted straight to the company instead of through agencies/subcontractors. I worked at a big pharma company a while ago and knew a guy who was a full-time employee, quit his job, and contracted himself back to the same company to do the same job and like doubled his income. I wish I had the balls/know-how to do that.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes thats true, and it should be that way. Contract jobs are meant to be temp jobs to get a given job done (electricians, construction work, and event contractors are a good example) which is why they are supposed to pay high, so when you're unemployed you actually have money to hold you over till your next job. Sadly most contract jobs don't do this, they expect you to fall back on unemployment when you lose your job IF you get unemployment, which furthers the country's debt problem.
The cause is the other way. Contractors factor in market instability when giving a price quote. You're not a contractor if you can't meet your customer on equal terms, you're just an employee. When you contract your labor or expertise, you must compete with other contractors for the job, and that tends to lower prices, not raise them. On the other side, if you contract work out, it's usually because it requires a level of precision or capacity that you do not have in house, so you are willing to pay a premium for it rather than attempt to train it up on your own for much higher cost over the long run.
So it really depends on the specific work and the people involved.
Comments
Basically you need to create a capitalist dystopia in order for Detroit to work without unions. So that or tariffs could have "saved" Detroit and it looks like it's well on its way to the former.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I wouldn't go that far. Some of the members on the lines got up to some serious dough in compensation per year. Yeah, it's pretty darn hard to fight the developing countries, but there's a reason everyone left Detroit and are setting up in other states now. It's not that under US law or US standard of living we can't compete, it's that if either side gets their way, both lose. Either the workers get ###### for pay and working conditions, or the company can't turn as good of a profit to expand and stay competitive.
Yes thats true, and it should be that way. Contract jobs are meant to be temp jobs to get a given job done (electricians, construction work, and event contractors are a good example) which is why they are supposed to pay high, so when you're unemployed you actually have money to hold you over till your next job. Sadly most contract jobs don't do this, they expect you to fall back on unemployment when you lose your job IF you get unemployment, which furthers the country's debt problem.
So it really depends on the specific work and the people involved.