Worldwide Worker Leverage

If the pandemic did anything, it showed the world who the essential workers truly are. Now the haves are forced to push back against the should haves. It’s not, as the ones who control the purse strings say, that folks don’t want to work, it’s that they don’t want to work for peanuts anymore. Especially after they watched the haves remain safely sheltered in place. The essential minimum wagers and the underappreciated were economically forced to brave the ravages of the pandemic world, and didn’t have the option of staying at home.

There are millions of folks who realized their worth (that our economy doesn’t run without them). They are beginning to understand their power. The cry goes up by employers, we can’t find anyone to work, and that cry should finish with, for what we used to pay. Now the ones, who for decades paid a pittance for great worth, are trying desparately to put the value genie back in the bottle.

Part-time becomes full-time as the employer needs more. Competent, well-mannered individuals have become rare in a pandemic ridden world, and their value remains woefully unappreciated by those so used to receiving the lion’s share with so little effort. For many decades, the wealthy few have allowed the pay of those that labor to fall behind.

The Giants Wake Up

The irony is those who have supported this world economy with their sweat and hard work are, in most cases, self-motivated to do a good job. That social need of individuals to feel included and valued takes over. Combine this with the desire to do good work, and a corporation can take advantage of these human needs. This is a corporate tendency, to undervalue and not worry about the pay for essential employees. There is no concern with whether wages keep pace with an employees cost of living. Unfortunately, the workforce understands the bare minimum isn’t covering the risk any more.

But now the sleeping giants have awakened to their worth. Employees realize that Jack, the wealthy sneak thief, has stolen their golden goose. The problem for the giants is the wealthy have already created a world that works for them. They operate behind the curtain, snatching most of the value. They have many ways of getting the giants to forget, or fight among themselves. Getting them to believe the lies, one day you’ll be one of us, or that giant is different and bad, or don’t let the needy take what you have.

We are like the flock of sheep, scared by the threat of the wolf all their lives, just to be eaten by the shepherd. All of us need to realize whose enjoying the benefits of our golden goose. Hint, its not the neighbor who needs help to make ends meet. It’s not even the wolf they use to scare us into spending more on our defense, at home and abroad. Look behind the curtain to the corporate welfare that supports our rickety system. Look to the billions, generated by our work, to be passed back and forth between the few.