[PEN-L:4788] Re: Worker?

[dassbach@xxxxxxx (Carl H.A. Dassbach)]

>If "a worker is the antithesis of an owner", how are we to classify the
>growing ranks of "self-employed", particularly those who were laid off and
>must now sell their services back to their former employer under the aegis of
>a small company? It seems to me that such people--self-employed
>service-providers--are a totally new breed: they are still *workers* as they
>are selling their labour, but they are also ostensibly small businesspeople
>(*owners*). I'm interested in hearing PEN-Lers'  thoughts on this, and also
>hearing about whether this type of self-employment is an issue in other parts
>of the world.

In my mind, these individuals can be understood as occupying a similar
position as artisans, craftsman and small farmers, they own and use their
`means of production.'
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Carl H.A. Dassbach                                   E-mail:   DASSBACH@xxxxxxx
Dept. of Social Sciences                            Phone:   (906)487-2115
Michigan Technological University              Fax:       (906)487-2468
Houghton,  MI   49931    USA