[PEN-L:1751] Re: Minimum wages in real terms

[Paul Zarembka <ECOPAULZ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 6 Dec 1995, Doug Henwood wrote:

> No, I sure wasn't introducing any distinctions between productive and
> unproductive workers. I was treating "workers" in the sociological sense -
> of people who have to work to live and who take orders rather than give
> them. Since well under 20% of the labor force consists of production
> workers in manufacturing, we're talking lots & lots of unproductive labor.

Production workers in manufacturing and Marxist's concept of productive
labor are not the same thing, the latter is much broader and includes all
who produce value and surplus value.  Wolff had the productive workers
about 52% of the labor force in 1967, if I remember correctly (Shaikh's
book is back at our library).

In any case, we seem to be making good progress on clarifying the
issues involved.

RE: Jerry's point--sure, index the damn number.  Think where we would be
today if the $1.60  minimum wage of 1968 had been indexed then (leading
to $7.15 today, ceteris paribus--a big ceteris paribus).  But why not
index *additionally* on average productivity growth?

RE: Jim's point.  Yes, raising the minimum wage substantially would
implicitly impact on the extensive use of unproductive labor; *how* of
course would require much more analysis.

Paul Zarembka