Re: PKT digest 369

[6155GUASTELL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Regarding the question about the "american plan" (from Ronald Galea):

It if were implemented today, it could be perceived as just another way
for employers to aboid paying overtime.

The use of a mix of average work hours from employed and unemployed
as an index of anything greatly confused the differential experiences
of employed and unemployed persons.

The mixture as an index of anything institutionalizes a particular
level of unemployment which was very high in the 1930s. Industry today
might want to lock in a level of unemployment -- high enough to keep
the pressure on wages heading downward.

Finally, the ghost of Huey Long is whispering, "Beware of anything
called an 'american plan.'"

--Stephen Guastello