[lbo-talk] Writer's Strike

Mike Ballard swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au
Fri Jan 18 14:23:46 PST 2008


Mike Ballard writes:


> labour IS entitled to all it produces.

So when 'production' is negative (cf United Airlines for the past N years), labor doesn't get paid? Or is labor only entitled when there's a surplus?

/jordan ******************************

Within the transport industry (as with all industries), labour is producing all the goods and services which are sold for profit. If United Airlines bosses can't sell enough of the goods and services to make a profit for themselves, it doesn't mean that these commodities haven't been produced or can't be produced.

It means that the capitalist system is a fetter on the production of wealth; it can't have use-values produced when they can't be sold for a profit. The wages system guarantees that there will always be a surplus....whether that surplus can be sold or not, is a question of sufficient or insufficient abilities to pay for them by the workers who are producing the wealth in the first place. Most times, *these* workers who are buying commodities are known as: consumers, the middle class or the market.

Mike B)

"Would you have freedom from wage-slavery.." Joe Hill http://iamawobbly.multiply.com/

Make the switch to the world's best email. Get the new Yahoo!7 Mail now. www.yahoo7.com.au/worldsbestemail



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list