Workers Unite! All workers deserve to be paid a decent living wage.

Mechanic's Life (@mechanics.life2016) on Facebook posted a meme that stated:

"Share if you think Mechanics should be paid more than McDonalds workers."

Several people of whom I know re-posted the meme and others who I also know clicked onto the "Like" icon and/or commented favorably in support of the meme.

Me?
Well, here is a copy and paste of the response from me to an "friend" of mine who had re-postedthe meme on his Facebook wall:

Roland Louis Hansen - I believe everyone should receive a decent living wage above the poverty line and above the income level that qualifies people for food stamps. I would rather pay more in the private marketplace for goods and services than to pay more in taxes for welfare programs needed to supplement poverty level wages paid by employers who exploit working men and women. That being said, rather than put any group of workers down, I say pull all workers up. We need not pit one worker group over another in place of advocating for the betterment of all.

I say Workers Unite!

"Workers Uniting is the name of the new international union created by Unite - the biggest union in the UK and Republic of Ireland and the United Steelworkers (USW), North America's largest private sector union."

Follow the embedded link to visit and explore the website of Workers Uniting.

The problem as I see it, however, is that many people are competing with other people on the issue of wages and benefits rather than joining together in co-operative efforts. Instead of uniting for the protection and advancement of the mutual interests of all working men and women, workers in one or another occupation are, in fact, belittling workers in different other occupatious.

I ask that you read (just follow the embedded link contained therein):
Why Workers Won’t Unite

It is my opinion that the wages and benefits of American workes have declined as a result of the decline in American labor union membership.

I read an interesting article that started out with "Union membership has plummeted in the U.S., from nearly one-third of workers 50 years ago to one in 10 American workers today."
To read the rest of that article, go on over to:
The incredible decline of American unions, in one animated map, Ana Swanson, Wonkblog, The Washington Post, February 24, 2015.

I could go on and on about all this, but instead of that, I just would like to recommend you read each of the following (embedded links contained within each title):

• A Decade of Declining Wages, From Bad to Worse, Publications, POLICY NOTE 2015/3, Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, March 2015.

• For most workers, real wages have barely budged for decades, Drew DeSilver, Fact Tank, Pew Research Center, October 9, 2014

• Here's the real reason you don't make enough money, Commentary by Thomas A. Kochan, Fortune, September 1, 2015.