Thorstein Veblen and John R. Commons pretty much nailed this issue 90 years ago. See for example Veblen's The Engineers and the Price System and Commons's Industrial Goodwill. Sure there are labor market rigidities but there are even more rigidities on the other side that make the limited protections that do exist for workers look pretty tame. The IMF won't be content until every worker is not only a slave but an *enthusiastic* slave. At which point the whole pack of cards would collapse from too much labor flexibility.
At its core this issue goes back to the "restriction of output" complaint that rose to a crescendo toward the end of the 19th century. One of the best things about Frederick W. Taylor and his colleagues is that they recognized that it wasn't all the workers' fault as management liked to claim. A great deal of what was called restrictionism (ca'canny, etc.) was a response to management incompetence, bullying or inattention. The Sandwichman --- Martin Hart-Landsberg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I would love to hear any thoughts people have on the > labor flexibility ___________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
