this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2023
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Work Reform

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These companies paid their employees a median wage of $31,672 in 2022, while their CEOs took home an average $15.3m

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[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 143 points 1 year ago (5 children)

A good reason to have laws regulating the maximum pay gap between executive and the lowest paid peon. And make sure to include all types of pay like stock options so companies can't squirm out of it.

[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 44 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Sounds great, and sure might as well pass it, but there's a lot of ways to get around it

  • Shell companies
  • TC in stock/bonuses
  • Outsourcing to contractors
  • Utilizing foreign jurisdictions
[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ok, let's do it anyway and make them work for their wealth. Instead of doing nothing, and letting them also do nothing to keep their wealth.

There are solutions for all of those loopholes, but it will hurt our congresspeople's investments so it will get shot down

[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Whatever.

It starts with paying their employees a dignified wage.

[–] whatisallthis@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The point is that if max pay gap laws are passed, CEOs will just hide their actual pay in external resources and normal employees will still make exactly the same.

[–] Shard@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good. Make them hide it. Then make it illegal to hide income(if it already isn't). Tax agencies like the IRS are really good at catching this sort of thing.

Make it difficult for them and their companies.

Make them have to spend to hide it. If they get caught, the money goes back to the economy. If they don't get caught, at least some the money they spend on law firms and accounts goes back to the economy.

[–] whatisallthis@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

That’s the system we have right now and it doesn’t work. Soooo…

[–] Steeve@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago

Hey I said this like 6 years ago on Reddit and I got downvoted and called a fucking idiot lol

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why do we not have a maximum wage when we have a minimum wage?

[–] I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Because this is America and if you make rules like that you'll crush the American Dream ^tm^ and no one will want to work at all because you've taken away their ability to daydream about one day being the disgustingly rich person doing the trickling instead of the disgustingly poor person waiting to be trickled on.

[–] pjhenry1216@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'm ok with this, but it's essentially just a step toward socialism which is the better option (but will never happen). Because all this will do is make CEOs less wealthy from the company itself. The investors still make tons more than the CEOs already and they don't do anything. You need to force revenue sharing essentially which is just socialism with extra steps. Cause CEOs will just end up investing in other companies and still be wealthy and get less compensation from the company itself.

[–] Wilibus@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think the point is for them to be less wealthy, the point is you shouldn't make more than 600 times what half your employees make.

[–] pjhenry1216@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know. But investors don't care. They're the root of the problem. CEOs are simply an employee of the company that ultimately represents the shareholders interest. Affecting their pay does not affect shareholder value that much. It just commoditizes the CEO position.

[–] solstice@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Seriously, I literally just posted the same comment basically. It's really silly how fixated on CEOs people are. I guess they are an easy scapegoat example, but they're just goons hired by the board of directors on behalf of the shareholders. It's not like they straight up own the company. (Yeah yeah yeah, there's stock compensation, and some founder CEOs like Zuck still own shares after IPO etc, i know.)

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

Exactly. Increasing pay would be really, really nice. But we can do that and have more control over our workplaces. Worker owned companies would prevent huge disparities in pay from reoccurring, regardless of what the government does.

Like a wise and angry man once said: "Fuck the G rides, I want the machines that are making them."

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 year ago

Socialism is the abolition of social classes. Regulating capital is usually called Social Democracy, or Marxism. Honestly, sieze the means of production.

[–] AnotherPerson@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd be absolutely ecstatic for a 1:4 ratio.