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From: rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: opportunities, women
Message-ID: <997@ihuxk.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 13:17:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxk.997
Posted: Mon Jul 22 13:17:12 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Jul-85 03:30:33 EDT
References: <893@mnetor.UUCP> <5642@utzoo.UUCP> <896@mnetor.UUCP> <5788@utzoo.UUCP> <2204@watcgl.UUCP> <1168@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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> In article <2204@watcgl.UUCP> jchapman@watcgl.UUCP (john chapman) writes:
> >> I would also note that true justice in this area probably means *cutting*
> >> wages in some professions that are not overly "valuable" in some sense,
> >> but have strong unions (or other forms of clout) that force wages up.
> >> Are garbagemen really worth more than McDonald's counter hands?  Probably
> >> not, and the appropriate salary is probably closer to the McDonald's level
> >> than the (unionized) garbagemen level.
> >> -- 
> >> 				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
> >> 				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry
> >
> it doesn't take any incredible amount of skill, intelligence, drive,
> or whatever to either flip burgers or pickup the garbage. I would
> imagine that any person off the street could be completely instructed
> in the intricacies of burger flipping or garbage collection in a matter
> of a few hours. So, as long as there is an adequate supply of garbage
> collectors why should they be paid more than a burger flipper? Their
> work requires approximately the same amount of intelligence, training,
> responsibility, etc. One can even argue that the working conditions for
> the garbage collector are better than the burger flippers, since the
> former doesn't have a supervisor breathing down his neck every minute
> of the day, and he gets to work outside as opposed to remaining in a 
> cramped kitchen the whole day. Thus, in my mind, the only 
> consideration in determining the garbage collector's wages is that 
> the pay should be enough to provide for an adequate supply of such people. 
> 
> J.B. Robinson

Lest people think that being a garbage collector is one big picnic
($8/hour and all you can eat (standard garbage collector joke),
I'd like to point out that garbage collecting is very tiring,
physical work, at least in most locations.  Lifting enough garbage to
completely fill up a garbage truck 2-3 times (after compacting) every
day is a lot more tiring than serving up fast food.  Also, it is a pretty
dirty job.  Also, while I'm not aware of actual percentages,  many
garbage collectors are non-union.  I know I was non-union when I did it
(for a summer).  As far as I know, the wages paid at the company I
worked for were based on what it took to keep employees.

Bob Schleicher
ihuxk!rs55611

(standard garbage collector's joke #2:

"How's the garbage business these days?"

"Oh, it's picking up.")
:wq