On September 1, 2009, Steven Greenhouse posted a article called "Low-Wage Workers Are Often Cheated, Study Says". This article depicts how low wage works are often not paid for their overtime hours and often not even paid minimum wage. Also Greenhouse points out that 68 percent of the workers have come in contain with at least one pay-related violation in the past week. This comes to question what really is the minimum wage? These workers try to fight against their boss’ or owners but Greenhouse says that one in five were illegally fired or suspended. These low wageworkers are not being paid enough as it is, and if their bosses aren’t even paying them in full how are these workers supposed to live. It is next to impossible to live off the minimum wage, which is eight dollars in Chicago, but if you are receiving below that it would be impossible to live. To be able to pay for an apartment and put food on the table without even getting the full eight dollars is not livable. It is today’s concept of self-interest that hurts these low wageworkers, something that Karl Marx feels strongly against.
Karl Marx argues against self-interest. He believes that it doesn’t lead to independence from feudalism and reinstates a different kind of slavery. Which in the end doesn’t lead to stability. Greenhouse points this out with the low wageworkers saying that these workers not being paid is awful for the economy. He states, “When unscrupulous employers break the law, they’re robbing families of money to put food on the table, they’re robbing communities of spending power and they’re robbing governments of vital tax revenues.” Marx would heavily disagree with what is going on with low wageworkers. He believes that people should be paid through productivity instead of time. Marx would say these people are being robbed of money, which in essence leaves them not being able to live.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/02/us/02wage.html
