Management and labor are categories that have
little distinction in reality. The need
for creativity in management and labor are equal. The need for intellectual resourcefulness and
integrity are equal. The broader
responsibilities of management are met equally by the essential responsibilities
of labor. What is fair compensation is
complicated by the equity market. The organizers of successful companies can
enjoy huge increases in wealth by appreciation of stock value. The wealthiest often get the lion’s share of
their wealth in this way even though it is, of course, derivative of a
successful company and all that entails in terms of human resources. The more common situation is where the owner/manager
of a local business pays themselves many times what the typical employee
earns. These disparities are harder to
justify.
The trend is increasingly towards a democratization
of information. Closed minds, closed
doors, and closed hearts are becoming harder to secure. With this will come a new sense of what
comprises economic justice. In a few
centuries people may well shake their heads at the unfairness of the twenty-first
century. Because economic unfairness has
extensive implications for quality of life and psychological health, the judgment
upon us may be stark.
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