# Labor 101, or why strikes are okay

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-101-or-why-strikes-are-okay/989700>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 6, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-101-or-why-strikes-are-okay/989700 "2023-09-06T18:04:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 114

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/labor-101-or-why-strikes-are-okay/989700/114 "2023-09-07T17:33:34Z")

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> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#):
>
> That’s the whole argument. If their replacement value was very high, then yes, they would deserve their current wages. However, if their wages are being protected by union membership, and could be replaced easily by other workers, do they deserve to keep their jobs?

What do you think is gained, on a societal level, by taking a bunch of jobs that support people in a middle-class lifestyle, and changing them so that they’re minimum wage jobs? What benefit do you think derives from making those people poorer?

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