Thanks for your comment, and for sharing your perspective on GLI. I absolutely agree that it must not become an opportunity for employers to ignore employment standards. A GLI would not negate the need for employment laws, including regulation of health and safety standards so that work is not dangerous, exploitative, or abusive.
A GLI also does not remove the obligation of employers to fairly compensate their employees for the labour that they are providing. Minimum wage laws are one way of ensuring that this obligation is met.
But a GLI also puts people in a position where they are free to say no to exploitative employment. They will not be forced by desperation, fear of starvation, or the threat of losing their benefits to accept work that is dangerous or abusive or work that undercompensates them and treats them in a demeaning way.
I expect that a GLI would have two different impacts on wages. Wages for some jobs that are popular - jobs that people find high intrinsic value in doing - would go down because there would be more competition for them. But wages for jobs that are less desirable, including jobs with bad working conditions, would go up because nobody would be forced to take them anymore.
I would hope that GLI would have a similar impact in forcing labour conditions to improve, since people would be empowered to say no to bad situations.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your comment, and for sharing your perspective on GLI. I absolutely agree that it must not become an opportunity for employers to ignore employment standards. A GLI would not negate the need for employment laws, including regulation of health and safety standards so that work is not dangerous, exploitative, or abusive.
A GLI also does not remove the obligation of employers to fairly compensate their employees for the labour that they are providing. Minimum wage laws are one way of ensuring that this obligation is met.
But a GLI also puts people in a position where they are free to say no to exploitative employment. They will not be forced by desperation, fear of starvation, or the threat of losing their benefits to accept work that is dangerous or abusive or work that undercompensates them and treats them in a demeaning way.
I expect that a GLI would have two different impacts on wages. Wages for some jobs that are popular - jobs that people find high intrinsic value in doing - would go down because there would be more competition for them. But wages for jobs that are less desirable, including jobs with bad working conditions, would go up because nobody would be forced to take them anymore.
I would hope that GLI would have a similar impact in forcing labour conditions to improve, since people would be empowered to say no to bad situations.