[Iscool]

To repeat my question above: What extra work or extra value or extra contribution are these "people" going to do to make their "living wage" worth more TO THE COMPANY? What are they doing that is WORTH raising their wages up from 8.00 or 9.00 or 10.00 or 12.00 dollars an hours to 15.00 dollars or 25.00 or 30.00 an hour to their employer?

I don't know of any company that bases their wages on what their employees are worth...It's based on how little the market will bear...

There are tons of companies out there that are making billions in profit each year...They certainly couldn't get there without employees...You think those employees are getting paid what they are worth???

[MortMan]

I don't know of any company that bases their wages on what their employees are worth...It's based on how little the market will bear...

That's two sides of the same coin. The floor you reference is established by the worth of the product created by that job.

[discostu]

Salaries are based on both what the market will allow and what the employee produces. When the cost of employees goes up companies stop hiring. Look at WalMart, they have fewer employees now than in 2008 even though they have more stores, because employee costs have gone up and the return on investment for employees (what they are worth) no longer makes their previous staffing model profitable.

The question isn’t whether an employee is being paid UP TO their worth, the question is if they are being paid MORE THAN their worth. That’s something companies need to avoid.