So, Frito Lay workers in Topeka, Kansas are going on strike because they've been working 12 hour days, every day, without a day off in literal months. 84 hours a week.
I would have imagined labor laws would have prevented this, but apparently not. I mean, what good is the 40 hour work week if it is merely statuatory? Forced overtime, when not dealing with an emergency like world war II or something, is just cruel. There's no reason for it. How can you even live working that much? You sleep 8 hours, you commute, you need to eat, get dressed, shower, this isn't living. This is slavery. The only reason people would ever put up with this, is because they are forced to by the threat of propertylessness otherwise. It is ridiculous. And Frito Lay did outright set up a system that penalized people for taking time off.
This would not happen if we had a basic income. If people had a basic income, they could quit, and live on a lower income level. ANd given the quality of life associated with an 84 hour work week, I bet everyone would be quitting. I want to point this out. This problem, would not exist, if we had a basic income. Because if employers knew that their workers could walk, well, they would have to pay their workers better, or automate jobs, or outsource, or go out of business. Period. They couldn't force people to do it.
Basic income liberates people. I'm seeing people talking about more regulations, and unions, but compared to the outright right to say no, those are a band aid. We need a basic income, and we need it now.
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