ARE YOU PAID WHAT YOU ARE WORTH

EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK:  Recently there was an news article in the state of Utah about the rate of pay for men vs. women.  The statement made was that men need to be paid more so they can support their families and so that the women can remain at home where they probably prefer to be.  This statement was made by a county GOP vice chairman or something like that.  He received so much flak over this statement, that he had to resign from his position in the local Republican party.  As well he should.  So, reading this, I want to weigh in on my opinion on this equal pay debate.  I have a jumble of thoughts, so may ramble a bit more than usual.
1. Workers at the fast food places, like McDonalds, are demanding higher wages.  They want $15.00 an hour to flip burgers.  When they get to that point, burgers will be so expensive, people will quit buying them.  Places like McDonalds can literally price themselves out of business. While the workers may make that much money if they are working, they won't make any thing if they are laid off because the company can no longer to pay them.  Flipping burgers is a good job for many, especially those who are working their way through school. Managers of such restaurants can and should be paid a living wage, as they have more responsibility, but if you want that much money to flip burgers, then work for that position.
2. I spent 40 years in the mining industry. The company I worked for had equal pay for equal work.  When a person was hired at an entry labor position, they were paid for that position, regardless of their gender.  When they moved on to higher paying positions, again they were paid according to the position rate of pay, regardless of gender.  In the early 1990's the union's that were in place were disposed of and the company changed the way people were paid. People were put on a sliding scale, with each position being put on that scale and you were given a raise according to seniority in that position. Again, that applied to the position, not the gender of the person filling that position. So a man may be paid more to do a job than a woman, because he had been there longer, and the opposite applied also.
3. Going back to the above mentioned news article, apparently this man did not take in to account the many women who have to support their families for a variety of reasons.  Due to divorce, widowhood, or a number of other reasons, women have to work to support their families. But regardless of the reason, if a woman is doing the job, she should be paid for the work.

AND THAT IS THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK