[p2p-research] In Defense of Worker Ownership

[Alex Rollin]

if the worker is not a consumer, what then?

On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 6:17 PM, Patrick Anderson <agnucius at gmail.com> wrote:

> Michel Bauwens wrote:
> >
> > I'm in favour of governance and ownerhship models that combine
> stakeholders,
>
> I know you (and most everyone else) say the workers will otherwise be
> 'disenfranchised'.
>
> But what is meant by that *specifically*?  What do the workers intend
> to gain as compared to the case where the Means of Production are 100%
> Consumer Owned?
>
> Will they prop-up their wages by disallowing other, non-owning Workers
> from competing?
>
> Is this a form of 'protectionism'?  Does this mean Worker Owned
> enterprises do not qualify as "Free Trade"?  I wonder what Kevin
> Carson would say.
>
> Will they force the Consumers to pay Price above Cost so they can
> collect that Profit as a reward?
>
> If so, then will the Consumers be disallowed from gaining enough
> ownership for themselves to 'escape' that punishment?
>
> What if a Consumer wants to pick his own Olives from his % of the
> co-owned orchard?  Will he be allowed to supply that labor for
> himself?
>
> What if a Consumer discovers a way to automate that picking.  Will he
> be allowed to fully own his portion of the orchard and use automation
> without paying tribute to workers that labor in other parts of the
> orchard?
>
> How will the workers protect themselves from consumers choosing automation?
>
> What is the reasoning behind forcing the consumers to pay the
> worker-owner even when the work is fully automated?
>
>
> > the details matter less than the principle,
>
> We are supposed to accept this idea without any backing of logic?
> That sounds like religion.
>
> Why does this concept have priority over any other?
>
> What is the basis for this unquestionable declaration of truth?
>
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