Commentary
In one of my first real jobs, I was standing with some employees on the sales floor of a men’s suit shop and the boss walked by.
“Please straighten up these ties, fellas,” he said.
My friend waited for the man to move out of earshot and said: “No way am I doing that for minimum wage.”
I did a lot of thinking about that comment. Was this correct? This employee had a clear sense in his head about precisely what he would and would not do for a fixed amount of money. He imagined himself to be paid by the task, not the time. His sense was entirely arbitrary however, and clearly not shared by those who sign his paycheck….