Problem
Industry: Banking/banker/teller
I want you to assume two things. First, assume that Marx's critique of capitalism is correct--given the structure of the buying and selling of labor-power in capitalism, the only possible result is an ever-increasing income inequality between capitalists and workers, such that workers continue to work harder and are nevertheless rewarded with lower wages and thus a lower quality of life. Second, assume that you have been selected by a labor union to lead a meeting advocating for workers' rights in your own industry. You have been tasked with giving the meeting's opening speech (to various workers in your industry wherein you must discuss the following themes:
A. What recent developments in your own industry have permitted workers to be more readily or easily exploited? Who have been the primary benefactors of this exploitation? How has this exploitation burdened and placed stress on workers? Have these developments widened the income gap between the industry's shareholders and its stakeholders?
B. Do workers in your industry realize that they are being exploited in this way? If so, how have they come to this realization? If not, how does this exploitation continue to be hidden from them? What stories or tales are workers told to distract them from this state of affairs? What corporate policies or administrative practices are in place to hide this reality from workers? How is the income inequality justified by members of your industry?
C. If given the chance to change certain features in your industry, which ones would you advocate in order to protect workers' rights, especially with respect to fair compensation and closing the income inequality gap? What could corporations in your industry do to address the exploitation or income inequality that exists?