Thread by @scottsantens

It's true that a sufficiently high UBI could serve as an alternative to a $15 minimum wage, but I personally would prefer a combo of both plus a 4-day 32-hour week. Let's pay people more for work, support all unpaid work, and distribute employment and leisure time more equitably.

What the left needs to be honest about in regards to a $15 min wage is that although the overall effects will likely be positive, there will be impacts like reduced hours to compensate. Let's lean into that by leaving the 5-day 40-hour week behind. Every weekend should be 3 days.

It's also likely that a higher min wage will increase automation. Great! Let's do that! But that means less employment for humans. 4-day weeks share the available employment better, and universal basic income makes automation literally work for everyone.

medium.com/basic-income/i…

UBI makes sure that micro-level responses to a higher minimum wage don't reduce people's total incomes if hours drop, or drop incomes to zero. For that person who can't find a job to pay them $15/hr, they can have $1500/mo vs $0. And unpaid workers would have $1500/mo vs $0 too.

If all we did was redefine full-time as 32 hours, businesses would need to pay more per hour so that employees got paid the same for less time. That would distribute leisure time better and I think raise productivity, but it wouldn't raise total incomes, which need to be raised.

That's why I like all 3 and think we should do all 3 together. People need higher wages, higher incomes, and more self-directed time. Businesses should have more incentive to automate, and everyone should benefit as a result, with more money to spend, and more time to enjoy it.

Finally, there's also the matter of wage slavery. A higher minimum wage is helpful, but it's also kind of like plantation owners being forced to provide better food to the humans they owned.

Freedom does not exist so long as people can't say no to a job.

medium.com/basic-income/t…

What happens when we all have freedom to refuse employment because our basic needs are unconditionally met? Do we stop doing anything at all? Of course not, just like inheritors of wealth.

What we can do is refuse to work for $15/hr and only agree to work for *more* than that.

And that's probably the biggest thing about UBI in contrast to minimum wage: bargaining power. A $15/hr min wage doesn't increase bargaining power, because it doesn't help anyone refuse to accept employment until their conditions are met. Unconditional basic income IS that power.