I just finished working for a week in a small business.
The nature of the business isn't important. It's been around for almost thirty years. Family owned.
I was filling in doing general office work. At the very end of the day today, chatting with one of the two owners, the conversation strayed briefly into politics. He (the male half of the two owners) simply expressed an opinion about not agreeing much with one of our liberal Democratic Senators.
All week long I'd been thinking about the tension between business owners and workers. I've always been a worker. I've belonged to an union, and honored picket lines. So nothing will ever change my very strong loyalties there.
But this week has been very interesting. It's opened my eyes to the gulf between workers and owners. I want to stress that the company is quite small, probably fewer than fifteen employees. While I was just a one week temp, so my understanding of this specific company is understandably limited, it was enlightening.
It's a good company to work for. Most of the employees have been there for years. I didn't get a chance to find out how long specifically, but it's clear that most of them are long-term. Which suggests to me that they are paid well and treated decently.
I will say this: When I was called and asked to come in to work this week, and asked how much I should be paid, I wavered at first. I live in Santa Fe, which has a $10.84 minimum wage. I asked for $12.00, and they didn't even flinch.
There's a chance I'll be asked to work there again, and I'll gladly agree. I have a suspicion that the owners and I might be on different sides politically, but so long as I'm paid decently, and treated well, I'll go back.
I think I want most to convey is that while there is a gulf between owners and workers, it doesn't have to be an unbridgeable divide.
