Section 1: How are Wages Determined?
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Section 1: How are Wages Determined?
1. Define Wages: __________________________________________________________________
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2. Define Equilibrium Wages: ________________________________________________________
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3. What is the worker’s labor productivity? _____________________________________________
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4. Define Derived Demand: __________________________________________________________
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5. Why would a restaurant hire more chefs? ____________________________________________
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6. Why would a chef leave a job for another? ___________________________________________
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7. Define Wage Rate: _______________________________________________________________
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8. What are the four key factors influencing wage rates? __________________________________
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9. Define and give examples for the following:
a. Unskilled: _______________________________________________________________
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b. Semiskilled: ______________________________________________________________
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c. Skilled: _______________________________________________________________
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d. Professional: _____________________________________________________________
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10. Why is beneficial to be highly skilled? ___________________________________________________
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11. How do working conditions factor into wages? ____________________________________________
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12. Define Wage Discrimination: __________________________________________________________
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13. How do companies lose money because of wage discrimination? _____________________________
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14. Why is occupational segregation a vicious cycle? __________________________________________
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15. Define Glass Ceiling: _________________________________________________________________
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16. Define Minimum Wage: ______________________________________________________________
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17. Why is minimum wage necessary? ______________________________________________________
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Cuomo Lifts Minimum Wages for Workers at NYU
1. Who will be benefit from the new minimum wage
increase? _______________________________________
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2. Will the $15 raise occur right away?
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3. Why is he increasing the minimum wage?
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4. How does Madarasz view the wage increase?
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5. How does Bowen view the wage increase?
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1. After reading both sides of the argument, who do you agree with? _____________________________________________________
2. Why do you agree with them?
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What does the following cartoon mean?
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What is your opinion?
I AGREE
or
I DISAGREE
(CIRCLE ONE)
Explain Why? (Support with evidence, facts, examples, and reasons)
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Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
30 Days: Minimum Wage
1. What are the 3 rules that Morgan and Alex must follow for 30 days?
a. ________________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________________
2. Where did Alex get a job?
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3. Where did Morgan get a job?
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4. Where did Morgan and Alex get the furniture for their apartment?
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5. Where was the first place Morgan went when he hurt his wrist?
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6. What was the problem with going to this location?
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7. How much does childcare cost in this country?
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8. Did Morgan and Alex follow their own rules? If no, what rules did they break?
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9. Write 3 things that you think Morgan and Alex did right, and 3 things that they did wrong where
they could have saved money.
3 Right: ______________________________________________________________________________
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3 Wrong: _____________________________________________________________________________
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Section 2: A Changing Labor Force
1. Define Civilian Labor Force: ___________________________________________________________
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2. How many CLF’s existed in 2005? ______________________________________________________
3. How is the 1955 scenario different from the scenario in today’s world? _________________________
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4. Define the following sectors:
a. Primary: ___________________________________________________________________________
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b. Secondary: _________________________________________________________________________
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c. Tertiary: ___________________________________________________________________________
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5. How has technology changed the workforce? ______________________________________________
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6. Define Outsourcing: __________________________________________________________________
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7. How does outsourcing impact the U.S. employer? __________________________________________
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8. How does outsourcing impact the U.S. employee? __________________________________________
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9. Define Insourcing: ___________________________________________________________________
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10. Define Telecommunicating: ___________________________________________________________
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11. Define Contingent Employment: _______________________________________________________
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12. Define Independent Contractors: _______________________________________________________
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13. How does working from home benefit the employer? _______________________________________
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14. What are two negative aspects of working from home? _____________________________________
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15. Why would you hire contingent or contract workers rather than having fulltime employers?
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16. Why do people prefer to be on independent contractor? _____________________________________
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17. What are the risks of being an independent contractor? _____________________________________
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18. How does Globalization impact jobs? ___________________________________________________
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OUTSOURCED
1. As soon as Todd arrives, he experiences the discomfort of being disoriented in a strange new place.
What happens at the airport? _____________________________________________________________
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2. When a friendly traveler helps him get on the train, what does he tell him to do?
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3. When he gets on the train, he cannot find an empty seat. How is this problem solved for him?
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4. As any exchange student, he has a lot of experiences trying new food. His first encounter is with an
iced drink. What happens?
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5. First encounters with a culture can be shocking – Todd sees crowded streets with cows, noise, and a
man urinating in the street. But how does his host describe the city?
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6. Even though the host Puro speaks English, Todd uses American slang a lot without thinking. So as not
to insult Puro, what does he say the meaning of Schmuck is?
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7. Todd wants to check in to a hotel. But Puro insists he come to a boarding house. What is the reason he
gives Todd?
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8. During his first conversation with Aunti Ji he makes two big mistakes. What are they?
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9. The Golden Rule says do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That means his Indian hosts
and friends are trying to make him comfortable the way they would be comfortable. How does this apply
when the servant is preparing tea for Todd?
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10. How does Todd figure out why one does not eat food with the left hand?
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11. Why do they disagree on how a “native” speaks English?
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12. What doesn’t Todd understand about the Indians’ response to the “cattle brand”?
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13. What is Todd’s reaction to “You need to learn about India”? What stage of culture shock might it
represent?
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14. He calls home several times. Why? What stage of culture shock might provoke calls home?
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15. Why is he so eager to go to McDonnells?
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16. Todd doesn’t understand bargaining. How does the Indian respond to this?
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17. When Todd develops the incentive system, he has begun to adapt to India. How has he adapted?
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18. Explain the difference between American and Indian cultures when Todd and Puro discuss how often
he visits his family and why he doesn’t live with them.
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19. When the call center floods and they are shut down, Todd finds an “Indian” solution. What is it?
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20. When Todd’s boss comes to India, he eventually explains why – Todd has to leave. How is his
reaction similar to that of an exchange student?
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What Is a Blue-Collar Worker and a White-Collar Worker?
by Sherrie Scott, Demand Media
Blue-collar workers often earn an hourly wage.
The terms "blue collar" and "white collar" are occupational classifications that distinguish workers who perform
manual labor from workers who perform professional jobs. Historically, blue-collar workers wore uniforms, usually
blue, and worked in trade occupations. White-collar workers typically wore white, button down shirts. and worked
in office settings. Other aspects that distinguish blue-collar and white-collar workers include earnings and education
level.
Blue Collar
Blue-collar workers perform labor jobs and typically work with their hands. The skills necessary for blue-collar
work vary by occupation. Some blue-collar occupations require highly skilled personnel who are formally trained
and certified. These workers include aircraft mechanics, plumbers, electricians and structural workers. Many bluecollar employers hire unskilled and low-skilled workers to perform simple tasks such as cleaning, maintenance and
assembly line work.
White Collar
White-collar workers usually perform job duties in an office setting. They are highly skilled and formally trained
professionals. Many white-collar workers, such as accountants, bankers, attorneys and real estate agents, provide
professional services to clients. Other white-collar workers, such as engineers and architects, provide services to
businesses, corporations and government agencies.
Related Reading: Blue Collar Management Styles
Educational Attainment
Education level is a major difference in blue-collar and white-collar jobs. White-collar work generally requires
formal education. White-collar workers typically have at least a high school diploma, while most complete an
associates, bachelors, masters or professional degree. Blue-collar workers employed in skilled trades, such as
carpentry, receive formal, vocational education, though some blue-collar workers acquire their skills on the job.
Most blue-collar occupations do not require formal education to perform basic job duties.
Earnings
White-collar jobs generally pay well because of the education level required for entry into most occupations. Whitecollar workers usually earn a salary. For example, the median annual wage for lawyers as of May 2009 was
$113,240 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median wage for financial managers was $101,190, while
the median wage for civil engineers was $76,590. Blue collar jobs usually pay by the hour although some trade
professionals earn salaries. For instance, electricians earned median annual wages of $47,180 as of May 2009
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Truck drivers earned $37,730 as of that time. Other blue collar workers
such as janitors, grounds maintenance workers and auto mechanics earned median hourly wages ranging from
$10.56 per hour to $17.03 per hour according to 2009 BLS wage estimates.
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Name: _____________________________________
Date: ____________
Period: __________
NOTING WHAT I’VE LEARNED
TOPIC: BLUE COLLAR VS. WHITE COLLAR
Write It!
Draw It!
Main Ideas, Questions, Key Words from the topic
What I’ve Learned
1. _________________________________________________
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2. _________________________________________________
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3. _________________________________________________
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1. _________________________________________________
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2. _________________________________________________
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3. _________________________________________________
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Name: _______________________________________________________________________
The Labor Movement’s Rise to Power
1. How was the working environment for employees in the 1800s? _______________________________
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2. What happened if a worker complained? __________________________________________________
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3. Define Labor Union: _________________________________________________________________
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4. Why do they negotiate? _______________________________________________________________
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5. Define Strike: _______________________________________________________________________
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6. What is a craft union? ________________________________________________________________
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7. Why were the Knights of Labor significant to the labor movement? ____________________________
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8. In the 1800s, why might it be risky to protest? _____________________________________________
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9. How did the violence impact the labor union movement? _____________________________________
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10. How was the AFL different from other union movements? __________________________________
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11. Why is Mother Jones so famous in the labor movement? ____________________________________
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12. When did Unions thrive during the Great Depression? ______________________________________
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13. Summarize the following acts:
Norris-LaGuardia Act: __________________________________________________________________
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National Labor Relations Act: ____________________________________________________________
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Fair Labor Standards Act: _______________________________________________________________
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Taft-Hartley Act: ______________________________________________________________________
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Landrum-Griffin Act: ___________________________________________________________________
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14. Why did unions decline? _____________________________________________________________
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15. Define Featherbedding: ______________________________________________________________
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16. Why did unions fall in the manufacturing industry? ________________________________________
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17. Define Closed Shop: ________________________________________________________________
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18. Define Union Shop: _________________________________________________________________
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19. How did the Taft-Hartley Act play a role in union and closed shops? __________________________
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20. Define Right to Laws: _______________________________________________________________
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21. Define Collective Bargaining:_________________________________________________________
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22. What are the benefits of collective bargaining? ____________________________________________
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23. During collective bargaining, what do employee’s focus on? _________________________________
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24. Why is a mediator brought in during negotiations? _________________________________________
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25. Define Binding Arbitration: ___________________________________________________________
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