On: Blue-collar wages are surging. Can it last?

[erikpukinskis]

First off, these businesses typically don’t “rely on” those wages, the owner is just taking a $20k bonus because they can and they like money.

Undocumented workers take the jobs because there is no financial incentive for an owner to risk breaking the law unless they are getting cash back. The worker is basically paying their employer to break the law.

[gthtjtkt → erikpukinskis]

So you're saying they pocket the difference rather than using reduced overhead to maintain competitive prices?

Interesting hypothesis... I was under the impression that many farmers operate on thin margins these days.

[erikpukinskis → gthtjtkt]

Certainly there is a segment that are close to bankruptcy but most are profitable.