In The Work-Standard, I stated that the wages and salaries of the Socialist Nation is consolidated in the form of the “Paygrade.” A Paygrade was defined as a weekly payment issued by the Council State to the recipient for their engagement with the “Vocation” of their choosing. The Vocation, which is distinct from the concept of a career, is essentially a calling to pursue Meaningful Work in a particular “Profession” from which they will ascend the “Social Ranks.” It is by means of adhering to their Vocation that the recipient will always be able to master the given Profession and continue to receive continuous Paygrades from the Council State. Every Paygrade is meant to be organized into different pay brackets based on years of service and number of dependents. Other factors like the educational level, the type of Profession in question, and especially the recipient’s Social Rank were considered as secondary.

There were a few reasons why I had insisted upon those three to not affect how much Geld goes into each Paygrade. While they might be inferred from other Entries in The Work-Standard, they are not exactly obvious at first. Thus, I feel compelled to address them here in relation to a recent decision struck by the Department of Justice (DOJ). I list my justifications as the following:

• First, the Socialist Nation and its Vocational Civil Service (VCS) Economy requires skilled, talented personnel who rest their laurels on the quality of their achievements in the workspace. Whatever university degree somebody obtained during their post-secondary school years shall not become an absolute detriment to their future prospects of entering the workforces. One could major in a field like “philosophy” or “literature” and still be able to pursue their Vocation. One may even be compelled to find ways of repurposing what was learned at the university toward other fields. The effectiveness of the Work-Standard increases as a result of those contributing Arbeit through more than one Vocation.
• Second, always remember that a university degree only informs the Council State and VCS Economy that its recipient is familiar with a particular area of study. A piece of paper does not entitle oneself to a particular Vocation. One must realize that they have to work towards their Vocation, and that requires getting involved in the relevant Profession.
• Third, the Council State has a “Constitutional Obligation” to ensure that everyone will be able to find employment. That also entails ensuring that everyone is employed in a Profession closest to their personal education and skillset. Under the Work-Standard, there shall be no unemployment and minimization of the effects of underemployment.
• Fourth, for those unable to find employment in the Profession they are most interested in, they are eligible for either “Work-Conscription” or “Military Conscription.” It will be a three-year draft, and those who conscripted into the workforces will find employment, allowing them to save Geld for the future and working towards their Vocation.

In essence, attaining a higher Social Rank within a given Profession and being more educated does not necessarily mean being entitled to more Geld than the next person. This sort of thinking has its origins in Liberal Capitalist ideology, where someone’s social status was equated to how much Kapital they have in terms of their Net Worth and Credit Score. Those who have more Kapital are treated as having higher social status. It accounts for why the Liberal Capitalists consistently boast about trying to “lift people out of poverty,” including those who previously had no intentions of being lifted out of poverty to begin with.

Meanwhile, under the Work-Standard, Social Ranks will serve as indications of the recipient’s commitment to their Vocation, their continued contributions of Arbeit over the long-term, their ability to lead, the willingness to take on higher duties and responsibilities. The Socialist Nation is a Democracy, after all, and those ambitious enough to assume higher Social Ranks will bear the burdens of being an example, a model of leadership for those under their command. As for how the Socialist Nation adjusts the amount of Geld that goes into everyone’s Paygrades:

“Any increase or decrease in the amount of Geld intended for Paygrades is a matter of the State that must be overseen by the State Commissariats. The State Commissariats, tracking the Attrition Rate and the Total Economic Potential of the national economy, are constitutionally obligated to adjust the amounts intended for each pay bracket. But before the State Commissariats can make any alterations, the power to control the rates at which any pay bracket receives more or less rests squarely on the State Council and its subordinate regional councils. The State Council reserves the final authority regarding the adjustments of Paygrades, further reinforcing the fact that the issuance of Paygrades is as much a political issue as it can be an economic one from the outset.

This is where Council Democracy is required because the State Commissariats are to be politically governed at the regional level, followed by the national level. If a large number of people in the given jurisdiction of a particular region are convinced that their Paygrades should be increased and, provided there is a justifiable Intent behind this decision, they may be entitled to contact their delegates and have the matter addressed at their regional councils. The State Commissariat for their region will then request the State Council to authorize the readjustment of the Paygrades for its regional jurisdiction, allowing the State to make the necessary adjustments. This of course only applies for one or more pay brackets in that regional jurisdiction, particularly among metropolitan areas with populations in the millions of people. In instances where the Nation as a whole is requesting for changes to the Paygrade Scale, that decision is for the State Council. 

The State Council may decide on readjusting the Geld allotted to the Paygrade Scale and its pay brackets. Everyone is entitled to receive an increase in their weekly Paygrades. The State Council will spend an allotted amount of Zeit discussing the matter before eventually voting on whether to approve or disapprove the decision. If a majority agrees to the decision to increase the Paygrades of all pay brackets, then the State Council will have the Head of State sign the changes into law and have the State Commissariats of the nation executing it. Note that the changes will be put into effect in the work week after the Head of State signs the decision into law.”   

This brings me to the real crux of today’s Blog post, the recent decision by the US Department of Justice concerning the Connecticut National Guard. The Associated Press has reported that DOJ has authorized active-duty National Guardsmen to join the labor unions of their State.

“The agreement, finalized Tuesday, settles a lawsuit filed in federal court in Connecticut by labor unions against Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department, seeking collective bargaining rights for Connecticut National Guard members on state duty ordered by the governor.

Already, the case has prompted some National Guard members in Texas to unionize.

A 1978 federal law makes it a criminal felony for members of the armed forces, including the National Guard, to join or attempt to form a labor organization.

But the statute only applies to service members when they are on active federal duty ordered by U.S. military officials, according to the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School, which represented the unions in the lawsuit, filed in November.”

It is a landmark decision for the State of Connecticut because it is technically a Federal felony under US Federal Law for military personnel to be forming and participating in labor unions. The reason why the Connecticut National Guard agitated for unionization is because, as military reservists, they are not eligible to receive the same benefits as the actual volunteer armed forces. That is because the National Guardsmen spend part of their military services in the actual US Market Economy like the rest of the civilian workforce. As the AP reported, there are few opportunities for the Federal government to adjust its Paygrades for the civil service and the armed forces, much less the reservists within the National Guard. And while far from the policies of the Socialist Nation in The Work-Standard, it serves as a convenient contrast insofar as the US is the country of interest among the later Entries.

Categories: Politics

Tags: ARPLAN, Compendium, Economics, Federalist Party, Finance, Hamiltonianism, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, SMP, Socialist Finance, United States, Work-Standard