[dustinmoris]

No value comes from many different reasons and one of those is a new value generated from the combination of efforts of many individual contributors. The individual value which someone brings doesn't equal the end value which is being delivered to a customer. The essence of a business is generating new value to end consumers which an individual couldn't do on their own.

[cyborgx7]

The extra value generated from the combination of efforts is still generated by the workers who combined their effort to generate it. Why are the owners more deserving of that "extra value" than the workers?

[spurdoman77]

The owners started the business, took the risk, etc. If an employee isnt happy with the salary, he can always ask for more, change employer, or start his own business. It is a fair game IMO.

[cyborgx7]

So he can start his own business, with no capital of their own, so at an inherent disadvantage, or sell their work under value to someone else. This world view only works if you only see people as atomized units and have no sense of a concept of class. And even then it barely works.

[claudiawerner]

>The owners started the business, took the risk, etc.

This does not seem like any kind of justification for continual reward, not to mention it doesn't apply at all in situations where the workers themselves take on a lot of risk day to day (e.g. construction). Furthermore, this would only work as a justification for when the owner really did take a risk, and companies where the current owner is the same as the person who started the business (i.e it's not clear that future CEOs shoulder the same risk). And of course, all of this is based on the idea that risk is an inherent good and worthy of reward and praise - I can see many cases where it's not, especially in very exploitative businesses.

>he can always ask for more

He can ask for it, but with the weakened power of collective bargaining it's unlikely he'll get it. It also depends on how replaceable the worker is. Did you see the article on HN today about how Kickstarter fired two union organizers?

>change employer

From the point of view of the worker this doesn't help much at all, since there would be no reason they'd necessarily get a better wage at other places.

>or start his own business

With what capital? Even if he had capital, why would a worker who is so disillusioned with the nature of wage work feel compelled to start a business? Unless he doesn't care for the plight of others against what he experienced while he was himself a wage worker.