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by dsr_ 1139 days ago
That's not what happens. What happens is this:

- You buy your house from the company via a mortgage owned by the company bank.

- You start to build equity in your house.

- You talk on your lunchbreak with your coworker about whether a union would be a good idea.

- The company fires you for no particular reason.

- There are no other employers in commuting range, and your skill-set is not conducive to working from home. As a result:

- You fall behind on your mortgage. The company bank notes that you are delinquent and immediately starts foreclosure.

- The company real estate agency doesn't show your house to people. There are no other real estate agencies in this town.

- The company bank takes possession. You leave. The bank sells the house at auction. There is one bidder: the company-owned house leasing company. They bid less than the amount the bank is owed. The bank takes all of that money, as first creditor, and you get no money from the sale.

The company-owned house leasing company cleans it out and leases it or decides to sell it to another employee.

1 comments

In towns with one employer, this would happen even if the bank, the real estate agent, etc. are NOT in cahoots with the company.
In a town with one employer and one (local) bank, even if they aren't part of the same ownership structure, they will end up being in cahoots.

Regulation and competition are both vital tools for good societies.