湃书单｜澎湃新闻编辑们在读的13本书：工资的真相

Group 1 - The core argument of the article revolves around the systemic unfairness in the modern American labor market, particularly focusing on low wages and the factors influencing wage determination [5][6][9] - The author critiques traditional economic theories that link wages directly to risk or productivity, arguing that this assumption does not hold true in practice [6][9] - The book discusses how employers maintain low wages through policies like salary secrecy and non-compete agreements, which limit employees' bargaining power [6][9] Group 2 - The author identifies key factors in wage determination, including power dynamics, inertia, imitation, and fairness, which challenge mainstream human capital and job theories [6][9] - The analysis highlights the role of weakened unions and the shareholder primacy ideology in contributing to wage stagnation and widening income inequality in the U.S. [6][9] - The book suggests that the current plight of American workers is not coincidental but rather a result of carefully designed systemic forces [8][9] Group 3 - The author proposes comprehensive reform ideas aimed at raising minimum wages, expanding the middle class, and limiting elite incomes, which face significant political resistance in a weakened union environment [9] - The discussion includes the importance of understanding organizational performance metrics and the underlying power intentions rather than blindly accepting them [7][9] - The book emphasizes the need for workers to critically assess the performance indicators set by organizations to recognize the power dynamics at play [9]