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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Why are executives "compensated" and others "paid?"
(Is its hardship greater than a maciladora worker's, for example?)
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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The first explanation that comes to mind for me is that perhaps it's because executives often own all or part of the company(ies) they run. They *pay* their employees, but they *compensate* themselves, the difference being that the draw that an executive takes is often just necessary living expenses and bonuses as needed; the work that an executive does is--ostensibly, at least--aimed toward increasing the profitability of the company, whereas an employee is--generally, at least--working just to get paid.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear IP: please define "maciladora". It looks Spanish, but I could not find it in Spanish dictionary.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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From Atomica:
ma·qui·la·do·ra (mä-kç'lä-dô'rä)
n.
An assembly plant in Mexico, especially one along the border between the United States and Mexico, to which foreign materials and parts are shipped and from which the finished product is returned to the original market.
[American Spanish, place where the miller's fee is paid, maquiladora, from Spanish maquila, portion received by the miller in return for milling one's grain, from Old Spanish, from Arabic makîla, measured, measure of capacity, feminine passive participle of kâla, to measure.]
This word is associated, in my mind at least, with exploitation of workers and bad environmental conditions. Many American companies locate their factories just across the Mexican border in order to take advantage of cheap labor and less restrictive environmental regulations.
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veteran
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veteran
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Aside from the temptation to say that "compensated" is a tonier word than "paid", which is for hoi polloi, I actually think that it's partly a tax thing and partly due to the fact that whereas your grunts on the assembly line generally get a salary and nothing else, executives receive extras besides their salaries, such as bonuses and stock options, besides perks (short for perquisites) such as club memberships, company car or chauffeur, etc., all of which comprises their compensation.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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executives receive extras besides their salaries, ....all of which comprises their compensationSome of which are taxable by IRS and some of which (the extras) are not! They didn't get there by being stupid.  wow
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addict
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addict
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This word is associated, in my mind at least, with exploitation of workers and bad environmental conditions. Many American companies locate their factories just across the Mexican border in order to take advantage of cheap labor and less restrictive environmental regulations.
A couple of thoughts on this (largely not word-related, but perhaps of interest):
I work for the US Environmental Protection Agency on hazardous waste issues on the US-Mexico border - in short, I work on the nasty crap that maquiladoras produce. In general, I'd have to agree with Rapunzel's characterization of the maquiladora industry, although I believe the labor costs are a much greater factor in companies' relocating than the environmental regulation. Mexico actually has pretty stringent environmental regulations - they just lack the resources to enforce them. Mexico also has very strong labor regulations - they just lack the will and the resources to enforce them.
Also, there are numerous exceptions to the stereotype of companies polluting madly upon arriving in Mexico, as many of the largest companies simply have the same environmental operations the world over. But the smaller, mom-and-pop shops, and the Mexican companies that often provide parts to the maquiladoras, are largely unregulated.
I've heard a number of other theories on the etymology of this word, but haven't any of them handy.
Some random factoids about the maquila (this shortened form is used as often as the full word) industry:
2/3 of the televisions bought today in the US are manufactured in maquiladoras in Tijuana.
In 1994, there were about 2000 maquilas in all of Mexico (about 80% are along the border). In 2000, there were over 3500. That's 1500 new factories in 6 years - growth unlike any I've ever heard of.
In the last 5 years, almost 250 maquiladoras were built in Tijuana - that's a new factory every week in one city alone - the highest index of industrial growth in the world (and, perhaps, in history).
In that same period, the number of environmental inspectors in Tijuana has remained the same - about 4.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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<<maciladora>>
wwh,
I almost certainly mispelled it. The maciladoras are the factories set up, mostly just south of the border, to produce cheap goods for the US market. The wage is often barely subsistenc-level and traffic in and out is very restricted. They've gotten a lot of attention from human rights groups.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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The first explanation that comes to mind for me is that perhaps it's because executives often own all or part of the company(ies) they run. They *pay* their employees, but they *compensate* themselves, the difference being that the draw that an executive takes is often just necessary living expenses and bonuses as needed; the work that an executive does is--ostensibly, at least--aimed toward increasing the profitability of the company, whereas an employee is--generally, at least--working just to get paid.
Although I think you're right, as far as it goes, on the vanilla end of the spectrum, I'm more inclined to agree with the perquisites, etc. explanation. An Executive may be given stock options as part of their compensation, in which case, its interest in the firm can't give rise to compensation. Tax advantages link neatly with the suggestion of superiority attaching to the word. One is compensated for something lost, one is paid for something one gives in barter. Unlike the wage earner, the executive seems imagined to have an intrinsic value by its own right. The wage earner, in contrast, is inherently worthless.
Mexico, incidentally, also has a very progressive constitution--sometimes I wonder if the will to enforcement isn't equalizing on both sides of the border.
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