特别广播英语第 203 课：The Workman's Compensation 工作者的补偿-2

This instinct has to do with the political nature of work itself, something every modern worker understands. 这种天性与每个现代工人所懂得的工作本身的政治特性有关。

The bosses want more from the worker than they are willing to give in return. The workers give work, and the bosses give money. 老板希望从工人身上得到的比他们给予的要多；工人付出劳动，老板付出报酬。

The exchange is never quite equal, and the discrepancy is called profit. 这个交换从来不会太平等，此差异叫做利润。

Since the bosses cannot do without profit, workers have an edge. 由于老板不能没有利润，工人们就占了上风。

A good worker in a key spot could, so long as he kept up production, take all the coffee breaks he wanted, and the bosses would very likely look the other way. 一个在关键岗位的好工人，只要他保持产量不降低，可以随心所欲地利用工间休息，而老板可能装作没看见。

He could also choose to cut down on the coffee breaks, apply himself, and increase production, and then ask for and get more money. 工人也可以缩短工间休息，卖力干活，增加生产，然后要求并得到更多的钱。

But that would be self-defeating, and he knows it. It would also place him in competition with other workers, which would be playing into the bosses' hands. 但他知道那是违背自己利益的，这样做也会将自己置于与他人竞争之中，这种竞争会有利于老板。

What he would rather do is create some slack for himself and enjoy his job more. 那么，他宁愿为自己创造一些空闲，更好的享受工作。

At present on the West Coast, when a gang of longshoremen working on cargo start a shift, they often divide themselves into two equal groups and toss a coin. 目前在西海岸，从事船货装卸工作的一伙码头装卸工开始轮班时，经常分成两组，然后掷硬币决定先后顺序。