It is hardly an original observation, but the New York Time's Ethicist, Randy Cohen, is a near-endless source of instruction on how not to reason about ethics.
His most recent eructation concerns a college tutor who, after the student has grown attached, demands a hefty pay raise on threat of quitting.
The Ethicist approves wholeheartedly. This may be one of those rare and challenging circumstances in which the Ethicist manages to reach an ethical conclusion—a rare, but not impossible occurrence, much like dialing numbers randomly on your phone might happen to connect you to the love of your life.
His reasoning however is worth repeating:
There’s nothing untoward about requesting a raise even after only a short time on the job. Why is itblackmailwhen the tutor suggests a fee, but acceptable when you do the same? You, like he, can simply decline any proposal. Or, if you want to retain him at a certain wage, then offer a contract specifying both his hourly rate and his length of service.
We look forward to the Ethicist column airily defending the mirror image—an employer unilaterally and under threat of termination cutting an employee's wages once the employee has made relationship-specific investments, such as moving to the new place of employment. No doubt an Ethicist so devoted to universal moral standards will offer the same approval.
