i mean, sure, the commenter you’re replying to exaggerated a bit, but market forces only work for individual workers in “low skilled” jobs when employers are desperate for workers and even then employers in retail, for example, like walmart/target will let store operations suffer because they know they can get away with it (inelasticity and demand have entered the room). also note the reality that individual workers in most of these retail positions have no ability to bargain for wage increases. the wages are set at the top, prospective employees either accept them or don’t.

when i worked retail, for one of the big ones, we didn’t get much in return for being competent/good in our jobs. the difference between excellent performance reviews with raises and average reviews was maybe 10 cents an hour. yearly raises were usually in the 25-35 cents an hour increase. scrooge was less miserly.

target and walmart do not pay their employees better without unions. employees have no power as individuals in companies that employ hundreds of thousands of workers.