Quote · Planet Money

The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it explains why we’re not paid enough

Explore episode Jun 19, 2026

If we had, for example, the Sectoral Space Truckers Association... there's a big volume of SSTA contract that lays out our collective bargaining. And in fact, if they found out something they didn't really like, they would say, 'Let me talk to my shop steward.' That scene would probably play out a little different, wouldn't it? It would sort of be a really boring scene, and then they would say, 'Okay, fine. We're not gonna do it.' And then they're just gonna go back to Earth. The end.

Arin Dube

The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it e…

Where this was said

Policy Fixes: Unions, Minimum Wages, and Antitrust

At 20:40 · chapter starts 20:00

Greg summarizes Dube's policy prescription from The Wage Standard: the counterforces to monopsony are minimum wage laws, antitrust enforcement, and strong labor unions. The erosion of all three, Dube argues, is the primary driver of wage stagnation and rising inequality in the real world. He is particularly enthusiastic about sectoral bargaining — union negotiations that set conditions for an entire industry rather than one firm at a time. Imagining a future Sectoral Space Truckers Association, Dube says the crew would have simply filed a grievance rather than investigate the alien transmission. The hosts are charmed by this anti-climax, and the segment ends on a comedic high: a sci-fi horror epic reduced to one filed form and a trip back to cryosleep.

Business

The Labor Economist's Cut of Alien 1979

The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it explains why we’re no… · Jun 19, 2026 Business

Arin Dube and the hosts act out an alternate Alien where the crew belongs to the Sectoral Space Truckers Association. The result: one grievance form filed, mission cancelled, crew returns to cryosleep. Movie over in 30 seconds.