Source: BroBible
Summary
A TikTok user, Skyler, shared a video explaining that pirates had better workers’ rights than many modern employees. According to Skyler, pirates had health insurance, equal pay, company democracy, and free injury insurance. They also had a tiered payment structure, with the captain and quartermaster receiving only double the amount of a normal crewman. Skyler cited Alexandre Exquemelin’s book “The Buccaneers of America” as a source. Many of Skyler’s claims are factually accurate, but some historians debate the accuracy of the amounts paid to pirates.
Our Reading
The habit gets a new name.
Pirates had “health insurance” that sounds suspiciously like injury compensation.
Tiered payment structures are just a fancy way of saying “unequal pay.”
Company democracy is just a pirate’s way of saying “majority vote.”
It’s surprising that pirates had better workers’ rights than we do today, but not surprising that it’s being framed as a fun fact rather than a commentary on modern labor practices.
Author: Evan Null
