Steven Greenhouse of The New York Times dedicates his new book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, to his parents: union members who fought to help those on the bottom.
There are 140 million workers in the U.S. That's a lot of stories to tell. Real wages have declined steadily since the 1970s. Union membership has suffered and the triumph of free trade and globalization has made it difficult to fight back. But not impossible. In Houston, one of the most anti-union states, janitors and the SEIU successfully organized for a wage increase of 60%, full time work, and health insurance.
In this interview Greenhouse, one of the few reporters who still covers workplace issues for the mainstream press and whose new book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, was a recent Progressive Book Club selection discusses why American style capitalism is out of control and what can be done to create a fair and equitable system for workers.
It says the comments are turned off.
By Bustednuckles on June 26th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Fixed now.
We need a lot more union jobs in this country so we can get the power of collective bargaining behind us and start forcing our wages up for a change. We have lost a lot of ground lately and it is going to be tough getting it back.
By Bustednuckles on June 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Ah, but are you better off today than you were 8 years ago?
That’s where the Republicans have
OsamaObama over a barrel.A $140 barrel, but that’s besides the point.
By allan on June 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
One of the many charming downsides of $140/barrel oil is that, when the airlines
are done with their schedule trimming (amputation, more like it) in the fall,
many small and midsized communities will find themselves without air service,
or service that is so poor that no company it its right mind would think of
expanding or setting up shop there.
Heckuva job, Bushie.
By allan on June 26th, 2008 at 4:41 pm