Unions Make the Middle Class Without Unions, the Middle Class Withers
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Most Americans Say the Current Economy Is Helping the Rich, Hurting the Poor and Middle Class
FOR RELEASE December 11, 2019 Most Americans Say the Current Economy Is Helping the Rich, Hurting the Poor and Middle Class Roughly half of lower-income Republicans say current economic conditions are hurting them and their families BY Ruth Igielnik and Kim Parker FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES: Ruth Igielnik, Senior Researcher Kim Parker, Director, Social Trends Research Tanya Arditi, Communications Manager 202.419.4372 www.pewresearch.org RECOMMENDED CITATION Pew Research Center, December, 2019, “Most Americans Say the Economy Is Helping the Rich, Hurting the Poor and Middle Class” 1 PEW RESEARCH CENTER About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. It studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends. All of the Center’s reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. © Pew Research Center 2020 www.pewresearch.org 2 PEW RESEARCH CENTER Most Americans Say the Current Economy Is Helping the Rich, Hurting the Poor and Middle Class Roughly half of lower-income Republicans say current economic conditions are hurting them and their families By many measures, the U.S. economy is doing well. Public gives the economy mixed reviews; most say it’s Unemployment is near a 50- helping the rich, while few say it’s helping them year low, consumer spending % saying economic conditions in the country are … is strong and the stock market is delivering solid returns for investors. -
Why a Union Voice Makes a Real Difference for Women Workers: Then and Now
Why a Union Voice Makes a Real Difference for Women Workers: Then and Now Judith A. Scottt ABSTRACT: Working women, labor unions, and collective action played a crucial role in passing and implementing the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The Article describes how labor unions pushed for the passage of the Act and later made protections for pregnant workers real through collective bargaining, internal education efforts, and litigation. Finally, the Article discusses the fundamental improvements for working women that still must be achieved- and the need for strengthened worker organizations if those changes are to become a reality. IN TRO DU CTION ................................................................................................ 233 I. THE FIRST STEP: THE ROLE OF UNIONS IN PASSING THE PDA ................... 234 II. UNION ADVOCACY: MAKING THE PDA REAL FOR WORKERS ................... 235 III. BEYOND THE PDA: THE FUTURE ROLE OF UNIONS IN SECURING THE RIGHTS OF W OMEN W ORKERS ............................................................. 241 C ON CLU SION ................................................................................................... 244 INTRODUCTION In this Article, I describe an important story behind the passage and implementation of the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)I--one that has continuing implications for creating a society that delivers for poor and working families and rebuilds the middle class. It is the story of how the empowerment of working women and collective action were crucial to improving workplace culture and practices for pregnant workers thirty years ago, and why those same factors are necessary today if we are to dramatically t Judith A. Scott is currently General Counsel of the Service Employees International Union and a member of the law firm of James & Hoffman, P.C., Washington, D.C. -
How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights
How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights ICED OUT | How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights by Rebecca Smith, National Employment Law Project; Ana Avendaño, AFL-CIO; Julie Martínez Ortega, American Rights at Work Education Fund Photo Credits: Photos featured in this report were generously supplied by the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice. © October 2009. All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements: Eddie Acosta, AFL-CIO; Erin Johansson, American Rights at Work Education Fund; Michael L. Snider, Attorney at Law; Jenny Yang, Cohen, Milstein, Sellers and Toll; Brooke Anderson, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy; Brooke Greco, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center; Brady Bratcher, Iron Workers Union Local 75; Hillary Ronen, La Raza Centro Legal; Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal; Jennifer Rosenbaum, New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice; Julie Samples, Oregon Law Center ; Jacqueline Ramirez, Service Employees International Union Local 87; Siovhan Sheridan-Ayala, Sheridan Ayala Law Office; Mary Bauer, Kristin Graunke, Monica Ramirez and Andrew Turner, Southern Poverty Law Center; Vanessa Spinazola, The Pro Bono Project; Gening Liao, formerly of United Food and Commercial Workers; Randy Rigsby, United Steelworkers District 9; Jim Knoepp, Virginia Justice Center. 2 ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ......................................................................... 5 II. Immigration and Labor Law in Context ................................................ 7 III. Federal Policies Fail to Ensure Appropriate Balance Between Immigration and Labor Law Enforcement ................................... 13 IV. Case Studies: Immigration Enforcement Trumps Labor Rights .........................15 V. The Need to Identify and Assist Workers Who Are Victims of Labor Trafficking Rather than Focusing on Their Deportation ................30 VI. -
Growing Detroit's African-American Middle
v GROWING DETROIT’S AFRICAN-AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROSPEROUS DETROIT GROWING DETROIT’S AFRICAN-AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROSPEROUS DETROIT Photography Tafari Stevenson-Howard 1st Printing: February 2019 GROWING DETROIT’S AFRICAN-AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A PROSPEROUS DETROIT 4 FOREWORD Foreword There’s a simple, universal concept concerning economic, social and educational growth that must be front of mind in planning about enlarging the black middle class: Authentic development and growth require deliberate investment. If we want to see more black people enter the middle class, we must invest in endeavors and interventions that lead to better- paying jobs, affordable housing, efficient transportation and effective schools. Though these amenities will attract middle- class people back to Detroit, the focus on development must be directed at uplifting a greater percentage of current residents so that they have the necessary tools to enter the middle class. Meaning, growing the black middle class in Detroit should not result from pushing low-income people out of the city. One may think a strategy to attract people back into to the city should take priority. White and middle-class flight significantly influenced the concentrations of families who make less than $50,000 in the suburbs (30 percent) and in Detroit (75 percent), according to findings in Detroit Future City’s “139 Square Miles” report. Bringing suburbanites back into the city would alter these percentages, and we most certainly want conditions that are attractive to all middle- class families. However, we also don’t want to return to the realities where the devaluing of low-income and black people hastened the flight to the suburbs. -
Bangor, Maine, 1880-1920 Sara K
The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library 2001 "The Littleit C y in Itself ": Middle-Class Aspirations in Bangor, Maine, 1880-1920 Sara K. Martin Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd Part of the Human Geography Commons, Social History Commons, and the Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Sara K., ""The Little itC y in Itself": Middle-Class Aspirations in Bangor, Maine, 1880-1920" (2001). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 197. http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/197 This Open-Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. "THE LITTLE CITY IN ITSELF": MIDDLE-CLASS ASPIRATIONS IN BANGOR, MAINE, 1880-1920 By Sara K. Martin Thesis Advisor: Dr. Martha McNamara An Abstract of the Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (in History) December, 2001 This thesis examines the inception and growth of "the Little City in Itself," a residential neighborhood in Bangor, Maine, as a case study of middle-class suburbanization and domestic life in small cities around the turn of the twentieth century. The development of Little City is the story of builders' and residents' efforts to shape a middle-class neighborhood in a small American city, a place distinct from the crowded downtown neighborhoods of immigrants and the elegant mansions of the wealthy. The purpose of this study is to explore builders' response to the aspirations of the neighborhood's residents for home and neighborhood from 1880 to 1920, and thus to provide insight into urban growth and ideals of family life in small American cities. -
Middle Class Index
2011Middle Class Index SPONSORS: MEDIA PARTNER: ABOUT MASSINC The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC) is a non-partisan think tank and civic organization focused on putting the American Dream within the reach of everyone in Massachu- setts. MassINC uses three distinct tools—research, journalism, and civic engagement—to fulfi ll its mission, each characterized by accurate data, careful analysis, and unbiased conclusions. MassINC sees its role not as an advocacy organization, but as a rigorously non-partisan think tank, whose outcomes are measured by the infl uence of its products in helping to guide advocates and civic and policy leaders toward decisions consistent with MassINC’s mission, and in helping to engage citizens in understanding and seeking to infl uence policies that affect their lives. MassINC is a 501(c)3, tax exempt, charitable organization supported by contributions from indi- viduals, corporations, and foundations. MassINC’s work is published for educational purposes. Views expressed in the Institute’s reports are those of the authors and not necessarily those of MassINC’s directors, staff, sponsors, or other advisors. This work should not be construed as an attempt to infl uence any election or legislative action. ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM INITIATIVE The American Dream Initiative is a multi-dimensional project that includes the MassINC Middle Class Index, long-form journalism in a special fall issue of CommonWealth magazine, and a major forthcoming research report prepared jointly with the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MassINC would like to acknowledge Partners Health Care and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for their generous support of MassINC’s American Dream Initiative. -
Inside the Middle Class
Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life FOR RELEASE WEDNESDAY APRIL 9, 2008 12:00PM EDT Paul Taylor, Project Director Rich Morin, Senior Editor D'Vera Cohn, Senior Writer Richard Fry, Senior Researcher Rakesh Kochhar, Senior Researcher April Clark, Research Associate MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT: Pew Research Center 202 419 4372 http://pewresearch.org ii Table of Contents Foreword…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3 Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 Overview……………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Section One – A Self-Portrait 1. The Middle Class Defines Itself ………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..28 2. The Middle Class Squeeze………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..…….36 3. Middle Class Finances ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….……………………..47 4. Middle Class Priorities and Values………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………….53 5. Middle Class Jobs ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………….65 6. Middle Class Politics…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………71 About the Pew Social and Demographic Trends Project ……………………………………………………….…………………………….78 Questionnaire and topline …………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………..79 Section Two – A Statistical Portrait 7. Middle Income Demography, 1970-2006…………………………………………………………………………………………………………110 8. Trends in Income, Expenditures, Wealth and Debt………………………………………..…………………………………………….140 Section Two Appendix ……………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………..163 -
Chicago Police and the Labor and Urban Crises of the Late Twentieth Century
The Patrolmen’s Revolt: Chicago Police and the Labor and Urban Crises of the Late Twentieth Century By Megan Marie Adams A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Robin Einhorn, Chair Professor Richard Candida-Smith Professor Kim Voss Fall 2012 1 Abstract The Patrolmen’s Revolt: Chicago Police and the Labor and Urban Crises of the Late Twentieth Century by Megan Marie Adams Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Berkeley Professor Robin Einhorn, Chair My dissertation uncovers a history of labor insurgency and civil rights activism organized by the lowest-ranking members of the Chicago police. From 1950 to 1984, dissenting police throughout the city reinvented themselves as protesters, workers, and politicians. Part of an emerging police labor movement, Chicago’s police embodied a larger story where, in an era of “law and order” politics, cities and police departments lost control of their police officers. My research shows how the collective action and political agendas of the Chicago police undermined the city’s Democratic machine and unionized an unlikely group of workers during labor’s steep decline. On the other hand, they both perpetuated and protested against racial inequalities in the city. To reconstruct the political realities and working lives of the Chicago police, the dissertation draws extensively from new and unprocessed archival sources, including aldermanic papers, records of the Afro-American Patrolman’s League, and previously unused collections documenting police rituals and subcultures. -
Rushing Union Elections: Protecting the Interests of Big Labor at the Expense of Workers’ Free Choice
RUSHING UNION ELECTIONS: PROTECTING THE INTERESTS OF BIG LABOR AT THE EXPENSE OF WORKERS’ FREE CHOICE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 7, 2011 Serial No. 112–31 Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce ( Available via the World Wide Web: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/committee.action?chamber=house&committee=education or Committee address: http://edworkforce.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 67–240 PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE JOHN KLINE, Minnesota, Chairman Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin George Miller, California, Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, California Senior Democratic Member Judy Biggert, Illinois Dale E. Kildee, Michigan Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania Donald M. Payne, New Jersey Joe Wilson, South Carolina Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey Virginia Foxx, North Carolina Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, Virginia Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Lynn C. Woolsey, California Duncan Hunter, California Rube´n Hinojosa, Texas David P. Roe, Tennessee Carolyn McCarthy, New York Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Tim Walberg, Michigan Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee David Wu, Oregon Richard L. Hanna, New York Rush D. Holt, New Jersey Todd Rokita, Indiana Susan A. Davis, California Larry Bucshon, Indiana Rau´ l M. Grijalva, Arizona Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Timothy H. -
How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights
How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights ICED OUT | How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights by Rebecca Smith, National Employment Law Project; Ana Avendaño, AFL-CIO; Julie Martínez Ortega, American Rights at Work Education Fund Photo Credits: Photos featured in this report were generously supplied by the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice. © October 2009. All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements: Eddie Acosta, AFL-CIO; Erin Johansson, American Rights at Work Education Fund; Michael L. Snider, Attorney at Law; Jenny Yang, Cohen, Milstein, Sellers and Toll; Brooke Anderson, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy; Brooke Greco, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center; Brady Bratcher, Iron Workers Union Local 75; Hillary Ronen, La Raza Centro Legal; Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal; Jennifer Rosenbaum, New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice; Julie Samples, Oregon Law Center ; Jacqueline Ramirez, Service Employees International Union Local 87; Siovhan Sheridan-Ayala, Sheridan Ayala Law Office; Mary Bauer, Kristin Graunke, Monica Ramirez and Andrew Turner, Southern Poverty Law Center; Vanessa Spinazola, The Pro Bono Project; Gening Liao, formerly of United Food and Commercial Workers; Randy Rigsby, United Steelworkers District 9; Jim Knoepp, Virginia Justice Center. 2 ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers’ Rights TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction .. ........................ 5 II. Immigration and Labor Law in Context . 7 III. Federal Policies Fail to Ensure Appropriate Balance Between Immigration and Labor Law Enforcement . 13 IV. Case Studies: Immigration Enforcement Trumps Labor Rights . 15 V. The Need to Identify and Assist Workers Who Are Victims of Labor Trafficking Rather than Focusing on Their Deportation . -
The American Middle Class, Income Inequality, and the Strength of Our Economy New Evidence in Economics
The American Middle Class, Income Inequality, and the Strength of Our Economy New Evidence in Economics Heather Boushey and Adam S. Hersh May 2012 WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.ORG The American Middle Class, Income Inequality, and the Strength of Our Economy New Evidence in Economics Heather Boushey and Adam S. Hersh May 2012 Contents 1 Introduction and summary 9 The relationship between a strong middle class, the development of human capital, a well-educated citizenry, and economic growth 23 A strong middle class provides a strong and stable source of demand 33 The middle class incubates entrepreneurs 39 A strong middle class supports inclusive political and economic institutions, which underpin growth 44 Conclusion 46 About the authors 47 Acknowledgements 48 Endnotes Introduction and summary To say that the middle class is important to our economy may seem noncontro- versial to most Americans. After all, most of us self-identify as middle class, and members of the middle class observe every day how their work contributes to the economy, hear weekly how their spending is a leading indicator for economic prognosticators, and see every month how jobs numbers, which primarily reflect middle-class jobs, are taken as the key measure of how the economy is faring. And as growing income inequality has risen in the nation’s consciousness, the plight of the middle class has become a common topic in the press and policy circles. For most economists, however, the concepts of “middle class” or even inequal- ity have not had a prominent place in our thinking about how an economy grows. This, however, is beginning to change. -
Honoring Who've Made a Difference
honoring Who’ve Made a 4Difference Business and Professional People for the Public Interest 4o Who’ve Made a Difference Awards Business and Professional People for the Public Interest 4oth Anniversary Celebration The Fairmont Chicago May 1, 2oo9 INTRODUCTION As our 40th Anniversary approached, BPI’s Board of It is BPI’s privilege to introduce our 40 Who’ve Made Directors decided to focus our celebration on the a Difference—a stunning kaleidoscope of vision and amazing range and richness of public interest work in accomplishment by a diverse group of individuals our region by shining a spotlight on people whose representing many different fields of endeavor— civil leadership, vision and courage have made a significant rights, education, law, housing, the arts, healthcare. difference in the lives of others—people whose efforts We honor their individual commitment and achievement derive from and contribute to the social justice values as we are inspired by their collective contribution to to which BPI has been dedicated for four decades. the people of the Chicago region. BPI issued an open Call for Nominations and convened How to estimate the impact of their efforts? As you read a Selection Committee of respected leaders from various through these brief narratives, you might consider what fields. The Committee faced a difficult challenge in life here would be like without their work. There would fulfilling its mandate of choosing “40 Who’ve Made a be significantly less equality of opportunity in housing, Difference” from scores of exceptional nominees. education and healthcare…less cultural vitality and After hours of research, review and deliberation, the opportunity to experience it…less access to justice..