Labor

It's no secret that labor unions are struggling with declining membership and loss of negotiating clout, but don't tell that to the hundreds of activists who gathered Friday for a rally outside the Hilton Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport...

Analysts note that the city is a major entry point for immigrants, legal and otherwise, who tend to work at low-wage jobs in numbers large enough to have some collective impact. It has active environmental and religious communities, which are… more

The top priority of pro-labor members of the United States Congress is passage of the employee Freedom of Choice Act, a law that would make it easier for workers to organize a union in their workplace and negotiate a contract with their employer. This legislation has been the subject of vigorous public debate among labor organizations and business lobbyists, yet it only scratches the surface of a badly needed overhaul of U.S. labor law.

Currently, labor law is stuck somewhere in… more

For a guy in the hospitality business, Michael Gallegos has a funny knack for making enemies.

Gallegos is president of American Property Management Corp., which weeks ago broke ranks from a pack of hotels near Los Angeles International Airport to endorse a "living wage" for its workers -- $10.64 an hour without health benefits, $9.39 with them.

His stance not only drew the wrath of his fellow hoteliers; it didn’t please all of his employees, either. Some contend that he fattened their… more

As President Bush and Congress prepare to debate an increase in the federal minimum wage, they could learn much from the economic wisdom of one of America’s most successful business leaders -- Henry Ford.

Ford was, among other things, a famously domineering employer, but he was also an economic pioneer. He not only perfected the techniques of mass production of automobiles, but he also foresaw that his efforts would not amount to great profits if average Americans could not afford to… more

On Election Day last month, Democratic candidates did something they haven't done for a while: they decisively won the middle class. Middle-income voters -- including white, middle-income voters who have abandoned the party in droves in recent years -- preferred Democratic candidates by wide margins. Indeed, only voters with family incomes in excess of $100,000 a year were more likely to support Republicans than Democrats in House races in November.

The conventional view among the pundit class is that this middle-class… more

While President Bush points to low unemployment and a resurgent stock market as signs of a strong economy, most Americans don’t feel so bullish. Median incomes are flat, healthcare costs are soaring, pensions are being de-funded and corporate employers are threatening to shred the social contract with their employees that has prevailed for 60 years.

The balance of economic power has become increasingly one-sided, and one reason is that a key institution -- the National Labor Relations Board, the country’s chief… more

At the 10th anniversary of welfare reform, Congress is now engaged in a debate about how best to help the working poor. At the federal level, there is much discussion about whether an increase in the minimum wage would be the best approach. Meanwhile, at the state level, ten states have increased their minimum wage this year and six more have wage initiatives on their ballots this November. Many states and municipalities have gone ahead and instituted… more

Having just finished a book entitled The Great Risk Shift: The Assault on American Jobs, Families, Health Care, and Retirement -- And How You Can Fight Back, I have no doubt that Stephen Rose will accuse me of offering a "message of misery." My defense, already laid out in greater length on the website of "The Democratic Strategist" in response to three of Rose’s colleagues, is that political candidates and leaders should, first and foremost, offer a message of truth.… more

Do rich nations need more poor workers? The answer is yes, according to the conventional wisdom, which finds expression in a new United Nations report on migration and development. The UN says that in developed nations 10 years from now there will be only 87 young entrants to the labour force for every 100 retirees. To forestall a labour shortage in the developed world, the report says that rich nations should turn to developing countries, which will have 342 new… more

This week, the White House submitted its annual Economic Report of the President to Congress. It was a positive forecast driven by continuing strong consumer spending, business investment and export growth. Despite high energy prices and Hurricane Katrina, the White House had a lot of good news to trumpet on the economy from four years of largely uninterrupted economic growth.

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