Workers have fared better or worse in one chapter or another of their participation in American capitalism. Yet in spite of all the gains recorded by the labor movement during the 20th century, the early years of the 21st aren't likely to go down in history as among its salad days.
In The Big Squeeze -- Tough Times for the American Worker, veteran New York Times labor writer Steven Greenhouse catalogs the challenges facing America's workforce: "the offshoring of white-collar jobs, the Wal-Mart effect, the steeper climb for young workers, the decline of organized labor, the exodus of factories to Mexico and China, the growing power imbalance between management and worker." Greenhouse relies not simply on anecdotal evidence but weaves in historical, economic and sociological analysis before forming his conclusions.
Helpfully, Greenhouse's tract is not only analytical but prescriptive, as he calls for solutions -- some insightful, others unrealistic. He would increase the minimum wage, legislate against management sleights-of-hand which effectively steal a portion of workers' wages, create statutory safeguards to insure job security and health benefits for the ill and elderly, and creating retirement security accounts to supplement Social Security. Other proposals, such as strengthening organized labor and treating workers with respect, depend on political will and grassroots effort, which seem lacking in today's environment.
