Huffington Post: Restoring Pride and Fairness to American Jobs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-hansen/post_784_b_703681.html

Joe Hansen

International President, United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Posted: September 5, 2010 08:12 PM

If the past is prologue, what can we say about the future of American jobs this Labor Day? Rosy is not a term that comes to mind.

Over the last 30 years we have seen workers' wages remain essentially flat while worker productivity skyrocketed by 75 percent. The Economic Policy Institute refers to this phenomenon as a "broad-based collapse of wage growth." For three decades, American workers have been producing more, but taking home paychecks that don't reflect their hard work. Consequently, we see the biggest pay gap in nearly a century.

If this trend holds for another 30 years, a grim future awaits the next generation of American workers.

But low-wage jobs don't have to be our future, and a new national poll conducted by Lake Research for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) shows that American voters want economic policies that address these inequities and seek to level the playing field for all Americans. Voters have a clear vision of what kind of economy they want. Voters understand the current economic situation is difficult, but they still believe that all jobs should pay a living wage, come with affordable, quality health care, and offer real retirement security. The poll, taken among 700 randomly-selected registered voters nationwide, shows:

1. Eighty-seven percent of voters are very or somewhat concerned that America's future jobs will be low wage and low benefit -- including 65% who are very concerned

2. Eighty-nine percent of voters agree that economic development should result in jobs with good wages and benefits that can support a family

3. Eighty-four percent of voters agree that economic recovery means creating jobs with good benefits so people can afford to take care of their families, not low wage jobs with no benefits

4. Eighty-four percent of voters favor requiring that government contracts go to companies that provide good paying jobs and benefits so that their employees don't end up on welfare programs like Medicaid and food stamps

At some point, we may see the restoration of high-paying manufacturing jobs, but in order to make jobs better for Americans now, we must look to the retail industry where immediate job growth will occur. A recent Department of Labor study confirms that the service sector will see the greatest job growth in the next decade. That means jobs for cashiers, clerks, and salespeople, among other service-sector positions.

FULL story at link.

[provis99]

1. sigh...

"Somebody shout
Someone scream
What happened?
To the American dream..."