American Workers Will Feel This Recession For Years To Come

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/7829

By Doug Cunningham

For workers the coming U.S. recession will mean they will be feeling it for years to come, not just the several months it typically takes for the economy to pull out of a recession. Economist Dean Baker is with the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

: “Workers weren’t doing terribly well prior to the recession and we never really recovered from the last recession. So we saw wages fall through ’03, ’04,’05. Finally there was some wage growth
in ’06 and ’07 as the labor market started to tighten. But we’re just getting back to where we were before the recession. So we had an upturn that really didn’t offer very much for workers, and the unfortunate part of the story is the downturn is going to be worse.”

Baker says this recession could well be more severe than recent ones because of the credit crisis and housing market collapse. That leaves workers without the ability to turn to credit to weather the economic storm. And it means there won’t be the same pent-up demand that helped the economy in the past pull out of recession. The Center for Economic And Policy Research says even a mild recession this year would add 3.2 million workers to national unemployment by 2010.

[truedelphi]

1. Workers. What Workers?

Dis some kinda crappy socialist economics commie?

Dis society is about investments, man.

Oil investments, foreclosure investments, or trading on the Dollar's decline, or day trading, ID stealing, etc.

We don't got no crappy workers. Not round these parts, anyways.

get Reals.

[Adsos Letter]

2. My wife works in management for a LARGE corporation...

which reached a workable agreement with the 2 unions representing their non-managerial workforce...rather than fighting tooth and nail with each other, they sat down and negotiated with the real interests of everybody (including the patients) in mind.

This has led to quite an amicable relationship between union and management, with clear channels of communication. Management tries hard to attain the perspective of the union workers and the union reps work hard to recognize the perspective of management, while still safeguarding the interests of their workers.

It generally works very well, and more organizations would benefit in a well-rounded and equitable way if they adopted the model.

Edit: ...spelling... :dunce:

[Omaha Steve]

3. I'm the chief steward at my plant

We also have a board member at the plant. But she works the 3rd shift, so I end up doing more of the interaction. Management and the union have such a relationship at my plant too.

[Adsos Letter]

4. It is the only way to move ahead that makes any sense...

either financially or morally. Without MOST of the "sturm und drang" which often characterizes union/management relations (I won't say ALL of it has disappeared)things begin to work in everyone's interest, which makes for smoother operations, increased patient satisfaction, and an all-around better model of furthering American domestic interests by taking good care of both Labor and Capital.

It couold move us a long way in a positive direction, with enormous benefits for the country as a whole, if Capital could be made to realize the real benefits of the approach.

[Frances]

5. I think these workers are the ones who have been

supporting Hillary. They had a better life when Bill was president.