Working Life

   In the big picture, all these things are connected. But, they all have their own distinct story lines.    Let’s start with greed, which comes in two flavors. There is the greed by the owners of the kosher meatpacking plant that would make my Jewish, non-religious grandparents cringe: The Iowa attorney general on Tuesday […]

Read the full story

  It never ceases to amaze me, even though we shouldn’t be shocked: the "free market" leaders fail–but, no worries, they still walk off with a pile of money, while average people get shafted. And the song remains the same at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.   Though this has been referred to in passing […]

Read the full story

   Egads…sound familiar…American taxpayers are now on the hook for billions of dollars…this time to bail out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and try to keep the economy from entering into a deeper tailspin. You can read about this virtually everywhere and there is a palpable fear here–that it may not be enough…    But, […]

Read the full story

   One of the great lies that Wal-Mart perpetrates on our national debate is that it is a paragon of the so-called "free market". In truth, Wal-Mart’s model of low wages and cheap prices could not survive without broad government support, not the least of which is health care.   You see, most Wal-Mart workers […]

Read the full story

   It’s enlightening to read the economic data popping out from the various number crunchers. Guess what? Productivity climbed beyond anyone’s expectations, according to this story on The Wall Street Journal’s website this morning: Nonfarm business productivity jumped 4.3%, at an annual rate, in the second quarter, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s almost double […]

Read the full story

   Throughout this election season, I’ve pointed out numerous times that the tide has shifted on trade, moving against so-called "free trade" and towards a trade policy that starts with the notion that trade is supposed to advance communities first, and corporations second. Believe me, I’m not saying the battle is over–far from it. But, […]

Read the full story

   You might remember that last week, I mused about the corporate visibility at the Democratic Convention in Denver. This isn’t a small thing–do we think that those folks are ponying up six- and seven-figure contributions just out of civic pride? This isn’t a new subject. But, it’s worth continually hammering home.    So, I’ve […]

Read the full story

  Well, Happy Labor Day, at least for the American version of it. So, let me crow a bit. For a very long time, I have been making the argument that using Gross Domestic Product as a measure of the well-being of the nation is phony (I haven’t been the only one saying this, mind […]

Read the full story

   A few thoughts about Sen. Obama’s speech last, mainly from the perspective, as usual, for what it means for workers and labor. I was at Invesco Field last night. It was an amazing night, something you can say thirty years from now that you witnessed. One of the hardest things to do at a […]

Read the full story

   First, yours truly is supposed to be on CNBC today at 2:20 Eastern time debating the following: If Obama wins, unions will get a big boost.  Are unions bad or good for America?  You can come back here, if you see it, and keep the discussion going here (I emphasize "SUPPOSED TO BE" because […]

Read the full story