Working Life

   I do like those ironic coincidences that happen in the media. Generally speaking, when it comes to economic issues, I don’t think the editors have a clue that they have captured unintentionally the gist of our crisis. And, so, let me turn to today’s New York Times. The front page has two stories headlined: […]

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   A couple of weeks ago, I noted that corporations were now beginning to think that China, with its rising prices and increasing wages (relatively speaking), wasn’t cheap enough. And, so, comes another report via Reuters: The result is higher prices at U.S. stores like Wal-Mart and Target that have increasingly filled their shelves with […]

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Intuitively, a lot of people understand that war and a fragile economy are related. But, nothing brought home the connection better than the death of Andrew Seabrooks. His life, and death, speak more about what we face than any politician’s rhetoric.   You see, Andrew died because he had no option but to go to […]

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   Readers of this blog know that I strongly believe that we need to start throwing corporate executives in jail when workers are injured or die on the job. Fines just don’t cut it–it’s a cost of doing business…and a tax-deductible cost to boot. Let them lose touch with their BMWs, personal assistants, Blackberries, good […]

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   The AFL-CIO endorsed Barack Obama today…    Weren’t you holding your breathe in anticipaton? From the press release: Calling Sen. Barack Obama a champion for working families, the top leaders of AFL-CIO unions today voted without opposition to endorse him for president of the United States, thrusting the labor federation’s largest ever grassroots mobilization […]

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  Not to be holier than thou, I understand why its cool to drive a Prius–rented one recently on a trip and loved that gas mileage. Clean for the environment, easy on the wallet–what’s not to like? How about this: Your Prius is being made by workers who are being driven to the brink of […]

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   The collapse of the housing market–preciptated by a bunch of greedy people who drove a speculative market over a cliff–has opened up a gasping financial wound for the vast majority of people nearing retirement. Already devoid of any real, true pensions (meaning, defined benefit pensions that guarantee a specific amount of money that a […]

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   There was an interesting round-up of Wal-Mart’s legal troubles in Arkansas-based The Morning News: Wal-Mart has worked overtime to show its kinder, gentler side, but accusations of workplace misdeeds are surfacing in a slew of class-action lawsuits that continue to challenge the retailers new image. There are at least 80 class-action lawsuits in 41 […]

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   Never been to Atlantic City. Not that I don’t like the occasional trip to lose a little money (notice that I am honest and don’t pretend to win…overall). Just never made it to the place. Until Saturday. And for a much better reason than playing the tables (info on that at the end). Thousands […]

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  Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled against unions in an important case. In the decision, the Court made clear that it wants to encourage more tension in the workplace rather than promote workplaces that are harmonious and productive. It’s a case that should make even more clear what the stakes are come November.   The […]

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