Working Life

    Why some people are surprised that the economy continues to be weak speaks more to the bankruptcy of our elected leaders and the cluelessness of the press release transcribers (we used to call them "journalists"). People don’t have money–and that is a real issue when two-thirds of the economy depends on people buying stuff. […]

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    I’ve never had the boy gene for cars–the apparent salivation (or other bodily reaction) that goes with having the perfect car. But, I know enough, mostly from watching way too many sports events, to understand that BMW has spent a ton of money marketing itself as the car to have. But, fear not–BMW is […]

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   Happy Days are here again, folks–uh, for the corporate bottom line. The people: not so much. Profits are up big time: While the U.S. economy staggers through one of its slowest recoveries since the Great Depression, American companies are poised to report strong earnings for the second quarter—exposing a dichotomy between corporate performance and […]

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    The answer to this question would appear to be obvious. But, it needs constant reinforcing–as you will see from the debate (if you can call it that) last night between yours truly and Larry Kudlow and a stooge from the right wing. It’s almost laughable and entertaining–if the consequences weren’t so dire. The subject […]

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   Those bills are also called the so-called "free trade" deals with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. The president is making a concerted push to get these bills rammed through Congress by August. Which just boggles the mind.    Let’s focus today mostly on Colombia, a place that is a dangerous place for trade unionists, […]

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    Keep our eye on the ball. I’m sure the Waltons are doing a great dance over in Bentonville, Arkansas in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocking a class-action suit against the companythat, had it been successful, would have likely cost the company billions of dollars in damages. But, let’s be clear: Wal-Mart […]

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   I really think the people who talk about "recovery" live in a world not inhabited by most Americans: The economic recovery that started in mid-2009 is losing steam. The manufacturing sector, once the driver of the recovery, stumbled in May as companies cut back on production and hiring. A persistent slowdown in hiring is […]

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   Yesterday, I wrote about an appalling but typical example of how bi-partisan "debate" is really an argument taking place on one side, in this case King Cuomo’s immoral decision to attack workers’ pensions by regurgitating Republican talking points that the economic crisis we face is the fault of the middle-class, workers, unions, and a […]

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    Over the next 18 months, brace yourself for a lot of hand-wringing about the economic crisis we’re in. Every so often, we’re going to be told the "recovery" is just around the corner.  Oh, let’s be clear: the worries will have NOTHING to do with what is actually happening to PEOPLE. It will have […]

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   Reaching back all the way to NAFTA (oh, so ancient history…1993), there has been a complete lie and sham underlying virtually every trade deal post-NAFTA–don’t worry, so-called "free trade" advocates tell us (including free trade zealots Bill Clinton and Robert Reich) about these deals…we will put in place "labor protections" to make sure workers […]

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