Where Have All the Wages Gone?

While the Dow continues to soar and unemployment rates continues to drop, economists and politicians seem to have settled into a perpetual state of smug. There are more jobs now than ever before, they proudly proclaim. More prosperity. More growth. But the politicians fail to mention what kinds of new jobs are being created. All through last week, demonstrations in more than 50 cities across the country brought the truth home -- that the vast majority of new jobs are low-paying, dead-end positions. Organized by Jobs with Justice, a national coalition fighting for the rights of working people, the demonstrations featured local community activists, labor leaders, religious figures and progressive politicians. The activists picketed, held candlelight vigils, made speeches and disseminated thousands of handbills to remind us that working class Americans face more and more hardships every year."Despite the claims of a growing number of jobs, there is still a jobs crisis in America today," said Fred Azcarate, executive director of Jobs with Justice. "When 74 percent of the industries with the most growth fail to pay a livable wage there is little opportunity for many working families." Azcarate's statistics come from a Jobs with Justice report called "Working Hard, Earning Less: The Story of Job Growth in America." Released the same day as the demonstrations, the report theorizes about how recent economic trends will affect working class people. Among other findings, "Working Hard" reveals that almost half of this year's new jobs will pay below $16,000 a year -- less than half the $32,500 living wage for a family of four. Even with two full-time employees, many American households will not reach the livable wage mark.Furthermore, claims the report, workers in rapidly growing occupations are "subjected to gross violations of their right to organize a union." According to Kirk Adams, the organizing director of the AFL-CIO, "The stories in this report illustrate what workers face when they try to organize. In fact, 75 percent of private sector employers oppose workers when they try to organize a union to improve their lives, and 32 percent go as far as firing workers who are active in organizing drives."Of course, corporate profits are up, inflation is low and the gross national product is on a healthy, steady rise. America as a whole is getting wealthier all the time. The Jobs with Justice report and last week's demonstrations were quick to point out where that extra money is going."CEOs continue to give themselves massive raises, further widening the gap between employees and executives," states the report. "Meanwhile, the government has retreated from its commitment to hardworking Americans with policies and spending decisions that fail to invest in workers and protect their democratic rights."As critical as the report and the demonstrations were, Azcarate points out that his organization is doing more than simply pontificating about a sad state of affairs. In fact, Jobs with Justice is currently pushing a platform of political and economic actions that will empower working class Americans to retain their fair share of our recent economic prosperity."Taken together," says the report, "[these actions] offer the promise of turning hard work into real opportunity."To get involved in (your community)'s local living wage campaign, contact (local organization, phone, address).