The middle class is in free fall. Economic anxiety is pervasive. Average hourly wages have been dropping since 1973 and real family income is lower than it was twenty years ago. For low wage workers, women and people of color, the news has been even worse. And the gap between rich and poor is growing.
Corporate profits are at a forty-five year high.
Wealth is more concentrated at the top than at any time in the last 25 years. Temporary and part-time work at low wages without benefits now accounts for most of the job growth in our economy. Elections of the last decade have delivered political leadership with a non-union vision for Americats future. Gains won by a more powerful labor movement, like minimum wage, health and safety projections, even Social Security are greatly eroded or in jeopardy. There are many reasons for the decline in union membership.