48 Million U.S. Workers Are Missing Out On Good Middle Class Jobs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/7992

By Doug Cunningham

At least 48 million working Americans lack high enough incomes to realize the American Dream of solid middle class lives. That’s according to a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The report says one in five U.S. workers earn wages below a minimum middle class standard. To get into the middle class, you have to have a good job – defined by the Center for Economic and Policy Research as those paying at least $17 per hour with employer sponsored health benefits and employer-sponsored retirement plans. Just under one-fourth of all U.S. jobs meet this definition of good jobs. The report calls for a new social contract in America to lift workers into the middle class. It includes reforming and enforcing wage and hour standards, making sure workers can exercise their collective bargaining union rights. The report also calls for developing new labor standards that include guaranteed paid sick days, paid vacation and paid family and medical leave in the US. as well as providing true universal health care.

[Deja Q]

1. It's claimed it'll be a lot more prominent by 2010

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1280&SiteId=cbmsnhp41280&sc_extcmp=JS_1280_home1>1=10884&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=aa12128ba155478f801864e78297a4e7-257272669-VP-4

[demosincebirth]

2. The decline of the middle class started with the

firing of the Traffic Controllers by R.Reagan.

[madrchsod]

4. no it started in the early to mid 70`s depending

on what industry was hit first. where i live it was nuts and bolts/fasteners were the best paying jobs then the koreans under priced the american manufactures and it`s been down the drain ever since. here it was a three electric furnace steel melt-shop, three rolling mills,and wire products division. one steel forge shop and one large nut and bolt manufacture. other small shops and contractors that did business with these companies folded. we have regained jobs but none of them are union nor pay as well...this was all in a population area of about 40,000

[liberal4truth]

5. Don't forget the decline in union membership after the PATCO mass firings...

The Unions, in general, are not doing well these days.

Only 7 percent of US companies are unionized, compared to 35 percent during the 1950's and 60's.

[demosincebirth]

7. Thats when companies followed suit when Reagan hired relacement worker.

Up until that time it was kind of an unwritten law not to hire replacement workers

[ms liberty]

3. K&R n/t

[OhioChick]

6. K&R

:kick: