Last year Mary Lou Eckart took her first vacation in five years, a trip from her home in Decatur, Ill., to see her grandchildren in Florida. But the Illinois state government, which pays her to care for a severely disabled teenage girl, provides her no paid vacation time. So Eckart took the girl—and her work—with her. She faces a similar… return to article
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Reader Comments (12)Page 1 of 1 pagesHere is an “advertising approach” that could quickly get the ideas in this article across to the American public:
25% of the American workforce earns less than the MONETARY minimum wage of modern European countries (not counting Portugal, Malta, etc.). That doesn’t count the benefits a European minimum wager gets: 4 weeks PAID vacation, 10-12 PAID holidays, 3 months of PAID maternity leave, a year of PAID sick leave, severance pay (from McDonalds!)—oh, and don’t forget PAID health care.
The total must add up to more like 35% or even 40% of American workers earning less than minimum wage earners in Europe!!! That sounds like an all-in-one country waker-upper to me—what I would run on if I were running.
***********
A similar economic alarm clock might be explaining to one and all that the federal poverty line is based on completely arbitrary—and ridiculously understating— formula of three times an emergency food budget (emergency meaning you cannot even buy canned beans, only dry beans and soak them) which accidentally happened to coincide with a realistic poverty estimate in 1955 when it was developed—which was already understating real poverty because of the divergence of food prices with the cost of overall needs by 1965 when it was adopted—which is off by double at this point in the twenty-first century.Meaning that real poverty in America is now 25%—not 12.5% as measured by the food-only formula; up from 14.5% at the time LBJs war on poverty began—in spite of doubling (!) of average income since the war began.
Some want to quibble that the official poverty line does not count income like food stamps, etc. Fine; I’ll take 25% American poverty without food stamps, etc—40 years into the war on poverty and double the per capita output since. Good enough shock all of America awake at once.
Posted by ddrew2u on Jun 18, 2007 at 10:41 AM Hi, y’all!
Workers are a commodity to management, plain and simple, as are livestock to a rancher. They are treated as an expense to be weighed against profit. This has been the way business has operated for the past twenty-five years, and allowed to do so by our wonderful ersatz populism-spewing GOP who throw bones to the workers while giving the filet to their rich, and campaign contributing, friends.
Really should we be surprised that we are worked more in a society which allows business to dictate government policy?
Ta- ta!
Posted by Aunty Rightwing on Jun 19, 2007 at 12:51 AM Moberg’s bio says…
“Recently he has received fellowships from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Nation Institute for research on the new global economy.”
He cites many benefits of European workers which have long been true. We probably could have had “mandated” vacations, early retirement, etc. also if willing to pay the price. Frankly, when we were in London for our first time (1991) and I saw the price of gasoline ($5 US gallon equivalent) a pair of Levis ($50) which included the the VAT on all items, I was just as happy to have lower taxes and be able to choose to pay for my own perks.
The extreme example of personal benefits at government mandate/taxpayer expense is, of course, Sweden. When my relatives left there a century ago there were two classes — those who had it all and those who had nearly nothing. (The “Hads” stayed there.)
Recently the Europeans have been leaning toward cutting some of these expensive mandates. they’ve been talking of a longer work week, later retirement, but I have heard of no tax cut plans. The balance of benefits versus taxpayers has created serious tax dodging which makes Al Capone look like a piker. As globalization squeezes their businesses the move is on to return to a practical level of working time, and benefits.As word of Sweden’s land-of-the-free-everything got around there was no fence (and no defense) or attempt to stop the inflow of immigrants. they are currently in a real battle (quite literally) against Muslim dominated enclaves. (Look up Malmö, Sweden for an example.)
Although my first thought is, “Mary Lou should refuse to work for the state under those conditions,”
I must think again. I was self employed nearly all my life and had no benefits, not even eligibility for workman’s comp or unemployment. If I had an unreasonable client, I finished the job and never worked for them again. I was fortunate to be in a boom time for advertising in the US and arrogantly thought others had it as easy as I.
That gradually changed as the Cold War ended, computers and robotization changed the entire manufacturing scene and the locally owned companies who were my clients became a small part of huge, impersonal corporations.
In a very short time span I began to learn a little of what it was like for my paternal grandfather, Swedish immigrant and coal miner, before the union existed.There should be a middle ground somewhere for people like Mary Lou Eckert. The family owned companies I began working with in the late 1950s genuinely cared about the individuals who were like an extended family. A few still operate like that here — but they are losing out to the offshoring, out sourcing and bipartisan sale of our heritage.
I have a list of people I know by name who have lost out to globalization. Yesterday a visit with relatives added names 55 and 56. The sons of two of my cousins have begun the downward spiral at ages 44 and 46. One is a lawyer in California, the other a computer programmer in Atlanta — their jobs went to India just last month.
There is no color color of educational level which is secure. Our representatives are even less interested in our job security than our homeland security. Their jobs, their perks, their benfits are secure even when caught goofing off on company time.
Clinton? — “It was only sex.”
DeLay? — Do you think even if convicted he would lose his pension?
Governor What’s-his-name out east — 90 miles an hour, no seatbelt, appology — same driving on the way home!
What do horsemen know of tired feet?
Posted by whattheheck on Jun 19, 2007 at 6:53 AM Whattheheck,
Taking Europe’s $9.50/hr minimum wage as an example—the American version of that could be a $12.50/hr minimum wage, w/o the 4 weeks vacation, paid holidays, etc.; but with health care. Americans would probably rather have the money; Americans would probably work on their vacation anyway.Point is, total comp here stinks because we don’t know enough (culturally, common knowledgewise) to protect labor in the free market—we lack an inbuilt understanding of the need for checks and balances (read unions)—what amounts to super complacent labor.
A $12.50/hr minimum wage would add all of 4%, one time, to direct costs of GDP output—about how much we grow per capita every two or three years.
A $12.50/minimum wage would probably put an end to street gangs. No relatively spoiled, native born American is going to work for a 1939 minimum wage ($4.50 w/o tax). Combine a 1939 minimum wage with today’s prohibition (drugs) and you get East L.A.’s version of Al Capone.
A $12.50/hr minimum wage would give 40% of Americans a raise. If any two people could earn $1000/wk doing anything there wouldn’t be much poverty. All the years I read all the magazines and books and watched all the talking heads I never realized we could end poverty in America just by paying people enough to work. It’s all in the eighth-grade math.
Posted by ddrew2u on Jun 19, 2007 at 7:31 AM ddrew,
While I personally have no problem with a minimum wage, (it should be COL adjusted) I’m afraid the $12.50 would be no panacea. Not long ago I saw what was referred to as a”Living Wage” scaled to the cost of living inn various states. Hawaii was the highest with over $22/hr and Alaska was near that.
We will never settle on an overall satisfying minimum wage or benefits package things have obviously been sliding the opposite direction.
Personal and corporate greed seems to be increasing. Whether it is the CEO, sports star, movie actor or some other overpaid premadonna — there is no apparent limit to some people’s desire for more.As for wiping out street gangs — I doubt it would have any effect. The money from drug dealing has the easy money appeal of the lottery and the expectations are higher than any dollar per hour figure could beat.
“If any two people could earn $1000/wk doing anything there wouldn’t be much poverty. All the years I read all the magazines and books and watched all the talking heads I never realized we could end poverty in America just by paying people enough to work. It’s all in the eighth-grade math.” — You’ve lost me on this part.
As for your 1939 figure — it’s is way too high. My father-in-law was working a factory job then at $0.40/hr. I have a copy of my dad’s Federal Tax return while working full time (also in a factory job) his total income was less than $2,000 and his tax = $43 — his Social Security = $7.
There is usually a general tug of war between labor and management. I have seen some really good cooperation within select companies which worked very well, but that is nearly all gone. As we have more transnational corporations it will likely be less advantageous for the worker.
When auto unions were too strong here the quality dropped, cost jumped and the foreign competition began to take over. I sold my 1973 Pontiac LeMans, bought a VW and have had at least one ever since. (My 1991 Jetta GLI is still great and fun to drive.)
We are now at a point where management has gained too much leverage through use of cheap foreign labor and lax foreign (Asian) working restrictions and regulations.
Aunty Rightwing hit it on the nose, “Workers are a commodity to management, plain and simple, as are livestock to a rancher.”I’ve read several books on the globalization process and remember one CEO quoted as saying, “We see employees as appliances — when we need them we plug them in and when we don’t, we just pull the plug.”
What we need is to all treat people like they are worth what we each think we are worth.
Posted by whattheheck on Jun 19, 2007 at 1:14 PM Whattheheck,
The $4.50 1939 figure was adjusted for inflation.We don’t have a balance of power in the labor market in this country because Americans have no idea how much better they could be doing. See my post above (first one) on how to alert folks to how much trouble they are in. Then, all you have to do is change the labor laws and we are back on top. No big struggle—except to get everyone on the same page.
I’d blame management more than the labor unions for the low quality cars we used to make—they were used to no-quality (as in foreign) competition: a different example of missing checks and balances.
European labor is doing fine because their labor history was much worse than even ours: making them much more defensive today. All sort of a historical accident—that can be remedied.
Posted by ddrew2u on Jun 19, 2007 at 3:39 PM ddrew,
“We don’t have a balance of power in the labor market in this country because Americans have no idea how much better they could be doing.”
I sure agree with there is no balance, many people are very aware they are getting screwed and more are finding out each day, but…
The ability for US corporations to access cheap foreign labor makes it very difficult to gain any sort of worker clout. What isn’t leaving is endangered by increasing Hb1 visas.
A local area Chrysler plant subassembly supplier, Grupo Antolin (Spanish company), makes door modules for the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. They pay an average of $10/hr. These jobs used to inside, but Chrysler “outsourced” the work and eliminated the burden of benefits. They are negotiating — from the article: “The starting wage is about $9.25 an hour. Union members are looking for $13 to $14 hourly. These people made $40,000 with overtime 20 years ago.
My cousin’s son, a computer programmer lost his job here in town at a Fortune 500 company eight years ago and moved to Atlanta. He just lost that job to India and is still doing work for the company as an independent “consultant.” No benefits, doing some of the same work, but traveling 9 days, home 4. He doesn’t show as unemployed or underemployed — he ranks as a new “entrepreneur.”
The foreign competition has made price for goods and services the primary factor. US mfg.companies have been cut to the bone — or left.
There are many factors for the sorry situation of our working people—some legitimate, some not. IMO the worse reason is the belief that we have a Free Enterprise/Free Market system. Economists and business grads all learn from the same textbooks and are locked into promoting it.The reality is we HAVE tariffs and price supports. We HAVE the oil depletion allowance. We HAVE subsidies (corn the most recent support fiasco). Other countries also have them — China does it big time and our people kiss their butts when the smile and make promises.
The Disinformation Center (D.C.) is all talk, smoke and mirrors concerning economics. The true deficit is never presented or discussed — the cost of the war is “off budget” — Social Security and Medicare are not added into it. Congress continually tacks on special earmarks to totally unrelated bills.
Government economic data is so skewed that investing has become a huge game with “rules” continually adjusted to make politicians look good. THEY are on the same page!
The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 is a great example of all talk and no substance. It satisfied a European objection to our price supports, replaced them with tax breaks for corporations and does NOT require any jobs created be in the US!
The current dollar deliberate devaluation makes any fixed “minimum wage” out of date almost immediately. The huge amount of foreign held US debt is largely shorter term Treasuries and there is no need to sell — they can just let it mature without adding to it — then it is our problem again.
We are constantly being told “inflation (minus food and energy) is low” — “unemployment is only 4.5 percent” — “the consumer is benefiting from cheaper imports” — BS!
This is all due to a cooperative, bipartisan, long running political/corporate setup which the media generally either agrees to or is ignorant of. Lou Dobbs addresses the problems nightly, but that hasn’t made any headway so far.
The last candidates to try to level with us on this were Ross Perot and Pat Bucannan — I don’t even heard any serious questions on the issue during the so-call TV debates.
Globalization has been converting Europe’s businesses to the US style and they are beginning to feel it at the top (better money) and bottom (losing benefits) — it is called Transnational Business, (no national loyalty).
Posted by whattheheck on Jun 20, 2007 at 10:18 AM whattheheck,
If the USA were properly unionized there would be as many labor lobbyists in DC as there are business lobbyists—but labor would have the trump card: the vast majority of voters. A lot of stuff that happens in Washington now happens because there is nobody there minding the store for us.No matter what you say about people here being aware they are hurting there is no cultural-common knowledge sense of labor needing to be very powerful to protect itself with management—the type of feeling that would exist even if times were very good—a permanent awareness.
We have an accidental culture of the “self-reliant pioneer”—that is our past. A lot of the European factory workers, particularly at the beginning of the industrial revolution were worse off than American slaves—a lot worse off—and it took them a century or more to throw that off. That is why they have such a left wing, protect themselves outlook built into their outlook—good times or bad.
To get Americans to wake up to the need for labor to be much stronger—which can be achieved overnight just by passing the right legislation—I would try the two wake up ideas I put at the front of this posting.
I don’t have a real answer to globalization other than that, at the very least, we should be getting paid a lot more for what we still do here and, also, poor countries have to get rich some time and this is something we may have to live with for a while until they do—on the most good for the most humanity basis—we are supposed to liberal, right?
Another thing: if other people are working for us for less, we should be doing better OVERALL—it is just that right now, with defenseless American labor, all the benefit of people working cheaper for us goes to the top. IOW, globalization may not be completely bad—sort of the equivalent of automation.
First, get America up to something like 90% unionized; then, see where we stand. Got to get the power first—above all we have to get that power.
Posted by ddrew2u on Jun 20, 2007 at 4:27 PM ddrew,
Labor has been weakening for the last two or three decades — their leadership just does not care!
When NAFTA was up for a vote in 1993 and ever since, I contacted the AFL/CIO. Essentially what they replied was, “You mind your business and we’ll mind ours.”
• “To get Americans to wake up to the need for labor to be much stronger—which can be achieved overnight just by passing the right legislation...”
We can’t even actually communicate with them, much less get them to enact any such laws.They have no intention of confronting the major issues of importance to the average citizen. All they care about is getting reelected and they make the rules.
I don’t believe we still have a two party system. It used to be Democrats were for labor and Republicans were for business. That’s over simplified, but it was generally so. Now they are united behind big business and only make a pretense of caring about the country as a whole.
-----------------
• “I don’t have a real answer to globalization other than that, at the very least, we should be getting paid a lot more for what we still do here and, also, poor countries have to get rich some time and this is something we may have to live with for a while until they do—on the most good for the most humanity basis—we are supposed to liberal, right?”Well, first I should say, I am not a liberal. Most of all I am a fiscal conservative. (I tend to be less conservative socially.) Also, I do not and never have considered either Bush to be a conservative. W is a fundamentalist Christian of sorts (I’ve been there — done that.) but in reality he gives any classification a bad name.
• “...we should be getting paid a lot more for what we still do here...”
Any worker will only receive what the buyer sees as the value of the product or service provided. Unless there is some increased value in the choices, (better quality, longer lasting, a guaranty, better looking, etc.) the buyer will go with the cheapest one.
• “...poor countries have to get rich some time and this is something we may have to live with for a while until they do...”
Part of the sales pitch for NAFTA, WTO, and offshoring was the raising of the living standards in those countries. It is not happening in most cases. Greed is universal and most of these countries have never had a middle class (we are losing ours). It will be a lot tougher for China, Mexico and Africa to grow a middle class than for us to fall to their two class system.
The way US companies have treated their Mexican employees in their own homeland is totally disgusting and gives new meaning to The Ugly American term.
My former occupation as a graphic artist has been devalued drastically. If I were not on Social Security I would not be able to earn a living without finding a new line of work. It does not matter if I think it should pay more than it now does.
In a sense whatever government does, there is always a “Free Market” system in operation. The black market is everywhere — always. The War on Drugs will never succeed any better than prohibition did. The Soviet Union’s 70 year experiment failed for that reason. My son was there in 1984 and Russian money was a joke. Levis, TIME magazines and Elvis recordings were the real currency.
Any attempt to set fixed prices by government edict will only inflate the prices for everyone and the lowest paid people will suffer the most by it. The government can only spend what they get from us. Even when they borrow (the deficit and debt) it is the people who get the billl.
Today our economy is in the tank for many people. My barber had open heart surgery and as a self employed businessman is now paying $15,000 annually for a $25,000 deductible policy — his wife’s coverage is extra with a different insurer. We’ve known each other for 35 years and now that I’ve retired we barter services — he cuts my bald head and I do his advertising.
We are paying what the services are worth to us — A GENUINE FREE MARKET.
Posted by whattheheck on Jun 21, 2007 at 9:49 AM If you think your employer does not provide enough vacation time or sick days, then quit being a wage slave and work for yourself.
The entitlement mentality quickly disappears when you are responsible for everything and have noone else to blame.
Posted by JT_Lancer on Jun 24, 2007 at 9:20 AM On the issue of vacation time, there is a petition on this issue located at www.petitiononline.com. I believe it provides a minimum of three weeks paid leave annually, which is like at least meeting the Europeans halfway.
The big labor unions of the past do share some of the blame for our vacation drought, as they continually pushed for more money instead of more time. Although some of them did successfully bargain for a couple of additional holidays, much of which was “given back” when the Robin Hood in Reverse policies kicked in during the Reagan years.
I am all for the idea, and did add my signature to said petition. What I think will happen is that many companies will balk at first, saying that they can’t afford it. But they will adjust, and when they do, the idea of returning to the days of two weeks or less will seem just as archaic as does returning to the six-day workweek.
Posted by beechnut79 on Jul 9, 2007 at 9:31 AM This may be the most concise indictment of the theft of middle class labor, health, wealth, and time in print. And the dramatic example of an Illinois home-care worker taking her charge on the road for a family visit, lest she lose wages, should make even religious-right leaders wake up and pray for forgiveness, having said amen for so long to the picking of working people’s pockets. Moberg’s piece is a reminder about the need for a simple policy plans to stop the stealing of time and money from ordinary Americans. And it suggests the power of such plans when put before voters as ballot measures.
Posted by HansJohnson on Sep 6, 2007 at 11:05 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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