AOL DAILY FINANCE: …If the low wages, dangerous workplace conditions and a suicidal workforce sounds familiar, it’s because that describes the conditions in many American factories in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. This situation was largely remediated by the growing power of organized labor, which successfully pushed for minimum wage, collective bargaining, reasonable work weeks, and many of the other rights that today’s workers enjoy. Yet, in the past few decades, “the unions” have become an all-purpose scapegoat for inflexible work rules and the rising cost of American-made goods, as low-cost overseas labor has led to massive outsourcing. And in recent years, some of that reputation may be deserved. Yet the fact remains that organized labor did much to create the American middle class.
If the middle class is to rise to anything approaching its former power, American manufacturing must rebound. While the U.S. is still in the upper ranks of the world’s largest consumers, its economy is rapidly slipping down on the global list. According to some economists, China’s economy is on track to overtake the U.S. by 2040; ten years later, India will also outstrip America. Economic strength requires a strong manufacturing base, but while Asian countries are building theirs, America has slowly allowed its own base to starve. … (more)
