Author Archives: Working-Class Perspectives

Time to Make a Deal on the Federal Minimum Wage

Posted on January 14, 2019

The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009.  Until last year, when the unemployment rate dropped almost to the level of full employment, wages were stagnant, exacerbating inequality.  In 2018, average hourly earnings went up … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Wade Rathke, Work, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Global Working Class Fights Back

Posted on December 17, 2018

2018 has seen many working-class people around the world standing up for their rights and pushing back against injustice and inequality. Some of these fights have made the mainstream news in western countries, but many have not. As we reflect … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, Sarah Attfield | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Trouble in Paradise

Posted on December 10, 2018

On the 8th of November, Paradise went up in flames.  This small town in Northern California held about 28,000 people, many retirees on a fixed budget.  This was not a rich town.  The median household income was $41,000, 94% of … Continue reading →

Posted in Allison L. Hurst, Contributors, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Beyond the Caravan: Why We Must Protect Workers Covered by TPS

Posted on November 12, 2018

In recent weeks, President Trump has been warning of an “invasion” of a caravan of 3,000 Central Americans, mostly from Honduras, heading north towards the Mexico-U.S. border. In October, these immigrants set out on a journey of more than 2500 … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Veterans’ Healthcare: A Workers’ Comp System That Actually Works

Posted on November 5, 2018

Most American workers who get injured on the job or develop an occupational disease soon become familiar with the inadequacies and injustices of our fifty state system of workers’ comp. Private employers fight their claims. Rehabilitation services are fragmented and … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Politicizing Immigration Wears Thin in Iowa

Posted on October 29, 2018

For weeks during the summer of 2018, the case of a missing University of Iowa student occupied statewide and national attention. Mollie Tibbetts, 20, who was housesitting in Brooklyn, Iowa (population 1,391), went jogging at night on July 18 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Red State, White Evangelicals, and a Blue Wave?

Posted on October 22, 2018

Eyes are locked on Texas. And deep in its heart are white evangelicals who could be part of a blue wave many hope will wash over that red state to carry Ted Cruz far out to sea.  In tight race … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Religion, Contributors, Issues, Ken Estey, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment