Category Archives: Work

Making Sense of Working-Class Work

Posted on May 15, 2023 by deindustrial

Forty years ago this July, I left school to start my first career as a railway worker. At sixteen and with few if any qualifications, I was lucky to find a good job which was fully unionised.  As the union … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman, Work | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Time Is Not On Our Side

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Working-Class Perspectives

Time is suddenly news.  How little we have, how much we want, and what we do with it for work or whatever.  Is this good news for workers?  Maybe for some, but probably just the same ol’, same ol’ for … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy, Wade Rathke, Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Working Ourselves to Death: Why Increasing the Retirement Age is Bad

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Christopher R Martin

In France for the past three months, a million or more people have filled the streets of cities across the country in daily rolling protests and strikes opposing the national pension reform proposed by French president Emmanuel Macron. The plan … Continue reading →

Posted in Christopher R. Martin, Class and Health, Contributors, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, Work | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Fair Time Legislation Is Achievable, Not Just for Rail Workers But for Everyone

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Working-Class Perspectives

Even as President Biden signed legislation imposing a contract without paid sick leave on 115,000 rail workers, he made it clear that the fight for paid leave — not just for rail workers but for everyone — wasn’t over. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, The Working Class and the Economy, Work | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Working 9 to 5: Class Diversity and Clerical Organizing

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Working-Class Perspectives

“Get your 9 to 5 newsletter! Get your 9 to 5!” The early 1970s was a time of profound economic transformation. Women from across the class spectrum were flooding into the workforce by the millions. I was one of them.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, Work | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Essential Workers Take Action

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Working-Class Perspectives

During the pandemic, the working class that had been invisible to many suddenly became “essential.” In some cities, people came on their balconies in their homes to applaud these workers whose jobs in food service, to health care, transportation, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Labor and Community Activism, The Working Class and the Economy, Wade Rathke, Work | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Bear and the Contradictions of Work

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Working-Class Perspectives

Hulu’s series The Bear, oddly labeled as a comedy, takes viewers inside a hectic, crowded, struggling Chicago sandwich shop that Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen Wright) inherited from his brother, Michael, who committed suicide. The store is a chaotic mess and … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, John Russo, Sherry Linkon, Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Immersed in the Work of Art

Posted on June 6, 2022 by knewman4

This summer, five different immersive Van Gogh opportunities are circulating in dozens of cities around the world, including Detroit, Buenos Aires, and Perth, Australia. If you live in one of the cities that has (or soon will be) hosting one … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Kathy M. Newman, Work | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Studs Terkel’s Working 50 Years On

Posted on February 14, 2022 by deindustrial

As I prepared to teach my module on work this year, I realised that Studs Terkel’s book Working celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2022. It’s a book that both reflects and helps to explain working-class life. I first encountered it … Continue reading →

Posted in Issues, Tim Strangleman, Work | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Work is a Real Life Squid Game for the Global Precariat

Posted on December 13, 2021 by knewman4

I’m assuming you’ve heard of Squid Game, but have you also heard that Squid Game is the most watched television show in Netflix history, inspiring 1.65 billion hours of viewing in its first month? This week we learned that Squid … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Kathy M. Newman, Work | Tagged , , | 1 Comment