Tag Archives: precariat

Work is a Real Life Squid Game for the Global Precariat

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

Not Just Viruses: What Epidemic Cinema Teaches Us about Working-Class Vulnerability

Over the last year of the COVID pandemic, we’ve heard over and over that “we’re all in this together,” But the quality (and “quantity”) of public health services for poor and working-class families was an issue before the Covid-19 pandemic. … Continue reading

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Precarity Goes to the Movies

Two recent events, vastly different in scale and importance, nonetheless point to the importance of the concept of the precariat, a relatively new coinage for the class of exploited, underemployed and temp workers of the world. The Oscars’ celebration of … Continue reading

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Precariat: Why a Basic Income is Vital

We are in the midst of a global transformation orchestrated by powerful financial interests espousing an ideology of market liberalisation, commodification, and privatisation. The global market system they advocate increases economic and social injustice, including widespread precarity. In the face … Continue reading

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

It Is Rigged…and We Must Revolt

One of the most popular memes in Donald J. Trump’s campaign is his claim that the system — and more recently the election itself — is rigged.  After Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic nomination, Donald Trump made the following appeal … Continue reading

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Trump, Sanders, and the Precariat

  While the white working class is shrinking in the US, it remains the largest voting block in the country. That may be why leaders of both parties are concerned that white working-class voters, especially in the Midwest and South, … Continue reading

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Generation Jobless: Are STEM Students Next?

As college students return to classes this fall, many feel both excitement and apprehension about the future. After all, they are about to invest tens of thousands of dollars in education that they hope will lead to bright economic futures. … Continue reading

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, John Russo, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Taskers in the Precariat: Part 2 – Essential Reforms

In “Taskers: The Precariat in the On-Demand Economy: Part 1,” I defined three types of taskers — on-demand, crowd labour, and zero hours employees – and highlighted the problems associated with these new forms of work: insecurity, low and fluctuating … Continue reading

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

Taskers: The Precariat in the On-Demand Economy (Part One)

Revolutionary changes are taking place in the global labor process, creating new labor relations while expanding the ranks of the precariat. Informed observers predict that within the next decade, one in every three labor transactions will be done online as … Continue reading

Posted in Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Crossroads: American Labor, the Freelancers Union, and Precarity

Several weeks ago, I attended the “The American Labor at a Crossroads: New Thinking, New Organizing, New Strategies” Conference in Washington, DC, sponsored by The American Prospect, the Sidney Hillman Foundation, and the Albert Shanker Institute. It was nice to … Continue reading

Posted in Contributors, Issues, John Russo, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments