- Working-Class Perspectives offers weekly commentaries on current issues related to working-class people and communities. Contributors discuss a variety of issues, from what class means to how it intersects with race and gender to how class is shaping American politics. We welcome relevant comments of 500 words or less.
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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 precariat, Squid Game, workplace violence
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
Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues
Tagged catastrophes, COVID, epidemics, precariat
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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 precariat, working-class documentaries, working-class film
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
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 capitalism, economic power, precariat
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
Posted in Contributors, Issues, John Russo, Working-Class Politics
Tagged precariat, Sanders, Trump, white working-class voters
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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
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 labor policy, precariat, taskers, working conditions
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
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