| News From Workers Independant News Network |
With many millions of workers and their families feeling economic pressure, how many are really in economic distress? Lede: With many millions of workers and their families feeling economic pressure, how many are really in economic distress? Doug Cunningham takes a look. By Doug Cunningham Most Americans are feeling the economic squeeze of higher prices and stagnating or falling wages. Add a bank meltdown ot that and you have families living in real distress. Professor Michael Zweig of the Center for Study of Working Class Life at the State University of New York the official poverty rate doesn’t begin to tell the real story. [Zweig]: “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the only measure of economic distress that they have is the poverty level. That’s what they count. That’s what they measure. And by official government poverty standards the poverty rate is around 12.2 percent, 12.3 percent. What we have found is that if you look at a broader understanding of economic distress, it’s around 21 percent of the households in the United States. Almost double.” Profesor Zweig says millions of working families are having a terrible time making ends meet, even though they don’t officially qualify as being poor. Mitsubishi workers ratify contract; accept pay cuts in exchange for job security Workers at a Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois ratified a new four year contract this weekend. The contract provides job security for the workers, but in exchange the 1200 employees had to take pay cuts. The contract establishes a two tier wage system at the plant. According to the United Auto Workers local 2488 the new contract requires the plant to stay open until the new contract expires in 2012. Mine workers protest filming of anti-Obama ad A protest over the filming of an anti-Obama ad led to work at a West Virginia coal mine grinding to a halt. After Consol Energy allowed the National Rifle Association permission to film the ad at the Blacksville No. 2 coal mine the United Mine Workers Association called a “Memorial Day’ which allowed 440 mine workers the right to stay home to protest the filming of the ad. During production the NRA had sought to ask mine workers how they felt about “having your Second Amendment rights taken away if Obama become president.” As a result of the protest the company has asked the NRA not to use any Blacksville interviews in the ad. Obama has said he supports the right to bear arms, but believes in background checks and legislation that would allow the tracing of bullets used in crimes. Economic Report: Job insecurity increases "office politics" Economic Report: Does a sagging economy equal an increase in office politics? A new study from Accountemps says yes. With more employees feeling less secure in their jobs they often begin plotting ways to stay on top in the eyes of management. Fifty for percent of those surveyed said it is important to stay aware of politics playing out in the office, but to not get directly involved. Twenty nine percent said they prefer to stay completely out of office politics. |