About 7 years ago

09/06/2017 - Midnight Reads – To Understand Rising Inequality, Consider the Janitors at Two Top Companies, Then and Now

To Understand Rising Inequality, Consider the Janitors at Two Top Companies, Then and Now

– The New York Times 

In the 35 years between two individuals’ jobs as janitors, corporations across America have flocked to a new management theory: Focus on core competence and outsource the rest. The approach has made companies more nimble and more productive, and delivered huge profits for shareholders. It has also fueled inequality and helps explain why many working-class Americans are struggling even in an ostensibly healthy economy.

 

The State of American Jobs

– Pew Research Center

Tectonic changes are reshaping U.S. workplaces as the economy moves deeper into the knowledge-focused age. These changes are affecting the very nature of jobs by rewarding social, communications and analytical skills. They are prodding many workers to think about lifetime commitments to retraining and upgrading their skills. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that these new realities are not lost on the American public: The vast majority of U.S. workers say that new skills and training may hold the key to their future job success.

 

Republicans Suddenly Seem to Like Unions Again

– The Washington Post

Unions are enjoying a popularity surge, with more than 61 percent of adults in the United States saying they now approve of organized labor — a five-point jump from last year, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s the highest approval rating since 2003, when 65 percent of respondents said the same, but it comes as union membership is falling.

 

How Big Business Is Trying to Convince Congress to Save The ‘Dreamers’ from Trump

– The Washington Post 

Business leaders across industries are appealing to Congress to protect nearly 800,000 undocumented workers from deportation as President Trump announced his plan to revoke their permission to work. More than 100 corporate and conservative leaders lined up in at least 15 states to begin pressuring Congress to act. The renewed pressure on Congress comes on top of a petition that more than 400 business executives have signed urging Trump and Congress to protect the “Dreamers,” 97 percent of whom are in school or in the workforce.