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Swine Flu Driving Paid Sick Leave Laws
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Homophobia Trumps Anti-Poverty Mission of DC Archdiocese
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Real Unemployment 17.5%
1 in 10 Americans Unemployed
Published November 06, 2009 @ 06:48AM PT
10% unemployment is here. The worst unemployment rate since 1983; for those of you who weren't in elementary school then - how does this recession match up in your mind to that one? Given the rising cost of living compared to the declining value of wages over the last two decades, how are households getting by in this bleak reality relative to 26 years ago? Will Obama and Congress get us out of this mess?
More than 7M Americans have lost their jobs in the last two years, and remember, official unemployment rates only count people actively looking for work. The # of people out of the workforce through no fault of their own is likely much higher - they've given up looking for work at this point.
Should we rejoice that layoffs are happening more slowly? Education and health services are actually adding jobs, and government employment is stable - stimulus funds are likely contributing to this. But even government programs can't prop up the construction industry, as our anemic real estate markets cancel out the need for construction work.
10% Unemployment Looming
Published November 05, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT
New unemployment #s come out tomorrow - economists predict 9.9% unemployment nationwide. Can I just round that up to 10% and call it a day?
First time jobless claims were less than expected in October, though only 20k fewer of over half a million. We are supposed to take this as good news that "job cuts are easing as the economy slowly heals." This is the lowest level since January. Still...2009 is almost over and we're still seeing half a million people per month file for unemployment for the first time? That is one horribly contracting economy.
Surviving workers are laboring more feverishly than ever - productivity is up even as our incomes are "squeezed". The stimulus is keeping a lot of jobs afloat; unemployment benefits are practically extended into perpetuity at this point. No wonder discount retailers are doing slightly better than specialty stores; it's amazing we've got anything left to leave behind at the mall!
Stimulus Bypasses Minority Businesses
Published November 03, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
Criticism abounds of the unequal distribution of stimulus funds: high per capita allocations to low population, low unemployment states like Wyoming versus low per capita amounts to struggling states like CA; and the limited allocations reaching women- and minority-owned businesses compared to their proportion of the population.
The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity at The Ohio State University finds that "While approximately 14 percent of businesses are minority owned, the study shows that minority owned businesses received only 9.6 percent of federal contracts." Almost 3 in 10 businesses are owned by women, yet these firms received only 3% of stimulus funds. This disturbing inequity raises questions about the goals of the stimulus and the (surprising?) lack of focus on reducing economic inequality.
The Promise of Employee-Owned Businesses
Published October 21, 2009 @ 05:41AM PT
In a former life, I worked for years on the issue of increasing minority entrepreneurship and strengthening small businesses in low-income communities. Small business is routinely embraced as a fundamental economic development tool, as it shifts cash, risk and autonomy directly onto an individual business owner; suggests a rejuvenated street life if its an attractive storefront business; and theoretically creates a community stakeholder who cares about the health of the local economy and customers in which the business operates.
To that end, Cleveland has launched an employee-owned cooperative laundry in an effort to revitalize the low-income neighborhoods around University Circle; it's a grand gesture, featuring state-of-the-art, energy-efficient equipment and the goal of employing up to 50 workers, incl. ex-offenders. The laundry will serve local institutions in the area, incl. the universities and hospitals that abound there.
Poverty News Round-up
Published October 20, 2009 @ 01:25PM PT
Too many interesting tabs open in my browser to select just one story today. Here's the latest on poverty news and activism happening around the US:
- Thank you feds! For stepping in and telling Indiana that allowing private employers to use welfare data to screen potential employees is "inappropriate" and "not allowed." Ya think?
- If port cities Oakland and Long Beach, CA, have such similar demographic profiles, including lots of poverty, why is crime so much worse in Oakland? It's unclear, but fortunately there's a new police chief in town to try and reverse the city's terrifying trends.
- We've come a long way from the days of "No Irish Need Apply" - AG Andrew Cuomo in NY has charged EMC Construction with exploiting its workers, including using a three-tiered wage system for Irish ($25/hour), Black ($18/hour) and Latin@ ($15/hour) workers. Nothing encourages worker solidarity like abusive wage gaps!
- Mayor Bloomberg is creating jobs in NYC, but are they good jobs? The short answer: No.
- What the state gives, the market taketh away. Bloomberg builds or preserves 72k low-income housing units, 200k disappear due to vague and mysterious "market forces." Don't look under your beds at night, kiddies!
- And finally, let this be a lesson to other states: Indiana is pulling the plug on privatizing its welfare system, after thousands of eligible recipients lost benefits. One old measure they're bringing back in? Face-to-face interactions between recipients and case workers. Good to see we haven't quite eliminated jobs as we insist TANF recipients go find some.
(Photo of A.M. Walzer Co. US Inlay Puzzle Map by Marxchivist)
How Environmental Justice Works
Published October 15, 2009 @ 09:03AM PT
Through MIT, I've had the opportunity to provide research and writing for a range of social justice clients, including grassroots groups fighting for environmental justice and green economic development. I've written occasionally about EJ here, but I've never really taken the time to define it. Embracing this frame is imperative as stimulus funds flow and talk of "green jobs" and "green development" abound.
Today, in honor of Blog Action Day 2009, in which Change.org hosts over 8k blogs from 135 countries worldwide to blog about Climate Change to raise awareness of this pressing global problem, I want to provide some important information on environmental justice, racism and equity to inform your climate change activism. To be effective climate change activists, we cannot forget the unequal and unfair impacts borne by low-income communities, often communities of color, often in the US South, on reservations and borderlands, from environmental degradation. Read on to learn more about these critical frames and see how one group in San Diego, the Environmental Health Coalition, is succeeding in pursuing environmental equity for low-income Latin@ communities there.
Dirty Bathrooms
Published October 13, 2009 @ 02:44PM PT
I think that when people forget why it's so important to support workers' rights, they should think about what the bathrooms in their offices/schools/etc. look like on a Tuesday after a Monday holiday, and what kind of conditions we'd face if workers were on strike or constantly turning over or not showing up to do the good work we never think about on a day-in, day-out basis.
This message brought to you from MIT, at the end of the day, Tuesday, October 13, the day after the federal Columbus Day holiday.
