Decline of good jobs tied to workers’ decreased bargaining power
By TULA CONNELL
Many U.S. workers don’t have jobs
— nearly 13 million. Less known,
however, is that many more don’t have
good jobs — fewer than one-quarter of
America’s workforce, according to a
new report from the Center for Eco-
nomic and Policy Research (CEPR).
The center defines a good job as one
that pays at least $18.50 an hour, or
$37,000 per year, equal to the inflation-
adjusted earnings of the typical male
worker in 1979. A good job also in-
cludes employer-provided health insur-
ance and a retirement plan.
The lack of available good jobs is
not new. As CEPR finds, compared
with 1979, the U.S. economy has lost
about one-third (28 percent to 38 per-
cent) of its capacity to generate good
jobs. But why?
The report, “Where Have All the
Good Jobs Gone?” outlines how the
decline in the economy’s ability to pro-
duce good jobs is directly related to
workers’ declining bargaining power.
The study points to the fall in the infla-
tion-adjusted value of the minimum
wage, the decline in union representa-
tion, trade deals, high unemployment,
...Airport
screeners
(From Page 10)
view that ensures transparency, Gage
said.
“And contrary to some of the misin-
formation circulating about TSA, an
agreement will not adversely affect se-
curity — security-related matters were
strictly excluded from negotiations,”
said Kim Kraynak-Lambert, president
of AFGE TSA Council 100. “In fact,
this agreement will strengthen our abil-
ity to carry out TSA’s vital mission of
protecting the American people.”
Gage, 66, retired from AFGE’s top
post this week at the union’s convention
in Las Vegas. He has served as president
for nine years. He listed accomplish-
ment of the TSA contract as one of his
three last goals when he announced his
retirement two months before.
(Editor’s Note: Mike Hall of the na-
tional AFL-CIONow blog and Press
Associates Inc. contributed to this re-
port.)
and other factors that reduce the bar-
gaining power of workers relative to
their employers.
“The standard explanation for this
loss of the economy’s ability to create
good jobs is that most workers skills
have not kept up with the pace of tech-
nological change,” says John Schmitt,
senior economist at CEPR and one of
the report’s co-authors.
“But it is hard to reconcile that view
with the fact that even workers with a
college degree are less likely to have a
good job now than at the end of the
1970s,” Schmitt said.
Further, according to the report,
more than one-third of U.S. workers
Son of union member
wins Olympic gold
had a four-year college degree or more,
up from just one-fifth in 1979.
“Given that older and better-edu-
cated workers generally receive higher
pay and better benefits, we would have
expected the share of ‘good jobs’ in the
economy to have increased in line with
improvements in the quality of work-
force. Instead, the share of ‘good jobs’
in the U.S. economy has actually
fallen,” Schmitt said.
To see the full report, go online to
www.cepr.net.
(Editor’s Note: Tula Connell writes
for the AFL-CIO NOW blog.)
Enjoy Your Labor Day
Thanks for what you do this Labor Day and every day.
From the Officers & Members of
UA Local 290 Plumbers - Steamfitters - Marinefitters
Nathan Adrian of Bremerton, Wash-
ington, the son of a union member,
won an Olympic gold medal in the
100-meter freestyle swim in London.
In a dramatic, heart-racing sprint,
Adrian beat the gold-medal favorite,
Australian James “The Missile” Mag-
nussen by one-hundredth of a second.
Adrian also received a silver medal
as the lead off swimmer for the 4×100-
meter freestyle relay team and a gold
medal as the anchor for the medley re-
lay team in Michael Phelps’ final swim.
Adrian’s father, Jim, is a retired nu-
clear engineer for the Puget Sound
Naval Shipyard and former president
of the International Federation of Pro-
fessional and Technical Engineers Lo-
cal 12. Jim was a 24-year member of
the union.
Guide Dogs golf
tourney Sept. 10
The 24th annual Machinists District
W24 Guide Dogs of America Golf
Tournament is slated for Monday, Sept.
10, at Heron Lakes Golf Club in Port-
land. A shotgun start is at 8:30 a.m.
Corporate and union sponsorships
are available starting at $250 and top-
ping out at $1,000. Entry to the golf
tournament is $125 per golfer.
All proceeds benefit Guide Dogs of
America.
For more information, contact Dan
Sass at 503-238-5550, John Hall at 503-
449-0969, Stacy Breunig at 503-702-
9879, or go online at www. iamw24.org.
Al Shropshire — B USINESS M ANAGER /FST
Bill Mehrens — A SST . B USINESS M ANAGER
Dan Bailey — A GENT /O RGANIZER /A SST . C OORD .
Dave Burger — A GENT /O RG /A SST . C OORD .
Pat Christensen Jr. — A GENT /O RGANIZER
Dennis Coplin Sr. — A GENT
Jeff McGillivray — O RGANIZER /A SST . C OORD .
Dave Sheridan — A GENT
Craig Spjut — A GENT
Mark Sundstrom — A GENT
Travis Argue — A GENT
Dennis Mask — A GENT
Rich “Bubba” Taylor — D ISPATCHER
Todd Templeton — A GENT /O RGANIZER
Bob Porter — P RESIDENT
Gil Freeland — V ICE P RESIDENT
Amy Sprengelmeyer — R ECORDING S ECRETARY
Craig Weismann — I NSIDE G UARD
Executive Board
Kevin Dent, Teresa Neely,
Rob Roby, Rick Two Bears
Finance Committee
Dave Hauth, Rick Hindman,
Chris McNicholas
Examining Board
Pete Bakker, Frank Boyle,
Harlan Eastman, Eric Fanning
Erv Garrison, Craig Harguth
Randol Nelson, Jr., Ramon Ramon,
Barry Sather, Drew Waits
S ERVING A LL P HASES OF THE P IPING I NDUSTRY ...
We Protect the Health of the Nation
PAGE 26
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
AUGUST 17, 2012