with “For Sale” signs up, thousands of workers standing in line to apply for a handful of
jobs at McDonalds, those who lost jobs realizing there are
none to be found. I see it in my family, among my friends, throughout my neighborhood. The working people of California who once enjoyed a degree of economic security have seen it washed away in a tidal wave of hard times.
This is not just anecdotal. The recent census numbers show the highest level of inequality on record. That means not only are working families suffering, but they are suffering alone. The wealthy, the banks, and the CEOs are all making record profits, while jobs disappear and aid to the poorest elderly and disabled is slashed.
Is this the world we want to live in?
If you are saying, “There’s gotta be a better way,” you are right. There is one. It’s called the Labor Movement. A new study by the Center for American Progress confirms the cornerstone of our philosophy: unions are essential to creating a fair economy and rebuilding the middle class.