This Labor Day We Need Protest Marches Rather than Parades
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
Labor Day is traditionally a time for picnics and parades. But this year is no picnic for American workers, and a protest march would be more appropriate than a parade.
Not only are 25 million unemployed or underemployed, but American companies continue to cut wages and benefits. The median wage continues to drop, adjusted for inflation. High unemployment has given employers extra bargaining leverage to wring out wage concessions.
It’s been the worst decade for American workers in a century. According to Commerce Department data, private-sector wage gains over the last decade have even lagged behind wage gains during the decade of the Great Depression (4 percent over the