Obama's Labor Day photo op. Philly teachers may strike.
Obama Labor Day Photo Op |
The New York Times reports that there have been virtually no net full-time jobs added in the U.S. over the past three years — since the depth of the recession. A key reason the unemployment rate has declined is because so many people have stopped looking for work; adult work-force participation is near historic lows. The vast majority of jobs being created are part time, often without benefits. The U.S. Labor Department reports the average workweek is now less than 33 hours in several huge industries: leisure/hospitality, education, health services and retail trade.
In the classical terminology of Marx, a large reserve army of labor reduces both the individual and the collective bargaining power of workers, enabling capital to