Thursday, March 3, 2011

As Union Membership Has Declined, Income Inequality Has Skyrocketed In The United States

Across the country, right-wing legislators continue their attack on labor unions, claiming that they are saving their states money.

Yet in waging these anti-labor campaigns, these politicians are ignoring one very simple fact: unions were a major force in building and sustaining the great American middle class, and as they declined, so has the middle class. As CAP’s Karla Waters and David Madland showed in a report they first published this past January, as union membership has steadily declined since 1967, so too has the middle class’s share of national income, as the super-rich have taken a larger share of national income than any time since the 1920s

This is not to say that declining union membership is the only factor that led to the growth of income inequality over the past 35 years. Yet, the correlation does show that the presence of strong labor unions tends to co-exist with a strong and vibrant middle class. That is why a Main Street Movement all over the country is fighting to protect collective bargaining and the middle class wages, benefits, and protections it promotes.

Article Source

3 comments:

Carl Hand-up said...

The anti-american and anti-union actions will kill any kind of comeback in 2012.

What goes around comes around.

child care said...

I believe that this stands on each part of the market. There are many who are against this stuff.

Anonymous said...

No doubt that unions helped create an economically sound middle class years ago and they still have their place today. It is about the only mechanism in place today to protect the American worker. You think our government protects us and our rights? B---S---! Government only protects their own, their power and greed. A third line should be added that graph---the decline of American manufacturing.
old school friend

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