The longest and costliest strike in the history of the steel industry hit the United States economy in 1959. Across the nation, the steel industry banked its furnaces, turned off the vital flow of steel, and many of the nation’s auto plants closed down in a few months with their supply of steel used up. […]
Many domestic workers get stuck in jobs that pay them low wages, subject them to long hours and sometimes even expose them to physical abuse. And because many are undocumented, they don’t, or can’t, speak up. But some states are trying to change that.
In the midst of a budget struggle, the mayor of Scranton, Pa., can’t get an agreement with the City Council. So, recently, he decided to cut the wages of the town’s employees to the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, despite the fact they have contracts stating otherwise. This includes firefighters and other public employees.
“Equal pay for equal work” has been a phrase since the 20th century. However, in the United States, women still make, on average, significantly less money than their male counterparts. The Paycheck Fairness Act attempts to address the gender wage gap and will be voted on in Congress later this week, but is not expected to pass.
While the recession seems to loosening its grip on the U.S. economy, but one group isn’t seeing it. The cultural creatives, small businesspeople like photographers, architects and graphic designers have seen their ranks thinned by 20 to 30 percent and are still waiting for the bounce back.