Organized Labor In The 1980's

According to Jake Rosenfield, organized labor had already begun its decades-long decline. During the 1970’s and the 1980’s unionization rates nearly halved and this was especially brutal for organized labor. It was then that economic conditions had begun to change. Then organized labor had begun to disappearing in the sector where it has had the greatest impact on people’s livelihoods. Even before the 1980’s, Jiwook Jung explains that corporate America had experienced waves of downsizing. Firms were making layoffs during economic downturns. Downsizing occurred because of many different reasons. Intensifying market competition, and declining manufacturing activities have all been creating a decrease in company employment and numbers. Technology innovation has also created downsizing for companies. Technology and its innovation had begun to replace human labor and there was not a need for as many workers. Rosenfield also keys in that as

She explains that it is mathematically impossible to make a living off $6-$7, and through her experiment we can clearly see this. Barbara was unable to make ends meet and eventually was forced to find another job to bring in a second income. She was unable to make it to the grocery store often, due to lack of gas money, and was eating unhealthy food every day and was even losing weight within the four-week time frame. Individuals who are working in low wage jobs are also experiencing living in conditions that are not favorable. Some are living in vehicles, others are paying for a hotel room night to night, and some are living with others that they can’t tolerate rate. The struggles that Barbara experienced allowed her to key into what it was really like for people working these types of jobs. It was impossible for these people to live a manageable, healthy lifestyle based on the income they were bringing