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| Income inequality refers to the extent to which income is distributed in an uneven manner among a population. In the United States, income inequality, or the gap between the rich and everyone else, has been growing markedly, by every major statistical measure, for some 30 years. |
'Getting ahead' was an early goal of western civilization, the chance for your children to have a better life than you. Today for much of the population, there are impediments to such hope.
Despite the extraordinary rise in national productivity, it seems only the fortunate (in the U.S. and elsewhere) are benefiting. Real wages are generally flat over the last four decades.
Among the world's nations, we see a similarly disproportionate benefit from globalization. Wealth from resources and labor streams from the developing countries to the developed world at an accelerating rate. In many countries, the inequality gap widens at an accelerating rate over the decades.
The marketplace, whether fruit or flowers or finance, increasingly favors the wealthy with each passing year. Government policy and trade regulations are purchased by wealth and influence, it would appear, to the detriment of many.
From what we have seen, what might we expect from continuing the current path?
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| Wages in the post-war years were based on a worker having a share in corporate productivity, improvement, and success. Beginning in the 70's, wages for the workforce became a liability to be managed and minimized for the benefit of the bottom line. |
Despite the extraordinary rise in national productivity, it seems only the fortunate (in the U.S. and elsewhere) are benefiting. Real wages are generally flat over the last four decades.
Among the world's nations, we see a similarly disproportionate benefit from globalization. Wealth from resources and labor streams from the developing countries to the developed world at an accelerating rate. In many countries, the inequality gap widens at an accelerating rate over the decades.
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Despite the advances in productivity and average income by nations, the benefit is commonly to the upper income half of the economy. Segments of
the population for each and every one of the advancing nations are unimproved in circumstance since 1980.
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The marketplace, whether fruit or flowers or finance, increasingly favors the wealthy with each passing year. Government policy and trade regulations are purchased by wealth and influence, it would appear, to the detriment of many.
From what we have seen, what might we expect from continuing the current path?
Below are campaigns we might consider supporting today:
- The Interfaith Worker Justice’s campaign, Paystubs for All Workers. This campaign aims to make it a federal requirement for employers to issue pay stubs to all workers as a deterrent against wage theft. (Wage theft by employers exceeds all robbery, auto theft, burglary, and larceny, combined.)
- The National Employment Law Project’s campaign, Raise the Minimum Wage. This campaign puts pressure on federal, state, and municipal lawmakers to reasonably raise the minimum wage for all workers.
- The Institute for Policy Studies’ campaign, Close the Billionaire Loophole. This campaign aims to put the brakes on concentrated wealth by restoring the estate tax.
- Americans for Tax Fairness, a diverse campaign of national, state and local organizations united in support of a fair tax system that works for all Americans.
- Oxfam’s new campaign, Even It Up. This global campaign focuses on tax fairness, investing in public health and education, and establishing fair wages for all.
- The Robin Hood Tax campaign. This campaign aims to secure a Financial Transaction Tax on Wall Street transactions.
- The Jobs with Justice campaign, Change Walmart, Change the Economy. This campaign urges Walmart to reform its business practices to set the stage for changes across the retail sector.