The Big Squeeze Analysis

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The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker Response Paper Greenhouse’s in his article The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker acknowledges that there is some fundamental thing that is not working even as Americans try as much as they cane to make ends meet. He introduces to us workers like Mike Michell, Dawn Eubanks, John Arnold, Don Jensen among others who were confronted a very gauntlet of social and economic forces that were arrayed against them. They faced challenges at every turn which included hour and wage violations, outsourcing and downsizing, erosion of healthcare and pension benefits, sexual harassment and union busting. He states that the there is a decline in how workers in America are been treated which…show more content…
The earning of the workers even after inflation have risen by just a small margin, making the living standards of the workers low, some of them unable to even provide for their families while others stay with their parents even after employment. Other workers have faced and met their death at their places of wok for lack of proper precautions especially those working under dangerous conditions like construction sites. Exploitation has moved to a whole new level where safety standards have been totally disregarded and workers have been left t work in conditions not suitable to work in. The safety equipments that the firms invest in are cheap and unsafe which they acquire so that their profits margins remain high. They on the other hand cannot fail to work because they have people looking up to them to provide and support. For the fear to lose their jobs, workers do not speak up, protest or ask for salary raise. Even when the work load increases, workers are forced to work for longer hours without complaining or asking raise for the extra hour they are working. Workers no longer have a say or rights that they can hold to. Many workers fear losing their jobs because of the fact that finding another will be a hustle for them. Due to this firms take advantage and overwork their workers without extra…show more content…
It is important at this point to have a Workers Union that is serious on fighting for the rights of the workers. The union should be very close to the workers in order for them to get the challenges that the workers are facing. There should also be policies and laws protecting workers, such that a worker is given a logic reason on why they are getting fired rather than waking up in the morning and finding out that they no longer have a job. There should also be policies in regards to pension and health insurance covers makings sure that the workers have those paid for them by the firms. The health insurance is especially important for the workers working in dangerous conditions where they are likely to get an injury. Leave days for the workers should also be paid to ensure that they are able to provide for their families even when on leave. Firms and Unions should sit and come up with policies and laws that benefit the workers. The policies will help workers speak up when they are been exploited without fear. It will also allow for closure for the workers and their

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