{"id":65644,"date":"2024-06-26T08:35:22","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T15:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=65644"},"modified":"2024-06-26T08:35:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T15:35:22","slug":"realizing-the-american-dream-for-all-requires-bold-policy-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=65644","title":{"rendered":"Realizing the American Dream for All Requires Bold Policy Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_59 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_59\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_60 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_60\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-06-24T16:32:09-07:00\">Jun 24, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_61 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_61\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Many American workers are generationally poor, because of their race, gender, immigration status, or choice of occupation. Better policy can create more equitable wages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_62 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_62\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb\" title=\"American workers\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-150x84.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-696x392.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG_0141-1068x601.jpeg 1068w\" alt=\"American workers\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Canva image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_63 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_63\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Income inequality is at an all time high in the US, but progressive policies that give more leverage to workers could reverse decades of stagnant wage growth, especially for lower-income workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I think about the American dream, I think about people being able to get ahead, being able to have a house that they can afford, a reasonable vacation in the summer, a secure retirement, being able to send their kids to a decent school,\u201d said Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, at an Ethnic Media Services news briefing June 21.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" title=\"Strong Labor Rights Key to Minimizing Job and Wage Losses Due to AI\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mVTvBx3AYdM?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dr. Hiedi Shierholz, Economic Policy Institute. Nina Mohan videos.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe absolutely have the money and the ability to make that happen, and it is up to policymakers to do the kinds of things that make that\u00a0dream\u00a0possible, to give workers leverage,\u00a0to make sure we have the safety net that people need to have\u00a0security. It\u2019s a policy choice, as to whether we do that or not,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gig Workers<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Michael Reich, Professor of Economics and Chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that more than 10 million workers in the US are in the gig economy, driving for ride-share apps or meal delivery services. Such workers, largely immigrants, are misclassified as independent contractors. By Reich\u2019s calculations, they earn less than $7 per hour, despite putting in more than 12-14 hours a day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is the pay so low? How did the companies get away with this? Well, one reason is that many of the drivers, especially the immigrants, do lack the skills or connections to get better jobs. and so they\u2019re kind of a captive labor force,\u201d said Reich.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget4\" title=\"Rideshare Drivers Spend 30 Percent of Shift Waiting for Customers but Are Not Paid for This Time\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/peej0R_k9jc?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dr. Michael Reich, UC Berkeley.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Minimum Wage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cCompanies also now use algorithms to determine which drivers will accept lowball pay offers for a ride. That pits the drivers against each other, and it leads to a race to the bottom for wages. It means that the companies have individualized pay and are giving more of their ride\u00a0offers to those who are most desperate. That is\u00a0not what constitutes equal pay for equal work,\u201d he said, advocating for drivers to be classified as employees, with standardized pay and benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Shierholz and Reich have both testified before Congress to raise the federal minimum wage \u2014 currently $7.25 per hour \u2014 to a more sustainable $15 per hour. 27 million workers would benefit from the increase.<\/p>\n<p>Reich noted that independent contractors do not currently have the right to unionize, but several states, including Massachusetts, are considering laws that would support collective bargaining for gig workers.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discrimination<\/h2>\n<p>Gender and race-based wage inequalities must be addressed by policy makers, said Dr. Michelle Holder,\u00a0Associate Professor of Economics at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the\u00a0City University of New York. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, using 2023 annual data, white workers earning full time earned a median of $59,000 a year, while Black workers earned a median of $48,000 a year, which works out to Black workers earning 81 cents to the dollar a White man makes. Black women overall earn just 73 cents to the dollar a White man makes, whereas Latina women earn the least: just 57 cents to the dollar a White man earns.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget6\" title=\"Fighting Gender and Racial Wage Gaps: What Workers Can Do\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_GsvbIXf9WU?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dr. Michelle Holder, City University of New York.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While some of the wage gap can be attributed to women possessing less human capital \u2014 fewer years in the workforce, lower levels of education, lack of access to networks in which high-paying jobs are offered \u2014 Holder also believes discrimination plays a huge role.<\/p>\n<p>Effective\u00a0policies\u00a0to combat race and gender-based wage gaps\u00a0have been enacted at the state level,\u00a0said Holder. Pay transparency laws, which require businesses to post a range of compensation for every job listing, have been effective in limiting discrimination against women and people of color. New York state has a law which\u00a0makes it illegal for prospective employers to request previous salary histories from job applicants. \u201cSalary histories have\u00a0been shown to have disparate outcomes for women and people of color in the American workforce,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Intergenerational Mobility<\/h2>\n<p>Intergenerational mobility \u2014 the theory that a child will outperform their parents wage-wise by the time they are 35 \u2014 is a key driver of the American Dream but has been on the decline for the past several decades, noted Dr. Austin Clemens, senior fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. In the 1940s and 50s, 90% of young adults out-earned their parents.\u00a0But by the\u00a01980s\u00a0and beyond, that percentage\u00a0fell\u00a0to just 50%.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the growth in income is happening in already high-wage professions. And we see much weaker growth for people working in blue collar jobs,\u201d said Clemens.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"td-video-replacer\" data-id=\"undefined\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget8\" title=\"Intergenerational Mobility Remains High in Immigrant Communities\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0mdLXrPtGFc?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Dr. Austin Clemens, Washington Center for Equitable Growth.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Immigrants, surprisingly,\u00a0are actually more upwardly mobile than native -born citizens of the US, he said, noting that has held true over the past two centuries of migration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst-generation parents, because of discrimination, because they\u2019re in a new country,\u00a0might struggle to earn an income that\u2019s commensurate with their abilities and their talents,\u201d said Clemens.\u00a0\u201cBut their children tend to fare quite well because immigrants tend to pick places where there are good jobs,\u00a0and\u00a0good prospects for education.\u00a0And so that has a very positive effect on second generation immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strong Labor Force<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAny legislation that makes it easier to unionize, that makes it easier to hold employers accountable,\u00a0are extremely important for giving us a more equitable distribution of wage growth,\u201d he said, noting also that the US currently has an\u00a0excellent labor market\u00a0which should be sacrificed to the specter of\u00a0inflation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis would be a great time for the Federal Reserve to consider cutting interest rates to shore up the job market a little and to keep it running hot. That\u2019s going to be a huge benefit to people at the low end of the wage distribution,\u201d said Clemens.<\/p>\n<p>People\u2019s fears about technology and artificial intelligence stealing good paying jobs are unfounded, said Shierholz, who specializes on the impact of AI in the workforce. \u201cWhen an employer adopts productivity-enhancing technological change, they can create goods and services more cheaply.\u00a0When they can create goods and services more cheaply, then people have money left over to make new purchases on goods and services that they otherwise wouldn\u2019t have been able to make, and that generates\u00a0more\u00a0jobs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Jun 24, 2024 Many&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65644"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65645,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65644\/revisions\/65645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}