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Classist Corporations

A Reflection on the Gig Economy

August 31, 2018 by Anonymous Leave a Comment

I am no stranger to the gig economy. I have relied on it from time to time to supplement the income from my small business. When business is slow – or more often – when vendors are slow to pay me, I’ve taken short-term temp work, signed up for focus groups or been a “secret […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Poverty, Workplace classism Tagged With: consumerism, corporations, low-wage jobs, Minimum wage, privilege, working class

The Work to Be Done This Labor Day

August 31, 2018 by Miranda Cunningham Leave a Comment

On Labor Day 2018, it’s hard to maintain hope. Many will labor on Labor Day (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Growing up in a blue-collar union household, working on holidays was considered a boon). Many labor in worse conditions than our parents and grandparents. The Gig Economy The gig economy leaves millions on their […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Corporate power, Dismantlng Classism, Labor movement, Poverty, Systemic Classism Tagged With: activism, community organizing, downward mobility, low-wage jobs, middle class, Minimum wage, public services, race and class, social movements, unions

Janus v AFSCME:

February 24, 2018 by Bill Fletcher Jr. Leave a Comment

What the Supreme Court May Strip from Workers The roar of the approaching storm can be both heard and felt in workplaces across the United States. The prospects inherent in a much anticipated – and in many places feared – Supreme Court decision in the case Janus v AFSCME has the political Right giddy. Among […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Politics, Classist Corporations, Corporate power, Labor movement, Politics and Class, Workplace classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, labor law, low-wage jobs, privilege, teachers unions, union-bashing

Solutions for servers subsisting on tips

March 25, 2014 by Maria Myotte 1 Comment

There are plenty of industries out there that we wish would do better by their workers, but the restaurant industry poses a very specific problem. Here’s the largest and fastest growing economic sector in the US producing 6 of 10 lowest paying jobs in the country. Why? The majority of their workforce don’t get paychecks. […]

Filed Under: Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Corporate power, Money, Politics and Class, Workplace classism Tagged With: low-wage jobs, restaurant jobs

Isn’t it Time for All Workers to Have More Job Security?

December 10, 2013 by Rand Wilson Leave a Comment

The United States is alone among industrialized countries in allowing workers to be considered “at will” employees and dismissed for any reason – justified or not, unless protected by a union contract or individual agreement. Labor should seize the opportunity to champion the passage of “just cause” dismissal standards into state laws. It’s a labor […]

Filed Under: Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Labor movement, Workplace classism Tagged With: fairness, job security, workplace

‘Black Friday’ has literally consumed Thanksgiving

November 27, 2013 by Anne Phillips 3 Comments

You can’t listen to your car radio, open your mailbox, turn on the television or watch a YouTube or Hulu video these days without being bombarded with ‘Black Friday’ mania. What was once a lazy day-after-Thanksgiving to mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season (for those who celebrate gift-giving holidays) has now become a […]

Filed Under: Classist Corporations, Consumer culture Tagged With: consumerism, corporations, low-wage jobs, shopping

Classism is in Fashion

November 19, 2013 by Miki Onwudinjo 2 Comments

Ever since Miley Cyrus twerked her bum on Robin Thicke’s crotch at the MTV awards, cultural appropriation has been a hot topic. But, society has been capitalizing off of minority cultures long before Miley was even conceived. High-end designers are now adopting hip-hop and urban styles to create a new IT look that has been […]

Filed Under: Classism, Classist Corporations, Consumer culture Tagged With: classism, consumerism, fashion, racism, stereotypes, white trash

Labor Day, 2013: Realities and Hopes

September 1, 2013 by Maynard Seider Leave a Comment

I like to listen to Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball” album from time to time, at moments when my spirits need lifting up.   In “Jack of All Trades,” the protagonist does outdoor work, carpentry, auto repair and farming (“I’ll harvest your crops”).  Given the recent one day strikes in some 60 cities by fast food workers,  […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classist Corporations, Labor movement, Politics and Class Tagged With: Bruce Springsteen, fast food jobs, low-wage jobs, strikes, working class, working poor

10 Ways a Corporate Workplace is Worse than a Casino

May 7, 2013 by Jay Mahin 2 Comments

1. A Casino is legally required to post the odds of each bet. Corporate workplaces can lie about your chances of rising to the top. 2. If you gamble in a casino using a line of credit and lose, you can file for bankruptcy. If you take out a student loan to go to college […]

Filed Under: Classist Corporations, Workplace classism Tagged With: corporations, money, student loans

The Myth of the Ultra-Rich Job Creator

February 13, 2013 by Lita Kurth 4 Comments

You would think from watching “Downton Abbey” that the only reason enormous estates existed was to provide jobs. Every time a change comes up, the lord of the manor bemoans its possible deleterious effect on his tenants and servants. And a remarkably high proportion of those servants seem happy to live their entire lives in […]

Filed Under: Class in the Media, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Poverty, Race and Class Tagged With: billionaires, Downton Abbey, job creation, millionaires, super-rich, tax breaks for business, ultra-rich

A Forty Hour Week From the Other Side

November 5, 2012 by Lita Kurth 2 Comments

As this election nears, I find myself passionate about a local issue: San Jose, following the stronger leads of San Francisco, Seattle, and Albuquerque, is proposing to raise the minimum wage from $8 to $10 per hour. I will be precinct walking on Saturday to help make this happen. This raise is more important than […]

Filed Under: Class in the Media, Class in The News, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Politics, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Labor movement, Workplace classism Tagged With: classism, labor statistics, low-wage jobs, Minimum wage, money, part-time workers, poverty, Rationalizing privilege, service industry, working class

To Care or Not to Care About Obamacare

July 17, 2012 by Veronica Quiles 2 Comments

When the Supreme Court approved “Obamacare,” most of my Facebook friends had joyful statuses about the ruling. And it is something to cheer about: millions of Americans will now be able to be insured; women will now have access to affordable birth control and not face gender pricing of insurance; and people cannot be denied […]

Filed Under: Classism in Politics, Classist Corporations, Politics and Class, Poverty Tagged With: budget cuts, health care, poverty, public services, Rationalizing privilege

Ubuntu and The Self-Made Myth

March 15, 2012 by Jessica Morneault 3 Comments

We’ve all heard rags-to-riches stories about successful individuals who “pulled themselves up by the bootstraps.”  Certainly, many successful business people owe their good fortune to hard work and innovative thinking. But, to describe those people as “self-made” would be to dismiss a big piece of reality—the role of the commons. Would Bill Gates have enjoyed […]

Filed Under: Class cultures, Classist Corporations, Money, Politics and Class, Poverty Tagged With: blaming the victim, class cultures, owning class, privilege, super-rich

CEOs Rewarded For Dodging Taxes

August 31, 2011 by Chuck Collins Leave a Comment

As the Super Congress eyes trillions in budget cuts that will undermine the quality of life for most Americans, here’s a stunning fact to contemplate: Twenty-five hugely profitable U.S. companies paid their CEOs more last year than they paid Uncle Sam in taxes. In other words, the more CEOs dodge their civic responsibilities, the more […]

Filed Under: Class in The News, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations Tagged With: CEO compensation, CEO Pay, corporate tax dodging, General Electric, pay disparities, unequal pay, Verizon

Verizon Strike: A Teachable Moment?

August 23, 2011 by Steve Early 3 Comments

Why Health Care Strikes Should Demand “Health Care For All,” Not Just “Hands Off My ‘Middle Class’ Benefits” For two weeks in August, thousands of Verizon strikers provided an inspiring display of picket-line militancy and resistance to contract concessions. From Massachusetts to Virginia, members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations, Labor movement Tagged With: health care, middle class, public services, union-bashing

Ironies of hip places and companies

June 12, 2011 by Jay Mahin Leave a Comment

The San Francisco Bay area is the most open minded, experimental, and  inclusive place in the world. It is full of a million young white/Asian professionals with lofts, Iphones, and lattes who all vote Democrat and all think differently. Google and Apple are the most broad minded, Inclusive, Egalitarian, and thinking-out-of-the-box companies. They are open […]

Filed Under: Classism in Everyday Life, Classist Corporations Tagged With: classism, racism

After Wisconsin: Stop the Corporate Tax Dodgers

February 20, 2011 by Chuck Collins

This is the strategic moment to dramatically juxtapose the pain of local budget cuts with the scandal of corporate tax dodging. This talk of austerity is unnecessary.

Filed Under: Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations

What was the most classist comment of 2010?

January 2, 2011 by Betsy Leondar-Wright 8 Comments

It was a bumper year for callous, elitist politicians and CEOs spouting off in public. Cast your vote for one of these doozies, or add another 2010 classist comment to this list: • When Carl Paladino ran for governor of New York, he got a lot of media coverage for his homophobic, racist and anti-Muslim […]

Filed Under: Classism in Politics, Classism in the Economy, Classist Corporations Tagged With: CEOs, classism, poverty, Rationalizing privilege, welfare bashing

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