America Needs a Raise: Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice - Hardcover

John J. Sweeney; David Kusnet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395823005 ISBN 13: 9780395823002

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (T), 1996

Synopsis

The recently elected president of the AFL-CIO presents a manifesto outlining the problems facing workers of all kinds and offering a program for dealing with international economic competition that does not rely on corporate downsizing. 50,000 first printing. Tour.

About this title

Review:

John J. Sweeney, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., makes a rallying cry for Americans to stop the thievery of corporations by joining unions. Wages, he argues, are shrinking due to inflation and as more and more corporations downsize, their profits, stock prices and salaries for principals shoot through the roof. Drawing on his experiences as a young boy attending labor union meetings with his bus driving father, Sweeney believes that a return to unions will give workers the support they need to negotiate higher wages, restore an economic balance, and revive a sense of community and cooperation that America has been sorely lacking.

From Library Journal:

Sweeney was elected president of the AFL-CIO in October 1995 in the first ever contested election for that office. His decision to run was based on his feeling that unions had become weak and that it was time to restore respect for working Americans. His book is part of that plan. In examining events, Sweeney considers not only the labor movement but also globalization, downsizing, technology, big govenment, new skills, and other issues that have affected American workers. Although critical of corporate actions, he also faults the union movement for its declining role. He does not outline a strategy for revitalizing the unions but does offer some examples in a first-person narrative that is informal and full of anecdotes about economic and social issues. An optional choice for libraries.
-?Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (T)
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0395823005
• ISBN 13: 9780395823002
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 167