Ptts presentation1...4 27-15

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The Black Jobs Crisis during the Age of Inequality Steven Pitts, Associate Chair, UC Berkeley Labor Center Co-Founder, National Black Worker Center Project April 28, 2015

Transcript of Ptts presentation1...4 27-15

The Black Jobs Crisisduring

the Age of Inequality

Steven Pitts,Associate Chair, UC Berkeley Labor Center

Co-Founder, National Black Worker Center ProjectApril 28, 2015

“The problem is not only unemployment, it is under or sub-employment…people who work full-time jobs for part-time wages.”

--- Martin Luther King, Jr (March 10, 1968)

Focus for today’s conversation…

• Some data on the Black job crisis• Some data on the Age of Inequality• Looking at the old approach• Some thoughts on a new approach• Some thoughts on organizing going forward

The Black Job Crisis…

• High levels of unemployment and low-wage work

• Persistent racial disparities relative to non-Hispanic whites

19631965

19671969

19711973

19751977

19791981

19831985

19871989

19911993

19951997

19992001

20032005

20072009

20110.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0%

20.0%

Black & White Unemployment Rates: 1963 - 2012

WhiteBlack

ALL MEN WOMEN0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

38.1%

35.5%

40.2%

25.9%

21.4%

30.9%

Prevalence of Black & White Low-wage Work by Gender: 2010-2012

BlackWhite

The LA Story

Industrial Distribution of Employment by Race

Black White Latino

Industry % of Total Industry % of Total Industry % of Total

Public sector 28.0% Public sector 16.1% Public sector 11.5%

Retail Trade 6.8% Professional 10.4% Retail Trade 8.9%

Finance 6.8% Finance 8.4% Durable Goods 8.8%

Transportation & warehousing 6.4% Durable Goods 8.1% Restaurants 7.8%

Hospitals 5.8% Retail Trade 8.0% Nondurable Goods 7.6%

All Men Women

-5.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%28.5%

27.7%

29.3%

18.4%

16.2%

21.0%

BlackWhite

Prevalence of Black & White Low-wage Work by Gender: 2010-2012

Prevalence of Black Low-wage by Age

16 -19 20 - 24 25 - 35 35 +0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

74.9%72.4%

34.1%

20.4%

Industries with the highest proportion of Blacks working for low-wages (% of Blacks in that industry)

Restaurants

Grocery stores

Retail trade

Arts

Accommodation

57.5%

57.1%

50.0%

48.7%

46.5%

Industries with the highest number of Blacks working for low-wages (% of all low-wage Black workers in LA)

Public Sector

Retail Trade

Administrative Services

Transportation and Warehousing

Social Assistance

17.4%

12.3%

8.5%

6.6%

5.3%

The Age of Inequality: mid-1970s - Present

• The divergence between labor productivity and worker compensation

• The rising share of total national income received by the richest 1%

Productivity and Hourly Compensation

19131916

19191922

19251928

19311934

19371940

19431946

19491952

19551958

19611964

19671970

19731976

19791982

19851988

19911994

19972000

20032006

20092012

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20 Share of Total Income Going to the Top 1% Households

What to Do?

Traditional Approaches

• Focus– Deficit model– “limited” structural barrier model

• Solution – Fix people– Remove structural barriers (fix the “on-ramps to

the highway”)• Concerns/criticisms

New Approaches - Focus

• Building power• Structural intervention at the workplace• Structural intervention at the sector level• Structural intervention at the policy level

Solutions I

• Building organizations– Unions– Worker centers– Broad durable coalitions

• Transforming sector– Growth– Labor standards– Access/equity

Solutions II• Web of Jobs– Primary functions/jobs

• Core functions/jobs• Periphery functions/jobs

– Secondary functions/jobs• Geography servicing workers

• Raise labor standards– Minimum wages– Sick days– Scheduling– Labor standard enforcement (incl racial

discrimination)

What to do?

• Blacks in unions• Blacks in worker centers