from the first of five pages at the Washington Post
Euphemism Masks Reality
As the year comes to an end, these are the facts about the recovering economy: The unemployment rate in November was back below 6 percent after hitting a high of 6.4 percent in June. The number of people working is on the rise –– 138.6 million in November, up from 137.5 million in January. The number of jobs is on the rise, as well –– up 328,000 since July. "The American economy is strong" was President Bush's reaction last week when the November employment figures were released, "and it is getting stronger."
But just as "sparkle" can be a euphemism for housekeeping, "recovering" can gloss over the reality of what for millions of Americans having a job has come to mean.
More people are working part time than ever: Last month, for the first time, the number exceeded 25 million.
More are classified as "involuntary" part–time, meaning they would rather be working full time: 4.9 million in November, an increase of 600,000 from a year ago and 1.6 million since the recession began in March 2001.
More are working for less pay than they have worked for in the past –– the sectors of the economy adding jobs pay an average of $14.65 an hour, while those discarding jobs pay $16.92, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington research center.
In addition, more people are cobbling together a working life of two or three part–time jobs to keep up with bills. More jobs come without benefits, the chance for mobility and the security of long–term stability. Wages for most workers are not keeping up with inflation. The number of manufacturing jobs has declined 40 months in a row. The average time spent looking for work is now more than 20 weeks. And many people remain not working at all. Even with the addition of those 328,000 jobs, the total number of jobs is still 2.35 million lower than before the recession.
"I'm happy that we're adding jobs. At the same time, I'm mindful of some of the constraints some of these jobs are bringing with them relative to the ones that are being lost," says Jared Bernstein, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute. "We're so focused on jobs –– Are we adding them? How many? –– I think we may have lost focus on what kind of jobs we're getting. Job quality is pretty low right now compared to what it's been in the past."
There is some incomplete information there that tends to lead the reader to a predetermined conclusion.Manufacturing jobs have been declining because manufacturing is a changing industry. There is nothing you can do to stop progress, to stop people from inventing better and more efficient ways of doing things. Much of the decline in manufacturing has come about because of automation, and because processes have become more efficient and need less labor.Here is where labor unions are failing. They are a government-enforced monopoly, and as such, they are more interested in political power and making campaign contributions, when what unions SHOULD be doing is providing transition assistance, job training, and helping people expand their skills into broader areas so that they can be flexible and dynamic in a flexible and dynamic economy. The unions keep people staid and inflexible, locked into 'trades' that are outdated in a matter of time.I know some union folks, and it is ridiculous the way they comparmentalize everything. You have pipe welders, flat-metal welders, screw welders, bolt welders, iron welders, steel welders, and none of them know anything about any of the other skills. The unions have lobbied state governments so that in Maryland, for example, it costs $1000 for a bolt welder to get certified as a screw welder! The unions don't pay for it.When I was in the Army, there was a very detailed tarining plan for everyone. There would be a packet that would contain everything you had been trained on, included civilian education and certifications through the army. The unions don't offer anything to their members that they would if there weer competition. They could do much better for the members than they do now.