Reader's anguished cry on "extreme underemployment"
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I have applied for hundreds and hundreds of jobs in my field over the past two years to no avail — in spite of more than 30 years of experience. I should say “because of” rather than “in spite of” since for most positions my experience works against me. I have found that there exists almost no possibilities between my last good position (I was making $65,000 with good benefits) and the crappy hourly positions I’ve been forced to take the past year.
Individual minimum wage versus family poverty threshold
Working at minimum wage earns you less in real terms than in 1968; you're further from supporting your family, too.
The hidden toll of underemployment
While increasing attention has been paid to the economic effects of underemployment, the psychological consequences have been largely ignored even though they can be profoundly negative.
Putting the new GM-UAW contract in historical context
General Motors and the United Auto Workers just agreed on a new four-year contract. What began as an experiment in 2007 — establishing a two-tier wage structure, with new workers having a significantly lower starting wage and maximum wage than their predecessors — has apparently become a more permanent part of the landscape (at least through 2015). Remapping Debate puts the pay levels in context with inflation-adjusted data going back 50 years. For new workers, it is worse than it has been for virtually all of that period.
NYT celebrates lower wages
Chrysler employees, we are given to understand, are thrilled to be working in the auto industry, even if they are forced to accept wages much lower than their colleagues. What do we learn about what this means for their lives? Nothing.