By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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The Poor Used to Have the Most Opportunity in America. Now the Rich Do. (WaPo)
In the 1960s, the bottom 10 percent saw faster growth than the top 1 percent, but Matt O'Brien says policy has since promoted fundamental economic shifts that benefit the rich.
It seems almost impossible now, but the income of the poorest households -- the bottom 10 percent of them -- grew the fastest in JFK-era America, with the top 1 percent a little bit behind.
But since then, the economy has undergone a fundamental shift. Globalization has forced the working class to compete with cheap labor overseas. And technology has turned what used to be good-paying jobs into redundant ones — while letting superstars reach more people and earn more money. But most disheartening is that, more often than not, policy has made all this worse. Whether it's tax cuts for the rich, financial deregulation, or deunionization, the government has heaped the most help on the only people who are still doing well.
Roosevelt Take: Roosevelt Institute Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz says that policy, in the form of tax reform, can fix the inequality in the U.S. economy.
Follow below the fold for more.
Strong Voice in ‘Fight for 15’ Fast-Food Wage Campaign (NYT)
Steven Greenhouse profiles Terrance Wise, who works at a Burger King in Kansas City, MO and has become a leader in the fast food workers' movement over the past two years.
Apple and Camp Bow Wow: Sharing Strategies to Keep Wages Low (Working Economics)
Ross Eisenbrey ties non-compete clauses at low-wage jobs to tech companies' refusal to "poach" each other's workers: in both cases, corporate entitlement keeps wages down.
Chicago Raises Minimum Wage to $13 by 2019, But Strikers Say It’s Not Enough (In These Times)
Those who have been fighting for a $15-per-hour minimum wage are sticking to that number and accusing Mayor Emanuel of political opportunism, writes Will Craft.
Does the Media Care About Labor Anymore? (Politico)
Timothy Noah argues that strong labor reporting, taking a close look at workers and the labor movement's ideas, will be needed to get the economy back on track.
JPMorgan Said to Put Mortgage-Bond Trader on Leave Amid Scrutiny (Bloomberg)
Jody Shenn reports on the latest in a string of suspensions at JPMorgan, which is currently under strong regulatory scrutiny due to recent mortgage securities fraud cases.