Video: Paraíso
Three immigrant window cleaners risk their lives every day rappelling down some of Chicago’s tallest skyscrapers. With spectacular cinematography, Paraíso reveals the beauty and danger of their job and what they see on the way down.
Majid Naficy: Painters
They have erected scaffolds by the bay And are painting the high towers of power lines. The seagulls circle over their heads Sobbing for their lost lookouts. I count. There … Continue reading
David Graeber: On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs — A Work Rant
In the year 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that, by century’s end, technology would have advanced sufficiently that countries like Great Britain or the United States would have achieved a … Continue reading
Fred Shaw: The Toolbox
I search for the red-handled Phillips-head among the clutter of Dad’s Air Force toolbox; the obsolete, English-sized wrenches, the vise-grips and channel locks looking to grasp smooth shouldered bolts with … Continue reading
Video: To Prison for Poverty
To Prison for Poverty documents the system that enables private probation companies, such as Judicial Correction Services, to profit from charging excessive fees to low income people who can’t pay small … Continue reading
Jon Tribble: Ball and Pivot
. Jerry looked better than any hog-faced man should, a Porky Pig grin always on his face, happy to meet us each time he came around to fix what had … Continue reading
Robert Reich: Why We’re All Becoming Independent Contractors
GM is worth around $60 billion, and has over 200,000 employees. Its front-line workers earn from $19 to $28.50 an hour, with benefits. Uber is estimated to be worth some … Continue reading
Education as Workforce Development: The Horror
Originally posted on The Contrary Perspective:
Scott Walker: We don’t need no higher education (photo courtesy of Slate) W.J. Astore A strong trend in higher education today is to sell…
Video: Philip Levine reads “What Work Is”
Philip Levine reads his work at the AFL-CIO on Nov. 15, 2011. Philip Levine (January 10, 1928 – February 14, 2015) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet best known for … Continue reading
Noam Chomsky: How to Ruin an Economy
Chomsky spoke at The Third Boston Symposium on Economics on February 10th 2014. In this video, he discusses the structural problems that prevent “willing hands” from finding a productive place … Continue reading
What We Learned At The Walmart Museum
We just got back from a vacation in Arkansas. It was great. It was our 4th of July trip. Bentonville, Arkansas, is lovely. As you enter town, there must be … Continue reading
The Truth about American Productivity
If you listen to any mainstream economist you’ll learn that “productivity growth is good for American workers.” Productivity goes up, and with it comes rising prosperity for all. As Adam … Continue reading →