by James Parks, May 23, 2008

Steven Greenhouse

America’s workers are being squeezed by declining wages, rising health care costs, evaporating pensions, job insecurity and globalization, according to Steven Greenhouse, one of the few full-time labor reporters in the country. In a new Point of View column on the AFL-CIO website, Greenhouse, who covers workplace issues for The New York Times, talks about his new book, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker.    

I asked Greenhouse why he titled his book The Big Squeeze. Here’s what he had to say: 

In many ways corporate America is clamping down on its workers. Wages have been cut over the past few years. We’ve seen health benefits get worse. Middle class Americans have health insurance while the typical worker has to pay twice as much for health insurance as was the case seven years ago.

We’ve seen good pensions kind of disappear, evaporate and be replaced by 401(k)s, which I describe as Swiss-cheese retirement plans. A lot of workers don’t have 401(k)s—many workers have little to support themselves when they retire.  

While wages are stagnant and benefits are getting worse, workers are also being squeezed to work harder. There’s less job security than there used to be. And with all the rounds of downsizing, workers feel more insecure on the job. If you’re feeling insecure, you’re less likely to push for better wages and benefits.

Read the rest of our Question and Answer with Greenhouse here.  

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