[EU S14 E20] Roots of a Surging US Labor Movement

In this week’s Economic Update, Professor Richard Wolff discusses the reasons why the official United States unemployment rate is currently low in comparison to historic rates; We also highlight why U.S. restaurants are losing business. We then turn to the hypocrisy of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the face of repression of growing American protest movement against Israeli policy in Gaza. In addition, we discuss Gabriel Zuckman’s report on the economic impact of the dramatic cuts in taxes on billionaires vs rising taxes on the poorer half of the U.S.

Finally, we Interview union activist Steve Early on rising labor militancy and unionization: its roots, momentum, and future.

For last 50 years, Steve Early has been a labor organizer, lawyer, free-lance journalist, or union representative. For three decades he was a Boston-based staff member of the Communications Workers of America.