A surge of organizing could weaken some of the forces that have made organizing difficult in recent decades. It could inhibit some of the structural changes, start to alter the political factors, and counter the aggressiveness of employers.
This study of "of the political meaning of the city under global urbanisation," writes reviewer Cator, is particularly timely "in light of ongoing global housing struggles and a widespread surge in the cost of living."
Housing is increasingly treated as both a speculative or an investment commodity for the rich and satisfied, and a charitable donation for the poor and precarious, in a system of corporate capitalist rule obfuscated by the language of human rights.
Last year, the union membership rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 10.1% — the lowest on record. The absolute number of American workers in unions did grow in 2022 — by approximately 200,000. But the number of non-union jobs grew faster.
While industrial capitalism got rid of the landlord class, capitalism still had economic rent, but instead of being paid to the landlord class, it is now paid to the banks in the form of interest.
War, Inflation, Geopolitical Rivalry, and Soaring World Temperatures
Political economy and new maps of power in 2022
COVID-19 is far from over, not because it cannot be stopped but because it cannot be stopped in a profit-driven society. The same can be said for climate change, environmental destruction, pollution, poverty, and war.
A “rigging of the system” that empowered employers over workers was due to policy changes and changes in business practices that systematically undercut workers’ ability to get higher pay, job security, and better-quality jobs.
The U.S. is continuing its attempts to maintain its status as a global power at all costs, rather than accepting the development of other nations as a positive form of progress for the international community.
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