Center for American Progress

The Pandemic Hurts Countries That Don’t Value Workers
In the News

The Pandemic Hurts Countries That Don’t Value Workers

Author Jacob Leibenluft explains how weak labor protections have made the United States more vulnerable to COVID-19.

In recent years, academics and policymakers in the United States have struggled with an economic mystery. Why, even as the U.S. economy has grown in the past few decades, have wages remained relatively stagnant? Many scholars have landed on one reason in particular: the decline in the bargaining power of U.S. workers due to shrinking union membership and the rise of subcontracting. Workers have benefited less from economic growth as their ability to bargain for higher wages has withered. Instead, major gains have gone to investors and managers, and inequality in the United States has soared.

The above excerpt was originally published in Foreign Affairs. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Jacob Leibenluft

Senior Fellow