David Madland is a senior fellow and the senior adviser to the American Worker Project at American Progress.
He has been called “one of the nation’s wisest” labor scholars by Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. Mary Kay Henry, president of Service Employees International Union, says his work “is creating a North Star for how we increase workers’ power in the economy and democracy.”
Madland writes about the economy and American politics, especially the middle class, economic inequality, labor unions, retirement policy, and workplace standards. He is the author of Re-Union: How Bold Labor Reforms Can Repair, Revitalize, and Reunite the United States (Cornell University Press, 2021) and Hollowed Out: Why the Economy Doesn’t Work without a Strong Middle Class (University of California Press, 2015).
He appears frequently on television including on PBS, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox and is a regular guest on radio talk shows across the United States. His work has been cited in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker. He has also testified before Congress as well as several state legislatures.
Prior to his work at American Progress, Madland worked on economic policy for then-Rep. George Miller (D-CA). He received his doctorate in government from Georgetown University and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. His dissertation about the decline of the U.S. pension system received the “2008 Best Dissertation Award” from the Labor and Employment Relations Association.
David Madland explains why Congress should develop a new prevailing wage policy for electric vehicle jobs.
By instituting prevailing wage policies, policymakers can ensure that the jobs they subsidize in one of America's newest industries offer fair wages and benefits.
David Madland outlines several lessons learned from the historic nationwide contracts that Amazon workers in Italy signed in 2021 and suggests a path forward for unionized workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse, who must now try to sign a collective bargaining agreement.
David Madland writes about why Congress must prohibit firms from deducting the costs of their anti-union activities from their corporate taxes.
Facilitated by worker activism, supportive policy, and a sectoral bargaining system, unions in Italy signed a collective bargaining agreement with Amazon, offering optimism for U.S. workers seeking to negotiate with the company.
David Madland explains how California's Fast Recovery Act can provide fast-food workers in the state with a platform to discuss wages and possibly improve working conditions.
Worker boards have achieved real momentum in the United States, with four states and three local governments enacting laws since 2018 that bring workers and employers together to recommend standards.
Prevailing wage laws for government service contracts can uplift wages and benefits; reduce racial pay gaps; and could have a range of positive effects on worker turnover, service quality, local budgets, and collective bargaining.
David Madland praises a new Detroit city ordinance that would create a process for bringing together representatives of workers, employers, and the public to make recommendations around minimum compensation and standards for certain industries.
Sectoral bargaining allows workers to negotiate wages and job standards across an industry, improving working conditions and boosting productivity.
In light of the strikes happening across industries this month, David Madland argues that Congress and companies should heed workers' calls for better jobs.
Aurelia Glass and David Madland explain how increasing union membership can help rebuild the middle class and narrow the racial wealth gap in the United States.
