The Betrayal of Work is among the greatest books in a growing field that looks at the predicament of one-quarter in the U.S. workforce. Some 30 million workers are caught in low-wage and low-benefit jobs. These jobs are referred to as low-skill jobs, but as Shulman appropriately points out; all these jobs need abilities, whether or not the job is as a retail clerk or perhaps a hotel maid. This book is concerning the workers who are earning much less than the federal poverty level, presently about $9 an hour for a family of four.
This book is really a comprehensive collection — an amazing literature evaluation — of all the studies on the operating poor. Her footnotes alone cover 55 pages! But The Betrayal of Work is far from dry, scholarly reading. It’s provocative and just a bit chilling, a myth-busting examination of how we allow employers to treat these under-educated, under-skilled, and under-valued members in the workforce. If you had been to only read one book on this subject, The Betrayal of Work ought to be the one. Interwoven with the facts and figures are some real-life tales of the working poor. And following reading these accounts, you might by no means eat poultry once more, never take for granted the aide who watches more than your mother in assisted living, never treat the housekeeping staff inside your office as if they were from a various planet.
Why should we care? We should care simply because fairness and equality are in the heart of this country’s beginnings. And as Shulman notes: “Without change, a growing gap between the haves and also the have-nots will continue to challenge our national solidarity and stability and will strain an already divisive America… If we honor work, we should reward it. For generations, Americans shared a tacit understanding that in the event you worked hard, a livable income and basic securities had been to become yours. That promise has been broken and as a nation we’re living a lie.”
Shulman goes on to give details and figures on the types of jobs most typically low-wage (such as retail clerks, house health aides, child-care workers, call-center operators, security guards, janitors, agricultural workers, meat processors, and much more) also as the demographic profile of low-wage workers – typically white, female, small formal education, and with family members responsibilities. But most compelling is her review of the vicious cycle of low-wage workers whose kids are much more likely to also fall into poverty and low-wage jobs.
By far, Shulman’s greatest feat within the Betrayal of Work is her last chapter in which she discusses a compact for working Americans. She states, “This society needs to agree on a new set of principles – a compact with working Americans — that establishes obligations and responsibilities of employers and government to workers. This compact has a easy and clear purpose: workers should be assured that if they work hard they’ll be treated fairly and have the resources to offer for themselves and their families.”
Shulman’s Compact With Working Americans consists of: Providing a sufficient income to meet a family’s basic needs; Affordable healthcare coverage; Flexibility and support for family issues; Opportunities to gain new skills; Affordable and safe housing; Safe and healthy work environment; Security in times of economic adversity and retirement; The right to organize and collectively bargain; Fair trade and immigration policies.
Others might see this book as just another liberal spouting liberal doctrines and policies that will badly stress employers, but when you put aside the politics and concentrate on the individuals — the 30 million low-wage, near-poverty workers — you come away using the idea of this book as the textbook for altering how we view and treat these important members in the workforce — these important humans and fellow citizens. This book ought to be must-reading for all students, business leaders, and politicians.