http://www.laborradio.org/node/8471Lede: Workers face increasing job losses and the Economic Policy Institute says policy changes are needed to help us. Doug Cunningham has more on the story.
By Doug Cunningham
For four months in a row now U.S. workers have suffered a net loss of jobs. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute says working people are in for more of the same.
: “The last six months the economy barely grew at all and as a consequence we’re gonna see persistent loss of jobs for months to come and steadily rising unemployment. Whenever that happens , and we’re already seeing it, wages grow much more slowly, hours of work don’t rise or they actually decline. Fewer family members are working, people are working part-time jobs, they want a full time job.”
To really make the economy work for workers, Mishel says, we need economic policy designed to make sure all workers benefit from the economy.
: “We need to provide extended unemployment insurance so those who are exhausting benefits get it and spend in a healthy economy. I think we need a boost of spending by the government
on infrastructure repairs and schools , bridges, roads, sewage, etc,
to help create jobs as soon as possible.”