Daniel J Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
It is conventional wisdom that because of lucrative contracts negotiated by the United Auto Workers (UAW) under Walter Reuther's leadership, most autoworkers in the U.S. enjoyed steady work, ...
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It is conventional wisdom that because of lucrative contracts negotiated by the United Auto Workers (UAW) under Walter Reuther's leadership, most autoworkers in the U.S. enjoyed steady work, increasing wages, and improved benefits in the postwar boom following World War II. In short, autoworkers entered the middle class. In contrast, this book argues that for Detroit autoworkers there was no postwar boom. Instead, the years from 1945 to 1960 were dominated by job instability and economic insecurity. This argument is based largely on oral history interviews and research in local newspapers, which covered the auto industry extensively. Conditions were worse for African Americans and white women, but almost all autoworkers experienced precarious, often dire circumstances. Recessions, automation, decentralization, and the collapse of independent automakers in Detroit are part of the story, but materials shortages, steel, coal, and copper strikes, parts supplier strikes, wildcat strikes, overproduction (especially in 1955), hot weather, cold weather, plant explosions, age, race, and gender workplace discrimination, and the inability of autoworkers to afford new cars contributed to instability and insecurity. Hardly anyone in the 1950s—whether ordinary autoworkers, union leaders, auto company executives, business analysts, or local shopkeepers—thought that the decade was marked by steady work, improving wages, or anything resembling predictable income for autoworkers.Less
It is conventional wisdom that because of lucrative contracts negotiated by the United Auto Workers (UAW) under Walter Reuther's leadership, most autoworkers in the U.S. enjoyed steady work, increasing wages, and improved benefits in the postwar boom following World War II. In short, autoworkers entered the middle class. In contrast, this book argues that for Detroit autoworkers there was no postwar boom. Instead, the years from 1945 to 1960 were dominated by job instability and economic insecurity. This argument is based largely on oral history interviews and research in local newspapers, which covered the auto industry extensively. Conditions were worse for African Americans and white women, but almost all autoworkers experienced precarious, often dire circumstances. Recessions, automation, decentralization, and the collapse of independent automakers in Detroit are part of the story, but materials shortages, steel, coal, and copper strikes, parts supplier strikes, wildcat strikes, overproduction (especially in 1955), hot weather, cold weather, plant explosions, age, race, and gender workplace discrimination, and the inability of autoworkers to afford new cars contributed to instability and insecurity. Hardly anyone in the 1950s—whether ordinary autoworkers, union leaders, auto company executives, business analysts, or local shopkeepers—thought that the decade was marked by steady work, improving wages, or anything resembling predictable income for autoworkers.
Ray Ball
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199260621
- eISBN:
- 9780191601668
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199260621.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
Explores the link between corporate governance and accounting using the US cross-listing of Daimler-Benz as an example. The changes in Daimler’s corporate governance around the cross-listing, ...
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Explores the link between corporate governance and accounting using the US cross-listing of Daimler-Benz as an example. The changes in Daimler’s corporate governance around the cross-listing, essentially grafting elements of a shareholder value model onto its stakeholder structure, is highlighted, and the resulting changes in its approach to financial reporting is discussed. The case study highlights the economic forces that shape accounting practice and drive accounting harmonization around the world. The eight sections of the chapter are: Introduction; Background to the events of the case; Code-law and common-law models of corporate governance, financial reporting, and disclosure; Some properties of the German institutional structure; Daimler’s 1993 events: Disclosing a loss, hidden reserves, NYSE listing, US GAAP reporting, plant closing, and employee layoffs; Daimler-Benz’s motives; Embracing shareholder value; and Limitations, outcomes, and risks.Less
Explores the link between corporate governance and accounting using the US cross-listing of Daimler-Benz as an example. The changes in Daimler’s corporate governance around the cross-listing, essentially grafting elements of a shareholder value model onto its stakeholder structure, is highlighted, and the resulting changes in its approach to financial reporting is discussed. The case study highlights the economic forces that shape accounting practice and drive accounting harmonization around the world. The eight sections of the chapter are: Introduction; Background to the events of the case; Code-law and common-law models of corporate governance, financial reporting, and disclosure; Some properties of the German institutional structure; Daimler’s 1993 events: Disclosing a loss, hidden reserves, NYSE listing, US GAAP reporting, plant closing, and employee layoffs; Daimler-Benz’s motives; Embracing shareholder value; and Limitations, outcomes, and risks.
Richard Layard, Stephen Nickell, and Richard Jackman
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199279166
- eISBN:
- 9780191700033
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279166.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Macro- and Monetary Economics
Generally, unions bargain over wages and manning ratios. They do not bargain on total employment for the reason than in most normal cases (wherein new workers are hired), the employment level is ...
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Generally, unions bargain over wages and manning ratios. They do not bargain on total employment for the reason than in most normal cases (wherein new workers are hired), the employment level is irrelevant to existing labourers. However, where jobs are being lost, there is sometimes bargaining over layoffs. Layoffs are generally left to management discretion — and the wage bargain takes the risk of layoffs into consideration. From the firm's perspective, when the bargained wage is higher, the more powerful the labour union is, the less elastic is the demand for labour. The higher the wage, the lower the unemployment level is.Less
Generally, unions bargain over wages and manning ratios. They do not bargain on total employment for the reason than in most normal cases (wherein new workers are hired), the employment level is irrelevant to existing labourers. However, where jobs are being lost, there is sometimes bargaining over layoffs. Layoffs are generally left to management discretion — and the wage bargain takes the risk of layoffs into consideration. From the firm's perspective, when the bargained wage is higher, the more powerful the labour union is, the less elastic is the demand for labour. The higher the wage, the lower the unemployment level is.
Leslie Berlin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195163438
- eISBN:
- 9780199788569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195163438.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter recounts the events that affected Noyce's life and Intel during the 1970s. Topics covered include the meteoric rise of Intel, Noyce's wealth, Noyce extra-marital affair and the breakup ...
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This chapter recounts the events that affected Noyce's life and Intel during the 1970s. Topics covered include the meteoric rise of Intel, Noyce's wealth, Noyce extra-marital affair and the breakup of his marriage, and the decline of the semiconductor industry and the resulting mass layoffs.Less
This chapter recounts the events that affected Noyce's life and Intel during the 1970s. Topics covered include the meteoric rise of Intel, Noyce's wealth, Noyce extra-marital affair and the breakup of his marriage, and the decline of the semiconductor industry and the resulting mass layoffs.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
After earning the nickname "The Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII, Detroit’s auto plants experienced production disruptions during postwar reconversion to civilian production. This meant significant ...
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After earning the nickname "The Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII, Detroit’s auto plants experienced production disruptions during postwar reconversion to civilian production. This meant significant layoffs, especially for women autoworkers. Shortages of crucial materials, often caused by steel strikes and coal strikes, made auto employment sporadic. Authorized strikes in the auto industry, including the 1946 GM strike called by Walter Reuther, and unauthorized "wildcat" strikes, all contributed to ongoing instability. Cold weather, hot weather, and federal credit regulations played roles as well. As a result, autoworkers experienced persistent layoffs even though auto companies managed to earn profits during the early postwar years. By late 1948, no one in the industry thought that the postwar boom had arrived.Less
After earning the nickname "The Arsenal of Democracy" during WWII, Detroit’s auto plants experienced production disruptions during postwar reconversion to civilian production. This meant significant layoffs, especially for women autoworkers. Shortages of crucial materials, often caused by steel strikes and coal strikes, made auto employment sporadic. Authorized strikes in the auto industry, including the 1946 GM strike called by Walter Reuther, and unauthorized "wildcat" strikes, all contributed to ongoing instability. Cold weather, hot weather, and federal credit regulations played roles as well. As a result, autoworkers experienced persistent layoffs even though auto companies managed to earn profits during the early postwar years. By late 1948, no one in the industry thought that the postwar boom had arrived.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
The 1950 GM-UAW contract, called "The Treaty of Detroit" by Fortune magazine, dominates accounts of postwar U.S. labor history because it seemed to ensure steady employment, increasing wages, and ...
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The 1950 GM-UAW contract, called "The Treaty of Detroit" by Fortune magazine, dominates accounts of postwar U.S. labor history because it seemed to ensure steady employment, increasing wages, and improved benefits, like pensions, for autoworkers. But the Treaty of Detroit and comparable contracts with Chrysler and Ford were efforts to achieve some semblance of stability and predictability in a volatile industry, not the confirmation and continued promise of the postwar boom. The contracts were signed after a year of national recession, marked by intensifying competition in the auto industry, with production speedups and strikes, new efforts at automation (the replacement of jobs with machinery), national coal and steel strikes, and chronic layoffs for autoworkers. The Korean War led to further instability.Less
The 1950 GM-UAW contract, called "The Treaty of Detroit" by Fortune magazine, dominates accounts of postwar U.S. labor history because it seemed to ensure steady employment, increasing wages, and improved benefits, like pensions, for autoworkers. But the Treaty of Detroit and comparable contracts with Chrysler and Ford were efforts to achieve some semblance of stability and predictability in a volatile industry, not the confirmation and continued promise of the postwar boom. The contracts were signed after a year of national recession, marked by intensifying competition in the auto industry, with production speedups and strikes, new efforts at automation (the replacement of jobs with machinery), national coal and steel strikes, and chronic layoffs for autoworkers. The Korean War led to further instability.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
During the Korean War, autoworkers experienced persistent layoffs while inflation increased the cost of living. Government allocations of raw materials did not favor the auto industry, and most ...
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During the Korean War, autoworkers experienced persistent layoffs while inflation increased the cost of living. Government allocations of raw materials did not favor the auto industry, and most military contracts did not to go to Detroit factories. Despite dire warnings from industrialists, union leaders, and civic officials, tens of thousands of people, motivated by memories of Detroit as the Arsenal of Democracy during WWII, migrated to the city. At one point in 1952, 10 percent of all unemployment in the nation was in metro-Detroit. Then the 1952 steel strike eliminated auto production. In the background, automation continued to eliminate jobs. Nevertheless, the auto industry revived in late 1952 and there was suddenly a labor shortage.Less
During the Korean War, autoworkers experienced persistent layoffs while inflation increased the cost of living. Government allocations of raw materials did not favor the auto industry, and most military contracts did not to go to Detroit factories. Despite dire warnings from industrialists, union leaders, and civic officials, tens of thousands of people, motivated by memories of Detroit as the Arsenal of Democracy during WWII, migrated to the city. At one point in 1952, 10 percent of all unemployment in the nation was in metro-Detroit. Then the 1952 steel strike eliminated auto production. In the background, automation continued to eliminate jobs. Nevertheless, the auto industry revived in late 1952 and there was suddenly a labor shortage.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
During the 1954 recession, tens of thousands of Detroit autoworkers experienced prolonged layoffs and relied on unemployment pay and secondary jobs. Industry officials and civic leaders denied that ...
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During the 1954 recession, tens of thousands of Detroit autoworkers experienced prolonged layoffs and relied on unemployment pay and secondary jobs. Industry officials and civic leaders denied that there was a recession, blamed any problems on negative thinking, and tried to convince the public that volatility in the auto industry was normal and of no great concern. Many Detroiters blamed working women and southern white migrants for high unemployment. Automation contributed to joblessness, while some UAW skilled workers benefited from building the new machinery. The demise of independent automakers and local auto suppliers resulted in thousands of additional lost jobs. While many autoworkers returned to work late in the year, most remained concerned about how long the upswing would last.Less
During the 1954 recession, tens of thousands of Detroit autoworkers experienced prolonged layoffs and relied on unemployment pay and secondary jobs. Industry officials and civic leaders denied that there was a recession, blamed any problems on negative thinking, and tried to convince the public that volatility in the auto industry was normal and of no great concern. Many Detroiters blamed working women and southern white migrants for high unemployment. Automation contributed to joblessness, while some UAW skilled workers benefited from building the new machinery. The demise of independent automakers and local auto suppliers resulted in thousands of additional lost jobs. While many autoworkers returned to work late in the year, most remained concerned about how long the upswing would last.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
The year 1955 is the template for claims that the decade was a golden age for autoworkers. It began with auto plants operating at or near capacity, with multiple shifts. Business leaders predicted ...
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The year 1955 is the template for claims that the decade was a golden age for autoworkers. It began with auto plants operating at or near capacity, with multiple shifts. Business leaders predicted that the good times would last indefinitely. Nevertheless, unemployment remained high, and UAW leaders feared that excessive production early in the year would mean layoffs by fall. While production hummed at record rates, automakers and the UAW engaged in contract negotiations, with union leaders demanding a Guaranteed Annual Wage. Instead, the two sides settled on Supplemental Unemployment Benefits. Compared with any other year in the decade, 1955 brought high production, low unemployment, substantial profits for automakers, and steady pay for autoworkers, who were called the new labor aristocracy.Less
The year 1955 is the template for claims that the decade was a golden age for autoworkers. It began with auto plants operating at or near capacity, with multiple shifts. Business leaders predicted that the good times would last indefinitely. Nevertheless, unemployment remained high, and UAW leaders feared that excessive production early in the year would mean layoffs by fall. While production hummed at record rates, automakers and the UAW engaged in contract negotiations, with union leaders demanding a Guaranteed Annual Wage. Instead, the two sides settled on Supplemental Unemployment Benefits. Compared with any other year in the decade, 1955 brought high production, low unemployment, substantial profits for automakers, and steady pay for autoworkers, who were called the new labor aristocracy.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
The 1955 production boom resulted in nearly a million unsold vehicles on dealers’ lots. As a result, automakers scaled back production, resulting in widespread, chronic layoffs for autoworkers. ...
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The 1955 production boom resulted in nearly a million unsold vehicles on dealers’ lots. As a result, automakers scaled back production, resulting in widespread, chronic layoffs for autoworkers. Supplemental Unemployment Benefits were of little help because the programs were not fully funded and most unemployed autoworkers did not meet eligibility requirements. Instead, they struggled to cobble together secondary support systems. Many autoworkers had gone into debt during flush times in 1955 and were now saddled with mortgages, rents, or installment payments without regular income. Detroit floundered while the national economy thrived. More accurately, Detroit's working-class residents suffered while wealthier Detroiters shared in the nation's prosperity. Federal officials and automakers blamed autoworkers, with their high wages and generous fringe benefits, for their predicament.Less
The 1955 production boom resulted in nearly a million unsold vehicles on dealers’ lots. As a result, automakers scaled back production, resulting in widespread, chronic layoffs for autoworkers. Supplemental Unemployment Benefits were of little help because the programs were not fully funded and most unemployed autoworkers did not meet eligibility requirements. Instead, they struggled to cobble together secondary support systems. Many autoworkers had gone into debt during flush times in 1955 and were now saddled with mortgages, rents, or installment payments without regular income. Detroit floundered while the national economy thrived. More accurately, Detroit's working-class residents suffered while wealthier Detroiters shared in the nation's prosperity. Federal officials and automakers blamed autoworkers, with their high wages and generous fringe benefits, for their predicament.
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0009
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
In 1958, conditions in Detroit’s auto industry went from bad to worse. Unemployment often exceeded 15 percent, easily double the national rate. Rampant inflation made things worse. Well over ...
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In 1958, conditions in Detroit’s auto industry went from bad to worse. Unemployment often exceeded 15 percent, easily double the national rate. Rampant inflation made things worse. Well over 250,000 Detroiters were out of work most of the year, and for several months more than 300,000 were jobless. UAW contracts with automakers expired that summer, but unlike in 1955, during the 1958 recession the union had no leverage to combat layoffs. Nevertheless, many business leaders insisted that autoworkers had it too good. Desperate times also brought a resurgence of scapegoating, particularly targeting married women autoworkers. Skilled workers were especially upset, as two-thirds of them were laid off by late 1958. Industry forecasts predicted a grim futureLess
In 1958, conditions in Detroit’s auto industry went from bad to worse. Unemployment often exceeded 15 percent, easily double the national rate. Rampant inflation made things worse. Well over 250,000 Detroiters were out of work most of the year, and for several months more than 300,000 were jobless. UAW contracts with automakers expired that summer, but unlike in 1955, during the 1958 recession the union had no leverage to combat layoffs. Nevertheless, many business leaders insisted that autoworkers had it too good. Desperate times also brought a resurgence of scapegoating, particularly targeting married women autoworkers. Skilled workers were especially upset, as two-thirds of them were laid off by late 1958. Industry forecasts predicted a grim future
Daniel J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780252042010
- eISBN:
- 9780252050756
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042010.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
Despite the official end of the 1958 recession, massive unemployment persisted for Detroit's autoworkers amidst huge disruptions in production. Safety nets had long since frayed. Most autoworkers ...
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Despite the official end of the 1958 recession, massive unemployment persisted for Detroit's autoworkers amidst huge disruptions in production. Safety nets had long since frayed. Most autoworkers exhausted their unemployment benefits and few alternate employment options existed. Unemployed Detroiters lined up wherever there were job openings, no matter the type of work. Ford and GM, however, earned healthy profits, despite shutdowns caused by a national steel strike. The only bright spot in the industry, nationwide, was the trend toward fuel-efficient, compact cars. In mid-1960 the U.S. Department of Labor declared Detroit to be in the "worst-off" category among metropolitan areas. By the end of 1960, auto work remained precarious in the Motor City, and the postwar boom remained elusive.Less
Despite the official end of the 1958 recession, massive unemployment persisted for Detroit's autoworkers amidst huge disruptions in production. Safety nets had long since frayed. Most autoworkers exhausted their unemployment benefits and few alternate employment options existed. Unemployed Detroiters lined up wherever there were job openings, no matter the type of work. Ford and GM, however, earned healthy profits, despite shutdowns caused by a national steel strike. The only bright spot in the industry, nationwide, was the trend toward fuel-efficient, compact cars. In mid-1960 the U.S. Department of Labor declared Detroit to be in the "worst-off" category among metropolitan areas. By the end of 1960, auto work remained precarious in the Motor City, and the postwar boom remained elusive.
Dale Maharidge
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520262478
- eISBN:
- 9780520948792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520262478.003.0028
- Subject:
- Anthropology, American and Canadian Cultural Anthropology
Youngstown is a difficult place to find hope. Like many cities in the Steel Belt, it has never been the kind of town where most residents drink their morning coffee bright with optimism for the new ...
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Youngstown is a difficult place to find hope. Like many cities in the Steel Belt, it has never been the kind of town where most residents drink their morning coffee bright with optimism for the new day, even in the best economic times. If defeat is a possibility in any endeavor of life, it tends to be embraced as the inevitable result. Growing up in Cleveland, Dale Maharidge called this the “can't do” mentality. Mill towns are just that way. Of course, in the days of his youth, there were, relatively speaking, few real problems. So when a true crisis occurred, with the shutdowns and layoffs, this defeatism matured into something far more debilitating. This is true not only in Youngstown but also in much of steel country. An excellent description comes from Abigail Wendle, twenty-three years old, who grew up in Youngstown.Less
Youngstown is a difficult place to find hope. Like many cities in the Steel Belt, it has never been the kind of town where most residents drink their morning coffee bright with optimism for the new day, even in the best economic times. If defeat is a possibility in any endeavor of life, it tends to be embraced as the inevitable result. Growing up in Cleveland, Dale Maharidge called this the “can't do” mentality. Mill towns are just that way. Of course, in the days of his youth, there were, relatively speaking, few real problems. So when a true crisis occurred, with the shutdowns and layoffs, this defeatism matured into something far more debilitating. This is true not only in Youngstown but also in much of steel country. An excellent description comes from Abigail Wendle, twenty-three years old, who grew up in Youngstown.
Raymond F. Gregory
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801449543
- eISBN:
- 9780801460746
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801449543.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR
This chapter examines acts of religious discrimination at various stages of the employment relationship. A worker who intends to pursue a religious discrimination claim against his or her employer ...
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This chapter examines acts of religious discrimination at various stages of the employment relationship. A worker who intends to pursue a religious discrimination claim against his or her employer may turn to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). When a worker files a charge, the EEOC investigates the allegations of discrimination. That investigation typically leads either to a “for cause” finding (there is reason to believe that the worker was subjected to discriminatory conduct) or a “no cause” finding (there is no reason to believe that the employer engaged in discriminatory conduct). This chapter discusses religious discrimination claims asserted during the employment relationship, focusing on the following areas: hiring and promotions; dress codes, general attire, and personal appearance; work assignments; discipline; wages and benefits; transfers; and layoffs. It also considers a number of court cases that illustrate the problems typically encountered by workers as they pursue their religious discrimination claims before the EEOC and the courts.Less
This chapter examines acts of religious discrimination at various stages of the employment relationship. A worker who intends to pursue a religious discrimination claim against his or her employer may turn to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). When a worker files a charge, the EEOC investigates the allegations of discrimination. That investigation typically leads either to a “for cause” finding (there is reason to believe that the worker was subjected to discriminatory conduct) or a “no cause” finding (there is no reason to believe that the employer engaged in discriminatory conduct). This chapter discusses religious discrimination claims asserted during the employment relationship, focusing on the following areas: hiring and promotions; dress codes, general attire, and personal appearance; work assignments; discipline; wages and benefits; transfers; and layoffs. It also considers a number of court cases that illustrate the problems typically encountered by workers as they pursue their religious discrimination claims before the EEOC and the courts.
Carrie M. Lane
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801449642
- eISBN:
- 9780801460791
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801449642.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work
This chapter follows Dallas-area job seekers through their layoffs and into the early stages of their job search, examining what appeared to be a surprising lack of anger and anxiety about their new ...
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This chapter follows Dallas-area job seekers through their layoffs and into the early stages of their job search, examining what appeared to be a surprising lack of anger and anxiety about their new predicament. It outlines the ideology of career management, which represents a historic cultural shift in the mindset of white-collar U.S. workers toward employment, dependency, and security. Perhaps best described as neoliberalism for the organization man set, career management builds on a long history of management theory and American mythologies of meritocratic individualism and masculine agency. It naturalizes the absence of secure, long-term employment, casts the resulting insecurity as an empowering alternative to dependence on a single employer, and prescribes explicitly individualistic, apolitical, pro-market means by which one can best position oneself to succeed in an increasingly global and competitive world.Less
This chapter follows Dallas-area job seekers through their layoffs and into the early stages of their job search, examining what appeared to be a surprising lack of anger and anxiety about their new predicament. It outlines the ideology of career management, which represents a historic cultural shift in the mindset of white-collar U.S. workers toward employment, dependency, and security. Perhaps best described as neoliberalism for the organization man set, career management builds on a long history of management theory and American mythologies of meritocratic individualism and masculine agency. It naturalizes the absence of secure, long-term employment, casts the resulting insecurity as an empowering alternative to dependence on a single employer, and prescribes explicitly individualistic, apolitical, pro-market means by which one can best position oneself to succeed in an increasingly global and competitive world.
Baranowska Anna
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847420640
- eISBN:
- 9781447302230
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847420640.003.0011
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
The transition to a market economy in Poland started in 1990 with radical and comprehensive reforms aimed at eliminating detailed state intervention in both labour and product markets. Increasing ...
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The transition to a market economy in Poland started in 1990 with radical and comprehensive reforms aimed at eliminating detailed state intervention in both labour and product markets. Increasing competition, restructuring and privatisation necessitated massive layoffs. The government set up social security schemes for workers losing their jobs, but due to public finance constraints the generousness of these schemes was soon substantially reduced. The introduction of market rules into the labour market resulted in increasing income inequality, with a growing wage premium for highly skilled workers. Partly as a response to rising returns to skills and partly due to reforms allowing for the establishment of private education institutions, rapid tertiary education expansion has taken place. Higher education enrolment rates increased more than threefold between 1989 and 2004.Less
The transition to a market economy in Poland started in 1990 with radical and comprehensive reforms aimed at eliminating detailed state intervention in both labour and product markets. Increasing competition, restructuring and privatisation necessitated massive layoffs. The government set up social security schemes for workers losing their jobs, but due to public finance constraints the generousness of these schemes was soon substantially reduced. The introduction of market rules into the labour market resulted in increasing income inequality, with a growing wage premium for highly skilled workers. Partly as a response to rising returns to skills and partly due to reforms allowing for the establishment of private education institutions, rapid tertiary education expansion has taken place. Higher education enrolment rates increased more than threefold between 1989 and 2004.
Wen Hua
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789888139811
- eISBN:
- 9789888180691
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139811.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
People usually assume that cosmetic surgery is a privilege of the elite and the rich. However, women who opt for cosmetic surgery come from diverse groups in China. Using ethnographic cases, this ...
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People usually assume that cosmetic surgery is a privilege of the elite and the rich. However, women who opt for cosmetic surgery come from diverse groups in China. Using ethnographic cases, this chapter highlights the diverse motivations that lead to cosmetic surgery. It reveals that for some Chinese women, cosmetic surgery is less about vanity than practicality. The drastic and dramatic economic, socio-cultural and political changes in China have produced immense anxiety that is experienced by women both mentally and physically.Less
People usually assume that cosmetic surgery is a privilege of the elite and the rich. However, women who opt for cosmetic surgery come from diverse groups in China. Using ethnographic cases, this chapter highlights the diverse motivations that lead to cosmetic surgery. It reveals that for some Chinese women, cosmetic surgery is less about vanity than practicality. The drastic and dramatic economic, socio-cultural and political changes in China have produced immense anxiety that is experienced by women both mentally and physically.
Joel Andreas
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190052607
- eISBN:
- 9780190052645
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190052607.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Occupations, Professions, and Work, Comparative and Historical Sociology
Chapter 8 examines the consequences of industrial restructuring, which began in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. The great majority of state-run and collective enterprises have been ...
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Chapter 8 examines the consequences of industrial restructuring, which began in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. The great majority of state-run and collective enterprises have been privatized, and all firms—including those in which the state has retained a stake—have been turned into shareholding companies. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs, and permanent job tenure has been replaced by much more precarious employment relations. As work unit communities have been transformed into profit-oriented enterprises, workers have been reduced to hired labor, losing their status as legitimate stakeholders and eroding the foundations for workplace participation. Shop-floor self-management has been replaced by harsh disciplinary regimes enforced by bonuses, fines, and the threat of dismissal, and staff and workers congresses have been sidelined. Workers, whose influence is now explicitly seen as compromising efforts to maximize profits, have been disenfranchised.Less
Chapter 8 examines the consequences of industrial restructuring, which began in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. The great majority of state-run and collective enterprises have been privatized, and all firms—including those in which the state has retained a stake—have been turned into shareholding companies. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs, and permanent job tenure has been replaced by much more precarious employment relations. As work unit communities have been transformed into profit-oriented enterprises, workers have been reduced to hired labor, losing their status as legitimate stakeholders and eroding the foundations for workplace participation. Shop-floor self-management has been replaced by harsh disciplinary regimes enforced by bonuses, fines, and the threat of dismissal, and staff and workers congresses have been sidelined. Workers, whose influence is now explicitly seen as compromising efforts to maximize profits, have been disenfranchised.
Barry L. Friedman
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199990313
- eISBN:
- 9780199346363
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199990313.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter is concerned with three transitions and their effects on social security and employment policies. In the transition from Maoist socialism, China aimed to reduce worker redundancy in ...
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This chapter is concerned with three transitions and their effects on social security and employment policies. In the transition from Maoist socialism, China aimed to reduce worker redundancy in enterprises and also to reduce the cost of benefits such as pensions that state-owned enterprises had to pay for their workers, whose jobs were guaranteed for life. The chapter traces the reforms in social security and employment policies and concerns over unemployment and possible risks to social stability. Employment policy was driven by the unresolved tension between reducing redundancy and preserving stability, while early pension reforms accommodated the evolving employment policy. As officials became aware of aging and the demographic transition, pension policy began to develop more independently, although employment concerns still kept the retirement age low. Evidence is presented that work has become common among older people in spite of official policy. Finally, the transition from agriculture has resulted in masses of rural people finding urban employment. In 2009 a rural pension system was established, separate from the urban system. But continued movement of workers between sectors is likely to create tensions in this dual pension system.Less
This chapter is concerned with three transitions and their effects on social security and employment policies. In the transition from Maoist socialism, China aimed to reduce worker redundancy in enterprises and also to reduce the cost of benefits such as pensions that state-owned enterprises had to pay for their workers, whose jobs were guaranteed for life. The chapter traces the reforms in social security and employment policies and concerns over unemployment and possible risks to social stability. Employment policy was driven by the unresolved tension between reducing redundancy and preserving stability, while early pension reforms accommodated the evolving employment policy. As officials became aware of aging and the demographic transition, pension policy began to develop more independently, although employment concerns still kept the retirement age low. Evidence is presented that work has become common among older people in spite of official policy. Finally, the transition from agriculture has resulted in masses of rural people finding urban employment. In 2009 a rural pension system was established, separate from the urban system. But continued movement of workers between sectors is likely to create tensions in this dual pension system.
John M. Abowd, Kevin L. McKinney, and Lars Vilhuber
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226172569
- eISBN:
- 9780226172576
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226172576.003.0013
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
This chapter uses the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data set to assess the human capital embodied in a firm's workforce and relate it to the performance of the firm. It observes ...
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This chapter uses the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data set to assess the human capital embodied in a firm's workforce and relate it to the performance of the firm. It observes that mass layoffs and firm failure are much more likely in firms with a large proportion of low human capital workers. Firms that do not fail generally upgrade the human capital of their workforce. Moreover, firms with a single displacement event are more likely to die. A single displacement event is linked with a significant reduction in the upskilling of the continuing firm's workforce. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that firms that disproportionately employ workers in the highest quartile of the skill distribution are less likely to close, even given a displacement event, than are other firms that experience displacement events.Less
This chapter uses the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data set to assess the human capital embodied in a firm's workforce and relate it to the performance of the firm. It observes that mass layoffs and firm failure are much more likely in firms with a large proportion of low human capital workers. Firms that do not fail generally upgrade the human capital of their workforce. Moreover, firms with a single displacement event are more likely to die. A single displacement event is linked with a significant reduction in the upskilling of the continuing firm's workforce. Furthermore, the analysis indicates that firms that disproportionately employ workers in the highest quartile of the skill distribution are less likely to close, even given a displacement event, than are other firms that experience displacement events.
