U.S. Workers' Stories Illuminate Intensifying Struggle for Dignity

Interview with Tom Juravich, professor of labor studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, conducted by Scott Harris

As 2010 begins, American workers are confronting some of the hardest times since the Great Depression. With unemployment in double digits, record home foreclosures and bank loans difficult to secure, workers lucky enough to be employed often are forced to get a second and third job just to pay the rent, put food on the table and handle soaring college tuition and health care costs. But U.S. corporate media, by and large, ignore telling the stories of working Americans, their struggles and the sacrifices made.

However in his new book, "At the Altar of the Bottom Line: The Degradation of Work in the 21st Century," Tom Juravich, professor of labor studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst paints a compelling portrait of workers making a living in four different industries in his state. In the spirit of prize-winning author Studs Terkel, known for his in-depth interviews with ordinary people, Juravich takes us inside the lives of people from a variety of backgrounds: citizens and immigrants working at a Verizon call center, a fish processing factory, a hospital and a now closed machine shop.

Through these individual stories, the larger issues of corporate-led globalization and the declining power of unions that confront American workers can be better understood. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Tom Juravich, also an accomplished singer songwriter, who describes the lives of the workers he interviewed and the common struggles they face to secure a decent wage, improve sometimes unsafe working conditions and maintain their dignity on the job.

Visit Tom Juravich's website at www.tomjuravich.com

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"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
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