around the uft
Times reporter’s new book on labor ‘required reading’
Jun 5, 2008 1:27 PM
New York Times reporter Steven Greenhouse signs copies of his book for (from left) Mark Collins of IS 68 in Brooklyn, Eileen Fields of PS 60 in Staten Island and Carl Cambria of Wadleigh Secondary School in Manhattan.
New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse spoke to UFT members and staff on May 28 about his newly published book “The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker.” He also signed copies of the book.
Greenhouse, who has been covering labor for the paper for 15 years, was introduced by UFT President Randi Weingarten, who said that the city’s workers could always expect a fair story when they see his byline. She said: “You can’t spin Steve Greenhouse” and added that “he has written an amazing book.”
Weingarten said the book should be “required reading” for those who think there is a class issue in America, and “even for those who don’t think there is.”
One of Greenhouse’s favorite teachings, Weingarten told the audience, is from Proverbs: “He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker.” And another, she added, is from Deuteronomy: “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities in your land.”
Greenhouse, whose father was a teacher in Long Island and a NYSUT member, said he has interviewed “thousands of workers, including steelworkers and strawberry pickers, Microsoft whizzes and minimum-wage waitresses.”
Among other stories, Greenhouse said he has covered Wal-Mart’s locking in its workers overnight and the fraud at Toys “R” Us where bosses cheated workers by erasing hours from their time cards. He has also written about the “horrendous housing conditions of our country’s farm workers.”
Greenhouse said he was honored to be “among great teachers in this great city.” He said American companies are not sharing their profits like they once did and quoted billionaire investor Warren Buffet as saying that “the average worker is on a treadmill.”
He also accused some major corporations of breaking the law “much more now” in how they treat their workers and cited the example of a Fed Ex worker who was fired after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. “The company said she was an independent contractor, not an employee,” Greenhouse said.
One of the reasons for the decline of labor, he said, is attributable to less federal regulation and because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is not as vigorous as it once was. He said too many companies are now treating their workers “with a surprising lack of respect.”
He gave examples of Circuit City laying off workers, then offering to hire them back but only if they accepted radically reduced wages. “Radio Shack fired people via e-mail,” he said, and another company gave its fired workers a handbook titled “101 ways to save money.” Suggestions included visiting pawnshops, borrowing a dress for a night on the town and not being afraid to pull stuff out of the trash.
Greenhouse said light-heartedly that it seems as though he has written a “depressing” book, but said the good news is that a recent poll found that 52 percent of non-management workers said they would join a union if given the opportunity.
