blue-collar blues i.changing conditions a.economic b.cultural c.political ii.deindustrialization...
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Blue-collar BluesI. Changing Conditions
A. EconomicB. CulturalC. Political
II. DeindustrializationA. Importing goodsB. Exporting manufacturing
III. Unions and WorkersA. Union BustingB. Worker RightsC. Rich and Poor
IV. Calls for reform
Economic
Year Ave
1979 11.35
1978 7.59
1977 6.5
1976 5.76
1975 9.13
1974 11.04
1973 6.22
1972 3.21
1971 4.381970 5.72
• Inflation– Yom Kippur War, 1973
– OPEC Cartel
– Iranian Revolution, 1979
• Profits fall– 10% in 1965– 4.5% in 1974
• Dow closes lower in 1979 than in 1965
• Unemployment rises as high as ten percent2001 Rate = 3.59%
Cultural • Long Hot Summers
• Watergate
• Vietnam– US: 58,000 deaths
– SVN: 200,000
– NVN: 900,000
– Civilians: 1M
• Iran Hostage crisis
• Anger– July 12, 1979– 5,000 riot at
Comiskey
Political
• Nixon landslide, 1972
• Reagan revolution, 1980
• Both depend on working-class votes
Screen Actors Guild president Ronald Reagan testifying
before HUAC, 1947
De-regulation
• Airlines
– Civil Aeronautics Board dissolved in 1984
– Lower fares, but wave of bankruptcies
• Trucking
– Motor Carrier Reform Act of 1980 gives trucking companies more power to set rates
– Lower rates, but teamsters suffer
Importing Goods
• Share of world production falls from 76% to 21%
• Between 1969 and 1990, import share of GNP jumps from 5.7% to 14%
1970 Datsun 240Z
De-industrializati
on
• 30% of plants close between 1969-1976• Manufacturers invest in South, West, & abroad
Union Busting
• PATCO– Air traffic controllers strike
• NFL Players’ Association
Worker Rights • Civil Rights Act,
1964– Title VII– EEOC
• Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970
• Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990
• Family and Medical Leave Act, 1993
George H.W. Bush signs ADA, 1990
Rich and Poor
• Income gap rises
• Top tax brackets fall
A Paralyzed Movement• Reformers improve
labor’s reputation– United Mine Workers– Teamsters for a
Democratic Union– SEIU
• But infighting continues
• AFL-CIO still shrinking
• But ties to other groups are growing stronger
NOW’s Kim Gandy and AFL-CIO president John
Sweeney