Guest, Ruth Milkman, sociologist of labor and labor movements

Ruth Milkman is a sociologist of labor and labor movements who has written on a variety of topics involving work and organized labor in the United States, past and present.

Milkman's most recent books are IMMIGRANT LABOR AND THE NEW PRECARIAT (Polity, 2020) and ON GENDER, LABOR, AND INEQUALITY (Illinois, 2016). Her early research focused on the impact on U.S. women workers of economic crisis and war in the 1930s and 1940s.

After 21 years as a sociology professor at UCLA, where she directed the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment from 2001 to 2008, Ruth returned to New York City in 2010. Milkman is currently Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, where she chairs the Labor Studies Department.

UNIONS RISE AGAIN: Labor collectives vs. Amazon

America's second-largest employer fought hard against unionization efforts at its Staten Island, NY, warehouse. But "team members" there voted to unionize – an example of younger employees' interest in improved working conditions, and the increasing fortunes of labor collectives, despite corporations' union-busting tactics.

By David Pogue, CBS Sunday Morning, August 21, 2022

MESSAGE FROM UNITED STATES SENATOR MICHAEL D. BROWN

As a former Teamster, I look with great interest upon the rise in union membership and the revitalization of a labor movement which has been declining for many years. What is behind this recent push for employee rights at major chains and big businesses, such as Starbucks and Amazon?

Marília and I will discuss this phenomenon with Professor Milkman, and what it means for the post-pandemic economy in America.

Tune in for this important interview on Labor Day!