Many Workers Live Paycheck to Paycheck: Survey

[Yoshie Furuhashi <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 3/18/07, Perelman, Michael <MPerelman@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> And at the same time, trying to understand how to
> communicate that reality in a way that people can figure out a better
> way to change the world.  Before we reach that level, I am convinced
> that setting out grand political strategies is meaningless.  We first
> have to be able to communicate what we have to offer.

I think that most thinking workers already know their own reality well
enough, as far as the small sizes of their paychecks are concerned,
and that many of them also know that getting unionized is one path to
change that reality, for in more recent surveys a large number of them
indicate that they think unionization is a good idea in the abstract:
"Some 60 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they
could, based on research conducted by Peter D. Hart Research
Associates in December 2006" ("60 Million U.S. Workers Would Join a
Union If They Could,"
<http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/57million.cfm>).
The problem is that such workers are often unable to convince their
co-workers that it's a good idea and that it can be done and unable to
overcome employer resistance and retaliation (since most of them lack
community solidarity that can break the bosses' barriers), and, when
they succeed against all odds, employers sometimes actually close the
shops (they seldom do so merely in response to unionization, but the
few shop closings that do happen inspire fear far beyond their
frequency).  What can leftists in the USA offer them?  Practically
nothing beyond the paid and unpaid work of individual leftists here
and there, since leftists themselves are largely unorganized and
multiply divided.

<http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1221177620070312?src=031207_1837_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters>
Many workers live paycheck to paycheck: survey
Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:42PM EDT
By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four out of 10 U.S. workers often or always live
from paycheck to paycheck, according to a survey released on Monday.

Women are more likely to live paycheck to paycheck, at 47 percent,
than men, at 36 percent, according to the survey conducted for
CareerBuilder.com, an online job site based in Chicago. Overall, 41
percent of workers say they often or always live paycheck to paycheck,
it said.

Also, 41 percent of women say they do not have enough income to live
comfortably, compared with 29 percent of men.

U.S. government and other research reports have found that women earn
about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men for comparable work.
Women are also more likely to be single parents.

The new survey said 19 percent of workers who earn $100,000 or more
annually often or always live paycheck to paycheck.

It found 58 percent of respondents report they set a budget each
month. But one in five say they typically spend more than their
budget, most often blowing it by eating out.

The survey also said one in five do not set aside any money for
savings each month. Of those who do, 14 percent save $500 or more a
month, 28 percent save $100 or less and 16 percent save less than $50.

It said 26 percent of women do not set aside any savings, compared
with 17 percent of men.

The survey of 6,169 full-time adult workers was conducted between
November 17 and December 11, 2006 by Harris Interactive and has a
margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.

CareerBuilder.com is owned by Gannett Co Inc, Tribune Co and The McClatchy Co.
--
Yoshie