Betrayal Of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans

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Following in the footsteps of Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 bestseller Nickel and Dimed, The Betrayal of Work provides the fullest portrait of America's working poor. Beth Schulman spent several years travelling across the country, talking to those on low wages. She dispels a number of myths along the way: that lower unemployment has meant better living conditions for the poor; that making bad jobs into good jobs requires insurmountably difficult reforms; that low-wage work is always low-skilled. The Betrayal of Work includes recommendations on how to build on current public policy in this area. As the influential Harvard Business School newsletter put it, Shulman "specifically outlines how structural changes in the economy may be achieved, thus expanding opportunities for all Americans." This edition includes a new afterword that intervenes in the post-election debate by arguing that law-wage work is an urgent moral issue of our time.

Reviews

"The Betrayal of Work is the perfect accompaniment to Nickel and Dimed. I wish I'd written it myself!" - Barbara Ehrenreich; "Should be required reading for every presidential candidate and member of Congress." - Newsweek; "Wonderfully readable...Shulman's book is a model combination of compelling portraiture, common sense and understated conviction. She would evidently make a splendid secretary of labor in the next civilized administration....everyone should read her book." - American Prospect; "A powerful book...Attention should be paid to [Shulman's] indictment." - Washington Post; "An impressive array of studies and statistics on the army of working poor." - BusinessWeek"

Author Bio

Beth Shulman was a labor consultant and former vice president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in Washington, D.C. She passed away in 2010.