Despite the September 2021 US unemployment dropping to 4.8%, an October jobs survey revealed that half of US companies still report a skilled labor shortage. So far this autumn, the so-called "Great Resignation" has shown no signs on waning. As the country slowly emerges from the pandemic, American workers are feeling emboldened. From workplace safety conditions to remote work options to pay raises and equity, both white and blue collar workers are seeking unprecedented employer remediation. Even typically reliable service sector workers are calling it quits, fed up with low wages and increasingly rude customers. Republican-led states, hoping the curb the shortage of workers, even cut off additional federal unemployment benefits for their citizens this summer—to little or no effect. Meanwhile, the fast-growing subreddit on Reddit the past few weeks has been r/antiwork, where workers of all stripes are sharing their employment gripes. Where will this all end? Is this a case of US workers, as some contend, feeling greedy (or lazy), or is this a backlash attempting to correct an exploitative system? If you currently work, have you noticed a shift in your mood or in the mood of your co-workers? Finally, what could and should employers do to better treat their employees?
Include at least two of the following in your discussion:
- "Workers Press for Power in Rare Advance for US Labor Movement" (Bloomberg/Business Week)
- "Why American Workers are Quitting in Record Numbers" (Yahoo! News)
- "Why are Workers Really Quitting? You Can Boil It Down to One Simple Reason" (Inc.)
- "It’s Not a ‘Labor
Shortage.’ It’s a Great Reassessment of Work in America" (Washington Post) - "Smoothie King on worker shortage: 'Hire them right. Train them right. Treat them right.'" (Yahoo! Finance)
Required:
- Approximately 2 pages
- MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
Due: Thu 11.4-Tue 11.9 (via Canvas)
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