General Discussion

pat_k

(12,256 posts)

41. Sadly, a great deal of damage had been done by '60.

Mon Nov 3, 2025, 03:02 PM

9 hrs ago

Here's a graph with a longer timeline where you can see the divergence taking off right around 1960.
https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/

Reagan's union busting and anti-union propaganda took off in the 80's. That was followed by the rise of the radical right noise machine.

Propaganda is a very powerful thing.

Laws that have weakened unions since the 1950s
Taft-Hartley Act of 1947
Landrum-LaGuardia Act of 1959
State-level "right-to-work" laws that diminish collective bargaining power.
Deregulation and lax enforcement of labor laws have indirectly weakened unions by empowering anti-union employer practices.

EPI
Explaining the erosion of private-sector unions
How corporate practices and legal changes have undercut the ability of workers to organize and bargain
https://www.epi.org/unequalpower/publications/private-sector-unions-corporate-legal-erosion/

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FakeNoose LittleGirl

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Highlight:

Of Course Americans are BROKE [View all] Mr.Bee Sunday OP

Thank you for the data. yellow dahlia Sunday #1

Hiding In Plain Sight Mr.Bee Sunday #2

My MAGA relatives would say, Diamond_Dog Sunday #3

I would tell them Mr.Bee Sunday #6

Well, you can imagine how they feel about FDR. Diamond_Dog Sunday #11

Did any of them ever stop to think Diamond_Dog Sunday #22

I certainly heard that line many times over the years in markodochartaigh Sunday #17

EVER SINCE REAGAN, (actually HWBush's CABAL) popsdenver 5 hrs ago #49

++++1000 Diamond_Dog 5 hrs ago #50

If the Republicans continue popsdenver 4 hrs ago #51

Median wage has been stagnant relative to productivity for 45 years. pat_k Sunday #4

Please supply reference links. Not disputing your excerpts, but backup documentation is needed. erronis Sunday #7

Oh! I beg pardon- Mr.Bee Sunday #9

World Economic Forum, Capital in the 21st Century, pat_k Sunday #10

Thank you! erronis Sunday #15

They've been stealing from us for decades Mr.Bee Sunday #12

FWIW pat_k Sunday #14

Regarding weakening of unions and tax law that facilitated concentration of wealth: pat_k Sunday #13

Republicans always talk about "redistribution of wealth". markodochartaigh Sunday #19

Yes, R's have been hellbent on systematically "redistributing wealth" from the hands of the many to the hands of the few pat_k Sunday #23

Why don't the labor unions understand these charts and data? FakeNoose 12 hrs ago #40

Sadly, a great deal of damage had been done by '60. pat_k 9 hrs ago #41

That also means that the current business model Javaman Sunday #5

FDR's concept of the minimum wage: Mr.Bee Sunday #8

And, policies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many make for a very fragile economy pat_k Sunday #18

I very much concur Metaphorical 21 hrs ago #34

And who was in charge then? Oh yeah Ronald Reagan. Initech Sunday #16

Yes he certainly did. Diamond_Dog Sunday #20

Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 KS Toronado Sunday #21

Must do more than raise the minimum wage. Inheritance tax, wealth tax, capital gains taxed higher than labor and... pat_k Sunday #24

Oh there's a ton of stuff we need to get done and quickly. KS Toronado Sunday #32

My big worry is that too few of our electeds are out there advocating for the big stuff. pat_k 23 hrs ago #33

A tax on spending rather than income Metaphorical 16 hrs ago #35

Should be at least $30 per hour MichMan Sunday #31

Seattle's minimum wage is 20.76 and will increase to 21.30 1/1/26 pat_k 8 hrs ago #42

The minimum wage as established in 1938 was 25 cents per hour MichMan Sunday #25

But did it have the same purchasing power? leftstreet Sunday #27

In 1957, J. Paul Getty was worth $2-4 billion dpibel Sunday #30

Raygun made munimum wage political southmost Sunday #26

K&R Bayard Sunday #28

Big corps worked to keep prices down and wages low. Klarkashton Sunday #29

That goes back HarryM 15 hrs ago #36

So glad you pointed this out. cer7711 15 hrs ago #37

Minimum wage should have been indexed to inflation like Social Security. n/t Buttoneer 15 hrs ago #38

From the comercial. "I was drowning in debt." Hotler 14 hrs ago #39

TOP TEN COUNTRIES of Minimum wage chouchou 8 hrs ago #43

K&R BlueWavePsych 7 hrs ago #44

"republicans"... Godot51 6 hrs ago #45

When You Say 'Republicans' Mr.Bee 6 hrs ago #46

"... until 1980, when it was frozen for nine years." Grins 6 hrs ago #47

The last Increase Before Reagan Mr.Bee 6 hrs ago #48