Panel

The drastic changes brought about by the economic crisis have raised fundamental questions about how income is generated and what constitutes work that is both dignified and secure. The contemporary work force is now faced with a wide range of problems: after years of business deregulation, American workers have little or no representation, while labor unions vanish, disparaged as anachronistic in the new corporate culture. Increasingly Americans come to resemble their counterparts in those countries where we have exported so many jobs. Considering these challenges, must the workers of the world unite, or are they doomed to compete? Is there such a thing as a postindustrial economy and what does that mean for working Americans? Is the global free market a fatally compromised myth, and if so, what is the alternative?

Bookforum, in conjunction with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, presents a discussion to question how work has changed, how it will be defined in the coming years, and how it can be fairly rewarded in an era of changing standards. Touching on labor issues including green employment, the relationship between economics and education, and the export value of American culture, the roundtable features presentations by authors who have explored these issues from a variety of perspectives.

Moderator
Chris Lehmann, Senior Editor, Bookforum

Participants
Kim Bobo, director of Interfaith Worker Justice, long-time advocate for workers rights, and author of Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid-And What We Can Do About It
Thomas Frank, noted essayist, founder and editor of The Baffler, regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and author of What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
Tom Geoghegan, Chicago-based labor lawyer, politician, and author of Which Side Are You On?: Trying to Be For Labor When It’s Flat On Its Back
Andrew Ross, chair of the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at NYU and author of Nice Work If You Can Get It: Life and Labor in Precarious Times

Presented on occasion of the Vera List Center’s 2009-2010 program theme “Speculating on Change.”