Why “essential” workers are treated as disposable
May 21, 2020 01:00
00:00 / 72:05
4 plays
Grocery store clerks. Fast food cashiers. Hospice care workers. Bus drivers.
Farm workers. Along with doctors and nurses, these are the people who are
putting their own lives at risk to keep our society functioning day in and out
amid the worst crisis of our lifetimes. We call them heroes, we label them
“essential,” and we clap for their brave efforts -- even though none of them
signed up for this monumental task, and many of them lack basic healthcare,
paid sick leave, a living wage, cultural respect and dignified working
conditions. How did things get this way? Why did we end up with an economy
that treats our most essential workers as disposable? And what does an
alternative future of work look like? Mary Kay Henry is the president of the
Service Employees International Union, a 2 million person organization that
represents a huge segment of America’s essential workers. If you ask a
traditional economist why essential workers are paid so little, they’ll talk
about marginal productivity and returns to education; ask Kay Henry and she’ll
talk about something very different: power. Book recommendations: White
Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams The Dowry
by Lorraine Paolucci Macchello Want to contact the show? Reach out at
[email protected] Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support
this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts Your support will help us keep having ambitious
conversations about big ideas. New to the show? Want to check out Ezra’s
favorite episodes? Check out the Ezra Klein Show beginner’s guide
(http://bit.ly/EKSbeginhere) Credits: Producer/Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher -
Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Read more
Farm workers. Along with doctors and nurses, these are the people who are
putting their own lives at risk to keep our society functioning day in and out
amid the worst crisis of our lifetimes. We call them heroes, we label them
“essential,” and we clap for their brave efforts -- even though none of them
signed up for this monumental task, and many of them lack basic healthcare,
paid sick leave, a living wage, cultural respect and dignified working
conditions. How did things get this way? Why did we end up with an economy
that treats our most essential workers as disposable? And what does an
alternative future of work look like? Mary Kay Henry is the president of the
Service Employees International Union, a 2 million person organization that
represents a huge segment of America’s essential workers. If you ask a
traditional economist why essential workers are paid so little, they’ll talk
about marginal productivity and returns to education; ask Kay Henry and she’ll
talk about something very different: power. Book recommendations: White
Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams The Dowry
by Lorraine Paolucci Macchello Want to contact the show? Reach out at
[email protected] Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support
this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts Your support will help us keep having ambitious
conversations about big ideas. New to the show? Want to check out Ezra’s
favorite episodes? Check out the Ezra Klein Show beginner’s guide
(http://bit.ly/EKSbeginhere) Credits: Producer/Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher -
Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Read more
Grocery store clerks. Fast food cashiers. Hospice care workers. Bus drivers.
Farm workers. Along with doctors and nurses, these are the people who are
putting their own lives at risk to keep our society functioning day in and out
amid the worst crisis of our lifetimes. We call them heroes, we label them
“essential,” and we clap for their brave efforts -- even though none of them
signed up for this monumental task, and many of them lack basic healthcare,
paid sick leave, a living wage, cultural respect and dignified working
conditions. How did things get this way? Why did we end up with an economy
that treats our most essential workers as disposable? And what does an
alternative future of work look like? Mary Kay Henry is the president of the
Service Employees International Union, a 2 million person organization that
represents a huge segment of America’s essential workers. If you ask a
traditional economist why essential workers are paid so little, they’ll talk
about marginal productivity and returns to education; ask Kay Henry and she’ll
talk about something very different: power. Book recommendations: White
Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams The Dowry
by Lorraine Paolucci Macchello Want to contact the show? Reach out at
[email protected] Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support
this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts Your support will help us keep having ambitious
conversations about big ideas. New to the show? Want to check out Ezra’s
favorite episodes? Check out the Ezra Klein Show beginner’s guide
(http://bit.ly/EKSbeginhere) Credits: Producer/Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher -
Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Farm workers. Along with doctors and nurses, these are the people who are
putting their own lives at risk to keep our society functioning day in and out
amid the worst crisis of our lifetimes. We call them heroes, we label them
“essential,” and we clap for their brave efforts -- even though none of them
signed up for this monumental task, and many of them lack basic healthcare,
paid sick leave, a living wage, cultural respect and dignified working
conditions. How did things get this way? Why did we end up with an economy
that treats our most essential workers as disposable? And what does an
alternative future of work look like? Mary Kay Henry is the president of the
Service Employees International Union, a 2 million person organization that
represents a huge segment of America’s essential workers. If you ask a
traditional economist why essential workers are paid so little, they’ll talk
about marginal productivity and returns to education; ask Kay Henry and she’ll
talk about something very different: power. Book recommendations: White
Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams The Dowry
by Lorraine Paolucci Macchello Want to contact the show? Reach out at
[email protected] Please consider making a contribution to Vox to support
this show: bit.ly/givepodcasts Your support will help us keep having ambitious
conversations about big ideas. New to the show? Want to check out Ezra’s
favorite episodes? Check out the Ezra Klein Show beginner’s guide
(http://bit.ly/EKSbeginhere) Credits: Producer/Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher -
Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
