In announcing the biggest public works spending in 50 years, President-elect Obama takes a page from the Great Depression that is both model and cautionary tale. Model, because the programs put paychecks into workers' pockets and laid a concrete and electrical foundation for America's postwar boom. Cautionary tale, because the effort did not jolt the Depression economy back to health. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The dramatic changes in the US financial system – the debt write-downs and consolidation of corporate balance sheets – are now mirrored at kitchen tables around the United States. Households are cutting spending, paying down debt, and rebuilding their personal balance sheets. The belt-tightening may have been spurred by two years of falling home values followed by surging energy and food prices, but the effect could be longer lasting. See story from Christian Science Monitor

From the perspective of their pocketbook, Americans had a good solid year last year. The standard of living rose and the middle class grew while the number of wealthy actually shrank somewhat compared to 2006. At the same time, the official poverty rate was basically unchanged. And the number of Americans without health coverage fell for the first time during the Bush administration. See story from Christian Science Monitor

One less visible aspect of the economic boom of the 1990s was a decline in the number of low-income working people who lived in very poor neighborhoods. But that trend has reversed during the first five years of this decade, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. It found that the number of poor people who live in areas of concentrated poverty increased by 41 percent since 1999. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Against the dreary backdrop of the foreclosure crisis and soaring food costs comes some good news on the home front: Chronic homelessness has dropped 30 percent from 2005 to 2007. That's according to an assessment from the Interagency Council on Homelessness at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It cites two reasons. The primary one is a shift of resources on local, state, and national levels from providing emergency shelter to building what's come to be known as supportive housing. This new housing – in permanent apartments – is for homeless individuals with mental-health and addiction issues. The second reason is more mundane: the use of a much more consistent and comprehensive data collection method than in the past. See story from Christian Science Monitor

An expected $41 trillion wealth transfer expected by baby boomers as inheritances will be eaten by high healthcare costs, increased longevity, and diminishing market returns. See story from Christian Science Monitor

This economic downturn is taking a particularly hard toll on women, according to some experts. The reasons: Much of the downturn is focused on the real estate market, where a disproportionately large number of women work, and substantially more women than men have subprime mortgages. But experts point to another cause: Women simply earn less than men, an estimated average of 80 cents for every dollar made by a man. See story from Christian Science Monitor

At the heart of the standoff between the White House and Congress over a $307 billion farm bill is the question: Should taxpayers subsidize rich farmers – and who counts as rich? See story from Christian Science Monitor

Fair trade systems benefit farmers in developing countries. See story from One World Net

Inflation is high but it is aggravated by the fact that wages are lagging. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Despite the burdens of record oil prices and a housing bust, the US economy has been avoiding a sharp downturn where it matters most – in jobs. Although there is an increase in unemployment, the jobless rate is far less than in previous recessions. See story from Christian Science Monitor

With the economy eclipsing the Iraq war as Americans' top concern this election year and the gap between rich and poor at its widest in 80 years, the timing of a new magazine on economic inequality seems right on the money. See story from San Francisco Chronicle

As productivity abroad rises, US manufacturing is competing by trimming workers and wages. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The richest Americans' share of national income has hit a postwar record, surpassing the highs reached in the 1990s bull market, and underlining the divergence of economic fortunes blamed for fueling anxiety among American workers. The wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005, according to new data from the Internal Revenue Service. That is up sharply from 19% in 2004, and surpasses the previous high of 20.8% set in 2000, at the peak of the previous bull market in stocks. See story from Wall Street Journal

The House rejected a measure to permanently repeal the estate tax. Under current law, the tax is being reduced between 2001 and 2009 and repealed in 2010, and then will return in 2011 at pre-2001 levels. See vote

Over the course of 2006, low-income families in America fared a little better than they did the year before.  The nation's poverty rate dipped to 12.3 percent in 2006, from 12.6 percent – the first significant decline during the Bush administration despite the economic recovery.    The primary reason is that more people are working, which helped boost median income last year to $48,200, a slight increase over 2005 but still below the 1999 level.   See story from Christian Science Monitor   

Health insurance for children and college loan help are priorities in Congress this fall.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

The Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed to advance a bill enabling workers to vote for union shops by signing cards, in place of the existing secret-ballot process.  See vote

The poor are increasingly being held responsible for a larger tax burden.  Much of it is hidden in the form of sin taxes and in the disproportionate amounts the poor contribute to state lotteries and other forms of legalized gambling.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

The agreement between President Bush and congressional Democrats on legislation to fund the Iraq war without timetables for withdrawing U.S. troops also clears the way for the first minimum-wage hike in a decade, as well as billions in tax breaks for businesses  likely to be most affected by the minimum-wage boost.  See story from Market Watch

The House passed a bill empowering shareholders of publicly traded companies to conduct nonbinding votes approving or disapproving of top executives' compensation. See vote 

The home-loan industry, facing the worst housing downturn since the early 1990s, is ramping up efforts to help strapped borrowers stay in their homes.  The goal is to restrain a gathering wave of foreclosures that carries big costs for both lenders and borrowers.  This rescue effort isn't expected to save every at-risk homeowner. But it promises to reduce monthly payments for many who have fallen behind on mortgages. In the process, it could help to stabilize a struggling real estate market.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

United States Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that while on average economic well-being has increased for US citizens the degree of inequality in economic outcomes has raised as well.   But inequality also continues to widen. In real terms, Bernanke pointed out, the earnings at the 50 th percentile of the distribution, referred to as the median wage, climbed about 11.5% between 1979 and 2006.   Over the same period, the wage at the 10 th percentile, near the bottom of the wage distribution, Bernanke noted, rose just 4%, while the wage at the 90 th percentile, close to the top of the distribution, increased 34%.  Bernanke then mentioned that improving education and skills of the working population should help reduce inequality.  See story from MercoPress.com

The Senate voted to combine a minimum wage increase with more than $8 billion in tax breaks, a bow to Republicans who would not support the wage hike without incentives for small businesses. The 94-3 vote forces Senate and House leaders to compromise if Congress is to enact the first federal minimum wage increase in a decade.  See story from Stephens News Service

More than at any time in a decade, official Washington is focused on how to curb the gilded pay packages of corporate executives. The problem: It's not easy to legislate a pay cut for some of America's most powerful people.  It's clear that the issue has gained traction this month, thanks to public concern about income inequality, investor outrage over pay at companies such as The Home Depot, and the politics of a new Democratic Congress.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

The unleashing of free-market, capitalist forces has deepened the chasm of inequality between rich and poor, capitalist and worker, both across the globe and within all countries. Recent reports show that inequalities of wealth ownership and income are accelerating everywhere.  Wealth inequality has reached grotesque levels. Worldwide, the richest 1% of adults consists of 37 million adults owning at least $515,000 of assets each (property, shares, cash, etc.). Between them, they own 40% of the planet's wealth, totaling $125 trillion.   The richest 10% own 85% of the wealth, while the bottom half of the population own only 1.1% of global wealth. The assets of the world's typical person (median wealth) are around $2,200. Globalization, it is claimed, is good for everyone. Yet there are still over 1,000,000,000 people struggling to survive on less than $1 a day.  See story from Socialist Alternative.org

The coming cycle of inheritances is billed as the greatest wealth transfer in US history. But don't expect it to finance the retirement of baby boomers or their children.  The reality, according to one new survey, is that when people do receive an inheritance, it's typically well under $100,000. And most people will receive no inheritance at all.    Even as the pool of wealth has risen, the cost of retirement has been rising. Longer life spans, coupled with the rising cost of medical care, mean that many older Americans will use their wealth rather than pass it on to children.  Instead of inheriting wealth the children wind up having to spend considerable wealth taking care of their parents.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

Senators failed, 54-43, to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome GOP opposition and advance a bill raising the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over 26 months.  See vote   Subsequently, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a compromise measure which included assistance for small businesses. See vote

Income inequality is a growing problem in Japan. A report on Japan from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted that income inequality had risen above the OECD average, while the rate of relative poverty was among the highest of any OECD nation. This hits hard in a country that in many respects defines itself by its egalitarianism, and in which 90 percent of the population have traditionally considered themselves to be middle class. See story from Christian Science Monitor

As the Senate prepares to consider a minimum wage bill passed by the House, policy experts debated just how serious the inequalities in income are in America - and found little common ground. See story from CNS News

The Democratic-controlled House voted to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 in three phases during the next 26 months. The vote was 315-116, with more than 80 Republicans joining Democrats to pass it. See story from Lawrence Journal-World   See vote

American paychecks are rising again at a pace not seen since the 1990s. The pay increase amounts to 4 percent on average over the past 12 months, and it comes at a very helpful time for millions of households. Equally significant, tamer energy prices mean that the "real" wage gains, after inflation, are above 3 percent for the past 12 months. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada and Ohio have all passed laws increasing the minimum wage. The results of the midterm election raises to 28 the number of states whose minimum wage is higher than the federal minimum wage, currently $5.15 per hour. The minimum wage in each of these six states will now be between $6.15 and $6.85 per hour and will be tied to inflation. See story from Mondaq.com

The wealthiest Americans have benefited most from a rising economic tide in the United States, and the resulting widening income inequality should be addressed, San Francisco Federal Reserve President Janet Yellen said. "Inequality has risen to the point that it seems to me worthwhile for the U.S. to seriously consider taking the risk of making our economy more rewarding for more of the people," Yellen said in a lecture at the University of California, Irvine. See story from Reuters

The US joblessness rate ebbs to a rare historical low. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The labor market has been strengthening this year, not just in the United States but in industrialized nations worldwide, providing jobs for millions of new workers. Unemployment rates in Australia, Japan, and across the zone that use the euro currency have dropped over the past year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which keeps standardized numbers for industrial nations. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The wealthiest Americans have benefited most from a rising economic tide in the United States, and the resulting widening income inequality should be addressed, San Francisco Federal Reserve President Janet Yellen said. "Inequality has risen to the point that it seems to me worthwhile for the U.S. to seriously consider taking the risk of making our economy more rewarding for more of the people," Yellen said in a lecture at the University of California, Irvine. Seestory from Reuters

The US joblessness rate ebbs to a rare historical low. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The labor market has been strengthening this year, not just in the United States but in industrialized nations worldwide, providing jobs for millions of new workers. Unemployment rates in Australia, Japan, and across the zone that use the euro currency have dropped over the past year, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which keeps standardized numbers for industrial nations. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Rising efficiency and technology are adding work for highly paid professionals while taking it away from low-skill employees.  Millions, often among the economy's most successful professionals, say they feel overworked while millions more, particularly among low-skilled workers, are starved for a paycheck or more work hours.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

For the first time since 1999, Americans have seen an increase in the amount of money in their pockets.   The nation's real median income was up 1.1 percent from 2004 to 2005, reaching more than $46,000, the US Census Bureau reported Tuesday. That's about $500 more than last year.   At the same time, the poverty rate has stabilized, after ticking upward for several years.   The numbers are an indication that the benefits of the economic recovery are finally reaching some in the middle class, economists say, even as they acknowledge that large income disparities among Americans remain.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

With gasoline prices still high and the U.S. economy beginning to slow, the current expansion could become the United States' first sustained period of economic growth since World War II that failed to bring a prolonged increase in real wages for most workers.  See story from New York Times

The primary goal of America's new Pension Protection Act was to secure the health of traditional worker pension programs, but the "fix" appears likely to hasten their slow decline.   Although millions of workers will still receive monthly benefit checks from their former employers and new law promises to help ensure that fewer of those plans end up going bust and slashing benefits, the law does little to entice more employers to offer traditional pensions. If anything, it adds new reasons for employers to do what they are already doing: Opting for 401(k)-style benefits that shift the retirement burden onto workers.   See story from Christian Science Monitor

Income inequality is increasing in Japan as the completion of college often separates the winners from the losers in the country’s economy.  See story from USA Today  

A new study by the Brookings Institute indicates that in general, lower income families tend to pay more for the exact same consumer product than families with higher incomes.  See study

Middle-income older Americans, like the country's poor, have "significantly higher" odds of living with a health-related disability than their wealthy counterparts, according to a new study.  See story from MSNBC

The world economy is booming and many poor countries are growing faster than rich ones, the resulting in convergence, a narrowing of worldwide economic inequality. Economists have long predicted convergence, which should be caused by technology transfer, international trade and capital flows, and (to a small extent) foreign aid and migration. There have been intermittent signs of it. But real, unmistakable convergence has never seemed to materialize until now. See story from TCS

America may be the world's superpower, but its survival rate for newborn babies ranks near the bottom among modern nations, better only than Latvia. Among 33 industrialized nations, the United States is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies, according to a new report. Latvia's rate is 6 per 1,000. See story from LiveScience.com

Although wages are going up, so is inflation. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The Senate again rejected a measure that would eliminate the estate tax. See story from CBS News   See vote chart

Eighteen of America's wealthiest families, including the Timkens of Canton, are bankrolling efforts to permanently repeal estate taxes that would save their families a total of $71.6 billion, according to a report released Tuesday by public interest groups. Groups funded by the super-rich have engaged in a deceptive campaign to convince the public that estate taxes cause widespread problems for small businesses and family farms when they actually affect about one in 370 estates, said the report released by Public Citizen and Boston-based United for a Fair Economy. See story from Information Clearing House

China is about to adopt its 11th five-year plan, setting the stage for the continuation of probably the most remarkable economic transformation in history, while improving the wellbeing of almost a quarter of the world's population. Never before has the world seen such sustained growth; never before has there been so much poverty reduction. Nevertheless, the new Chinese plan seeks to reduce the extremes of economic inequality which have resulted from such rapid economic development. See story from the Guardian

Despite steady growth and low unemployment, voters appear not to trust the Republican handling of the economy. Many are concerned about flat wages, lower levels of job security and rising health care costs. See story from Christian Science Monitor

As the economy has steadily grown over the past four years, so too has the number of Americans going hungry. America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest charitable food distribution network, is now providing help to more than 25 million people, an 8 percent increase over 2001, the last time the organization did a major survey of its more than 200 food banks in all 50 states. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Many believe that the methods presently used by the U.S. to measure poverty are inaccurate. But there is no agreement on how to change it. See story from Associated Press

As Americans entered a new millennium, gains in their pocketbook slowed dramatically.

Median incomes rose just 1.6 percent after inflation during the 2001-04 period. . The median family net worth, a measure of wealth that represents the sum of all assets minus liabilities, rose a similarly small 1.5 percent in that period. Gains are better than losses, but the survey confirms and amplifies a trend of wage stagnation that is continuing to dampen American paychecks into 2006. See story from Christian Science Monitor

In the race to get ahead economically, America's young workers are falling behind. A new survey shows that median incomes fell for householders under 45, even as they rose for older ones, between 2001 and 2004. See story from Christian Science Monitor

In China, a rise of new money and power groups has widened the gap here between rich and poor, urban and rural, and is creating sizable anxieties in the often neglected countryside. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Consumer spending rose at a rapid pace in December 2004, far outpacing income growth, a development that helped to push the savings' rate for the year down to the lowest level since the Great Depression. See story from Associated Press

The decline of traditional pensions puts new pressure on Americans to save for their own retirement - and adds urgency to moves by the federal government to encourage such saving. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The transition from guaranteed pensions which is sweeping the country will leave retirees far worse off financially than they are today. With the real value of Social Security pensions shrinking as Medicare premiums rise and the normal retirement age climbs to 67, the bottom one-third of new pensioners will be poor, far greater than today's 9.8 percent poverty rate for retirees. The middle third of retirees will scrape by - if no big extra expenses occur. The top third will be okay but many will be disappointed with their living standard. See story from Christian Science Monitor

A new census study indicates that in terms of ownership of appliances, Americans of all income groups share in the benefits of modern technology. See story from Christian Science Monitor

There has been a significant change in the relative power of private versus public sector unions in the past 40 years. The once seemingly inconsequential municipal unions have successfully protected their wages and benefits. At the same time, the once powerful private sector unions have become increasingly accustomed to making concessions to hold onto their jobs in the global economy. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The House voted for Administration supported legislation designed to require more employers to fully fund pension plans and bolster the government-created insurance agency that steps in when companies terminate their plans or go out of business. Some Democrats opposed the measure because the bill would make traditional pensions more expensive and their cash demands unpredictable, causing more companies to drop them in favor of 401(k) and similar plans. See vote

America's labor movement may be at its weakest point in decades, with just 8 percent of private-sector workers in unions and a huge split in its ranks. But it's also fighting back, trying to resonate with Americans worried about job losses and healthcare. Some recent developments indicate that progress is being made. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The cost of rental housing has increased faster than wages, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford even modest apartments. See story from Associated Press

The evaporation of higher paying manufacturing jobs puts into focus two divergent attitudes toward the future of the U.S. economy. One view, espoused by free-market disciples, is that the nation's prosperity hinges on its extraordinary flexibility in deploying labor and investment. That explains its edge in job creation compared with Europe's tepid performance. But it comes with difficult adjustments, such as the one Delphi faces.

The other side contends that as global competition grows stronger, flexibility alone isn't enough. They call for new policies to help retain and build middle-class jobs. The recipes vary, but they generally urge keeping a closer watch on whether free-trade policies are fair, fixing a hodgepodge health insurance system, and greater public investment in promoting new industries. See story from Christian Science Monitor

While Alan Greenspan has won praise for his successful 18-year battle to keep inflation under control, he's the first to say he's had a lot of help. Among those most responsible are tens of millions of workers in China, India and Eastern Europe. Adding all those workers to the global economy has made the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting job easier by increasing competition. That has helped hold down labor costs -- the biggest single expense for employers -- and, as a result, prices. But workers have been the losers as wages have become stagnant, manufacturing jobs have been lost and economic inequality has soared. See story from Associated Press

A steady decline in the power of labor unions in the United States and most of Europe has led to some speculation that collective organizing of working people to campaign for their rights may be turning into a relic. But many analysts say labor associations worldwide are regrouping and looking for ways to better respond to global economy. See story from Voice of America

The Food and Agriculture Organization presented its annual report on the State of Food Insecurity in the world. The report presented a bleak picture: nearly six million children, it said, die every year from hunger and malnutrition. See story from Voice of America

Only one-quarter of American workers receive a traditional corporate pension when they retire. That proportion is likely to shrink drastically in the next decade. Many corporations have decided that paying for that type of pension, with a monthly payment for the lifetime of a retiree, is too costly. In effect, the pension system in the United States is falling into a crisis. Yet it could well be years before the issue is fully tackled by Washington. See story from Christian Science Monitor

For all its strength, the current economic expansion is not boosting the American worker's paycheck. Wages have been rising nominally: Average pay rose 8 cents last month to $16.27 an hour, according to a government report Friday. That's not fast enough to counter inflation. See story from Christian Science Monitor

A Senate vote fell six votes short of the 60 votes needed to pass an increase of funding for the Low Income Heating Assistance Program. Supporters had argued that the surge in fuel costs this winter will be crippling to poor families in cold regions. See vote

Senate proposals to raise the minimum wage were rejected making it unlikely that the lowest allowable wage, $5.15 an hour since 1997, will rise in the foreseeable future. Separate proposals offered by Republicans and Democrats sought to increase the minimum wage by $1.10 per hour but the Republican proposal contained significant exemptions for small businesses. See story from Associated Press   See vote on Republican Proposal   See vote on Democratic Proposal

After much progress in the booming 1990s - including the dropping of 9 million from welfare rolls after welfare reform - poverty has returned in force. Starting in 2001, the share of Americans in poverty has increased each year. In 2004 alone, their ranks grew by 1 million. In all, some 12.7 percent live below the poverty line: defined as $15,067 for a family of three. See story from Christian Science Monitor

While pundits expressed shock at the fate of the poorest inhabitants in Katrina's wake, the U.S. class divide is not breaking news. Several new studies reveal the chasm separating those living in abject poverty from those with unimaginable fortunes is growing fast. See story from In These Times

The rise in gas prices particularly affects poor Americans, especially the rural poor. A report from the Consumer Federation of America paints a painful picture. Households earning less than $15,000 are spending 10.4 percent of their income on gasoline in 2005, up from 8.2 percent in 1999 and far above the 1.9 percent spent by households earning more than $80,000. The fraction spent on gasoline in rural households is 50 percent larger than the one in urban households. So when gas prices rise, few are hit harder than the 7.5 million Americans living in rural poverty. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Despite the prospect of massive increases in fuel costs, the Senate rejected a proposal to restore a 50% cut to the Low Income Energy Assistance block grant program. See vote

The Communist Party vowed to spread the benefits of economic growth more fairly among all levels of Chinese society, seeking particularly to close the wide income gap between farmers and city dwellers. Recent civil unrest regarding the issue has prompted the action. See story from Washington Post

Despite the increased visibility of the issue in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it is unlikely that there will be a massive federal spending effort to combat poverty. See story from USA Today

Fighting the kind of poverty that Hurricane Katrina revealed anew will take more than the government can provide, John Edwards said. It also will take a commitment by the poor to work and stop having babies at young ages, he said. See story from Knight Ridder

Hurricane Katrina has thrust the twin issues of race and poverty at President Bush, who faces steep challenges in dealing with both because of a domestic agenda that envisions deep cuts in long-standing anti-poverty programs and relationships with many black leaders frayed by years of mutual suspicion. See story from Washington Post

Many progressives and liberals hope the Katrina disaster will revive Johnson's poverty war. Many Americans were shocked and embarrassed by the horrific pictures of those - many of them African-American - unable to leave New Orleans because of their poverty, while the more prosperous - many of them white - fled in their cars. The redistribution of income and wealth from the middle class to the rich in recent decades, along with the shrinkage of health-insurance coverage and corporate pensions, has sharpened an awareness among many Americans that they "are one job away from poverty," according to some experts. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Parts of the United States are as poor as the Third World, according to a shocking United Nations report on global inequality. Claims that the New Orleans floods have laid bare a growing racial and economic divide in the US have, until now, been rejected by the American political establishment as emotional rhetoric. But yesterday's UN report provides statistical proof that for many - well beyond those affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - the great American Dream is an ongoing nightmare. See story from Independent

If we live in an increasingly "flat" world where commerce and jobs can flow easily from Berlin to Beijing and New York to New Delhi, the world remains far from flat in income terms. As Americans celebrate Labor Day this weekend, enormous rich- poor income gaps continue to strain relations and resources. Indeed, one lesson may be that globalization isn't the great leveler of poverty that some hope. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The robust economy has not been felt by most Americans. Job growth has been slow,and wages have been stagnant. At the same time, ordinary Americans are being squeezed by high fuel prices, inflationary real estate prices, and foreign competition for jobs. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Despite a year in which the US economy added jobs, the percentage of Americans living in poverty grew from 12.5 to 12.7 percent last year - the fourth straight year it's risen. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The vivid images of poor residents, most of them African American, stranded across New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have generated more discussion in the nation's capital about poverty than any event in years. It is too soon to say whether this will lead to a new agenda for either party - or even remain a focus as the floodwaters recede. See story from Los Angeles Times

Just 12 percent of US workers hold a union card these days; among private-sector workers, the number is closer to 8 percent - little more than a third of what it was 25 years ago. Nearly all the economic trends - globalization, deregulation, outsourcing - are working against unions, and they are fighting a growing perception that they're simply an outdated alphabet soup holding back economic progress. As a result there is a struggle within the union movement regarding the direction that it should take. The the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is one organization active in the reform effort. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Government figures show that 23,000 U.S. workers are dismissed or discriminated against on the job each year ''for exercising their legal rights to form or join a union,'' Washington, D.C.-based American Rights at Work said in a bid to mobilize support for legislation aimed at making it easier for workers to organize. See story from Common Dreams

Five of the nation's largest labor unions are forming a breakaway coalition in hopes of reversing the declining membership and political fortunes of the premier U.S. labor federation, the AFL-CIO. See story from One World Net

The idea of expanding the scope of the Social Security discussion to include wholesale pension reform is gaining supporters on Capitol Hill among Republican legislators. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has recently expressed concerns regarding trends in employee compensation, indicating that the income gap between the rich and the rest of the US population has become so wide, and is growing so fast, that it might eventually threaten the stability of democratic capitalism itself. See story from Christian Science Monitor

In what could be the most business-friendly climate since the days of President McKinley, President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress are moving to extend corporate tax breaks, pass pension reforms, allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and limit lawsuits - including a settlement of asbestos litigation that has driven 70 companies into bankruptcy. Supporters say these changes can help fuel a new economic expansion by reducing burdens on America's job creators. Critics worry about impacts that could range from rising federal deficits to weaker protections for consumers, workers, and a fragile wilderness. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Fearing that airlines and other struggling industries could present the country with its next S&L crisis, Congress and the White House are pushing an overhaul of pension- funding rules. They are alarmed that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. _ the federal agency that insures private pension plans - already has a $23.3 billion deficit because of defaults. See story from Associated Press

The nation's private pension system is fraying and at risk of unraveling altogether. The reason: More than three-quarters of the nation's traditional private pension plans are underfunded - which means they currently don't have enough assets to cover the benefits already promised to their workers and current retirees. See story from Christian Science Monitor

More states are raising their minimum wages, pushing hourly rates above $7 in some and shrinking the role of the federal minimum wage, which hasn't gone up in eight years. See story from USA Today

Across the country, a growing number of states, advocacy groups - and even individual workers - are fighting back against wage abuses in the workplace. State authorities believe the infractions are growing as the economy becomes more service-oriented - and are showing up in new industries. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Some of America's wealthiest individuals have declined billions of dollars in tax cuts bestowed upon them by President George W. Bush's administration and have urged others among the country's richest and most famous to donate their federal tax cuts to campaigns against the Bush package, often described as ''tax breaks for the rich.'' See story from One World Net

The US already moving toward a flat tax as bigger tax breaks for wealth produces a system in which the middle class pays about the same as the rich. By one measure of the federal, state, and local tax burden, just 3.4 percentage points separate the effective tax rate paid by the top 1 percent of earners from the other 99 percent of American households. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to permanently end the estate tax as part of a Republican push to extend President Bush's tax cuts beyond the end of the decade. The House voted 272-162 to repeal the estate tax with 42 Democrats joining the Republican majority in support of the bill. See story from Reuters See vote

Following earlier passage by the Senate, the House passed the biggest rewrite of the bankruptcy code in a quarter- century. The measure would require people with incomes above a certain level to pay credit-card charges, medical bills and other obligations under a court-ordered bankruptcy plan. Opponents say the change would fall especially hard on low-income working people, single mothers, minorities and the elderly and would remove a safety net for those who have lost their jobs or face crushing medical bills. See story from Washington Post See vote

The Senate defeated dueling proposals Monday to raise the $5.15-an-hour minimum wage - one backed by organized labor, the other salted with pro-business provisions - in a day of skirmishing that reflected Republican gains in last fall's elections. The Republican alternative combined a modest minimum wage increase with provisions which prevented mandatory overtime pay entirely for restaurant workers and limited mandatory overtime pay requirements for all employers. See story from Associated Press See votes

Child poverty is on a steady rise across many of the world's richest countries and can only be tackled by targeted government efforts to raise incomes of the poorest families. About 22 percent of young people under the age of 18 in the United States and 28 percent in Mexico live in poverty, but in Denmark the figure is only 2.4 percent, 2.8 in Finland and 3.4 percent in Norway. See story from Reuters

Wealthy countries are falling billions of dollars short of their promises to help fund reproductive health care and improvements in the status of women around the world. But there has been significant but uneven progress in the past decade on those issues, which are central to tackling poverty and keeping population growth in check. according to a United Nations report. See story from Associated Press

Free trade is going to become so big a problem that some slowing down is going to be politically popular - and has some merits according to a renowned economist. Those harmed are usually at the lower end of the income ladder. Trade has worsened the distribution of income for the working class and emasculated trade unions, while the literate and professional classes have gotten most of the gain. Political philosophers in the past worried that in a democracy lower-income classes would elect politicians who would confiscate much of the riches of the wealthy, he notes. Modern times have turned that argument on its head. The cost of getting elected has escalated so much that the well-to-do have been able to protect their interests through campaign contributions to sympathetic politicians. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The U.S. House of Representatives defied President Bush and voted to block his administration's controversial new overtime regulations for white-collar workers. The vote was 223-193. See story from Washington Post See vote

The most sweeping changes to the nation's overtime rules in more than 50 years were implemented by the Department of Labor. Workers who earn less than $23,660 annually will become automatically eligible for overtime pay, a boost from the current threshold of $8,060, set in the 1970s. All other change sin the new regulations means less overtime protection for workers, according to former Labor Department officials. See story from Washington Post

The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million last year, while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million according to a Census Bureau report. See story from China Daily

A new study by the International Labor Office (ILO) says an estimated two million workers die each year from work related accidents and disease, while just eight percent of people across the world have favorable economic security, cautioning that rising insecurity spawns anger and anxiety and blocks development. See story from One World Net

Consumers are balking about pulling out their wallets, particularly to buy new cars. Paychecks for low-wage workers are not keeping up with inflation. If the economy doesn't kick into a higher gear, it won't have enough oomph to create more jobs, and the unemployment rate might actually begin to climb. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The amount of money workers receive in their paychecks is failing to keep up with inflation. Though wages should recover if businesses continue to hire, three years of job losses have left a large worker surplus. "There's too much slack in the labor market to generate any pressure on wage growth,'' said Jared Bernstein, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal research institution based in Washington. "We are going to need a much lower unemployment rate.'' He noted that at 5.6 percent, the national unemployment rate is still back at the same level as at the end of the recession in November 2001. See story from New York Times

Despite the Bush administration's claim that the guiding principle for its fiscal policy has been "lower income taxes for all, with the greatest help for those most in need," the reality is starkly different. The tax cuts have shifted the burden of taxation away from upper-income, capital-owning households and toward the wage-earning households of the lower and middle classes. See story from American Prospect

After tapping friends and family, maxing out their credit cards and sufficiently swallowing their pride, at least 23 million Americans stood in food lines last year - many of them the working poor. See story from Chicago Tribune

Over strenuous objections from the White House, the Senate voted for a significant increase in money to provide child care to welfare recipients and other low-income families. See story from Washington Post See vote

The wealth gap between the rich and poor and the sluggish job market in the United State are looming as major problems for President George W. Bush as he campaigns for another term in office, analysts here say. See story from One World Net

California is being hit hard by a recent nationwide shift of jobs from high- paying industries to lower-paying sectors such as retail sales and tourism, a trend that doesn't bode well for the economy. Statewide, since the national recession officially ended in November 2001, the jobs that have been created are in industries that pay an average of 40% less than do those in which jobs have disappeared, the Economic Policy Institute said. An economy increasingly dependent on lower-wage jobs will have a smaller tax base and see less consumer spending, checking economic growth and reducing the quality of public services and infrastructure. See story from Los Angeles Times

Some of America's wealthiest individuals have declined billions of dollars in tax cuts bestowed upon them by President George W. Bush's administration and have urged others among the country's richest and most famous to donate their federal tax cuts to campaigns against the Bush package, often described as ''tax breaks for the rich.'' See story from One World Net