Improving Policies and Approaches to Employment Relations: Protecting Workers and Their Families from Economic Insecurity

Abstract

My concern is four sources of economic insecurity for workers and their families: (1) loss of wages resulting from unemployment; (2) lack of adequate income during retirement; (3) inadequate medical care for non-work-related health problems; and (4) insufficient medical care and income to deal with the consequences of workplace injuries and diseases. I will provide a brief historical overview of the various approaches that have been used in the United States to deal with these economic problems and then speculate about future solutions to the problems.1 I wish I could promise an uplifting analysis, culminating in a clear set of compelling solutions for the twenty-first century. Alas, the subtheme of my analysis of recent developments can be described as the Anatomy of Melancholy.2