America celebrates Labor Day – but are US workers winning?

Arindrajit Dube, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, says increased worker bargaining power could last longer-term. Dube says that numerous factors have made many workers think twice about returning to their jobs – especially to low-wage jobs – and that hesitation has given them more bargaining power.

And while some argue this new-found worker power will be a longer-lasting phenomenon that yields years of better pay for workers, others believe it’s just a temporary blip.

Already this year, Chipotle, CVS and Walgreens have raised their minimum pay to $15 an hour, while Costco has raised its minimum to $16. Heidi Shierholz, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive thinktank, applauds these increases, but sees them as largely a response to a temporary labor squeeze in specific industries, especially the hospitality industry. Shierholz fears the increase in worker bargaining power will be short-lived.

Article via The Guardian