A project of the Labor Institute to reverse runaway income and wealth inequality.
As nuclear, oil, and chemical plants in the Great Lakes region were closing, plans were needed for a just transition for 100,000 workers. Les Leopold talked about the workers, what they were losing, and how important it was for all parties to support a just transition to a new way of life. You can read the speech by clicking here.
A long reported piece in Nature examines why the poorest people are the most vulnerable to disease, and how our inadequate systems of regulation and support make matters worse. A Covid story with implications that extend far into the future.
https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-021-00943-x/index.html
The evidence shows we all lose when society’s overwhelmed by white resentment and win when we organize across our differences. An excerpt from Heather C. McGhee’s The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Read the excerpt here.
Confirming our studies earlier this year of Covid-19 deaths in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, big new studies use different methods to demonstrate that deaths are the result of exposure rather than race. To quote the article: “The new findings do not contradict an enormous body of research showing that Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to be affected by the pandemic, compared with white people. The coronavirus is more prevalent in minority communities, and infections, illnesses, and deaths have occurred in these groups in disproportionate numbers. “But the new studies do suggest that there is no innate …
The latest from our work digging deep into the demographics of Covid-19. Who lives and who dies depends a lot on who you are and how much money you have. Read on for details. Race, Class, and Covid-19 in the United States
We’re collecting New York Times articles on COVID-19, race, and class to better understand how the media is accounting for the spread of the virus. We’ve noticed that some of these accounts leave out any mention of income or occupation, while others tend to conflate poverty with people of color. Our research suggests that occupation and income are major factors in determining who is getting sick and who is dying. Race, clearly, is a critical factor, even more so when combined with lower-income occupations deemed “essential.” Being a recent immigrant from Latin America, especially an undocumented one, also is a …
Read moreThe NY Times, Covid, and race. Plus, lately, income.
Les has developed a new talk that looks at the runaway inequality roots of the pandemic response and police brutality. Here’s the recording of the August 2, 2020 version. He’ll be doing more live events, which will be announced here. Click through for the video.
On July 28, 2020, The American Prospect published Les Leopold’s analysis of Covid-19 deaths in New York City during the first month’s of the pandemic. You can read the story by clicking here. This page is the repository for data supporting Les’s research into Covid deaths. You may download the spreadsheet with the NYC Department of Health Covid-19 statistics and US Census information that Les used to do his analysis by clicking here. Here are the Technical Notes that go with the story. The New York City Department of Health tracks the number of deaths (and cases) by zip codes …
Here is the chilling truth: To win reelection Trump is willfully allowing the virus to kill more and more of us, especially our most vulnerable—the old, the infirm, the poor, and the essential low-wage workers. By Les Leopold President Trump has finally made public his fateful choice. He’s all in on reopening the economy even if it sends the virus death count into the millions. Actually he made that choice long ago. His logic is simple but cruel. Before the virus struck, his re-election hinged on taking credit for the robust economy he inherited. With unemployment at record lows he …