Hanging tongues: A sociological encounter with the assembly line. William E. Thompson

Qualitative Sociology, Volume 6, Number 3 - SpringerLink

This study reflects approximately nine weeks of participant observation on an assembly line in the slaughter division of a large beef processing plant in the Midwest. Couched within a symbolic interactionist perspective, it focuses on the day-to-day activities of assembly line workers. It examines the sociological aspects of the workers'' interaction on the job, how they coped with the danger, strain, and monotony of the work, and how they developed consumer spending norms which virtually trapped them in the plant. It also examines how the workers attempted to maintain their sense of self-worth despite the demeaning and dehumanizing aspects of their jobs.

CEOs earn 380 times in pay more than average worker - Apr. 19, 2012

CEOs earn 380 times in pay more than average worker - Apr. 19, 2012

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Chief executives at some of the nation's largest companies earned an average of $12.9 million in total pay last year -- 380 times more than a typical American worker, according to the AFL-CIO.

Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets - YouTube

Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets - YouTube

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Poncho Guevara and Kathleen Krenek: Higher minimum wage in San Jose would change lives

sociology » SJSU Blogs

They identified a policy alternative and tested the argument that forcing businesses to pay their employees $10 an hour would cause them to cut jobs or move to other communities. A Cornell University study on the effect of San Francisco’s similar 2004 minimum wage increase concluded that “the policy increased worker pay and compressed wage inequality, but did not create any detectable employment loss among affected (businesses).”

Coming Apart by Charles Murray - Quiz

Coming Apart by Charles Murray - Quiz

Why inequality in America is even worse than you thought - U.S. Economy - Salon.com

Why inequality in America is even worse than you thought - U.S. Economy - Salon.com

A new report (.pdf) by the Bertelsmann Foundation drives this point home. The German think tank used a set of policy analyses to create a Social Justice Index of 31 developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The United States came in a dismal 27th in the rankings. Here, for example, is a graph of one of the metrics, child poverty, in which the U.S. ranked fourth-to-last (click for larger size):

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich - NYTimes.com

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich - NYTimes.com

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, tax rates for the rich were far higher, and my percentage rate was in the middle of the pack. According to a theory I sometimes hear, I should have thrown a fit and refused to invest because of the elevated tax rates on capital gains and dividends.

Lifeguards' high pay riles Calif. beach city - USATODAY.com

Lifeguards' high pay riles Calif. beach city - USATODAY.com

With overtime only added in, more than half of the 13 cleared $100,000 and the rest made between $59,500 and $98,500. Adding in pension contributions, medical benefits, life insurance and other pay, two battalion chiefs earned more than $200,000 in 2010, while the lowest-paid officer made more than $98,000.

Working Group on Extreme Inequality » How Unequal Are We?

Working Group on Extreme Inequality » How Unequal Are We?

Inequality Index


· Percentage of U.S. total income in 1976 that went to the top 1% of American households: 8.9.
· Percentage in 2007: 23.5.
· Only other year since 1913 that the top 1 percent’s share was that high: 1928.
· Combined net worth of the Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans in 2007: $1.5 trillion.
· Combined net worth of the poorest 50% of American households: $1.6 trillion.
· U.S. minimum wage, per hour: $7.25.
· Hourly pay of Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon, for an 80-hour week: $27,034.74.
· Average hourly wage in 1972, adjusted for inflation: $20.06.
· In 2008: $18.52.

Wealth - 2004 Detailed Tables

Wealth - 2004 Detailed Tables

Table 1. Median Value of Assets for Households, by Type of Asset Owned and Selected Characteristics: 2004

Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2004 to 2007: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances

FRB: 2007 SCF

Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2004 to 2007: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances
Brian K. Bucks, Arthur B. Kennickell, Traci L. Mach and Kevin B. Moore
Federal Reserve Bulletin, vol. 95 (February 2009), pp. A1-A55.
Article (398 KB PDF)
Version for black and white printing Article (395 KB PDF)

Family holdings of nonfinancial assets and of any asset, by selected characteristics of families and type of asset, 2004 and 2007

See Table 9. Family holdings of nonfinancial assets and of any asset, by selected characteristics of families and type of asset, 2004 and
2007 surveys—Continued

http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/2009/pdf/scf09.pdf

Gini-coefficient

Gini-coefficient < Related Indicators 2010 < Global Peace Index < Vision of Humanity

soclinks: Table H-4. Gini Ratios for Households, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder

soclinks: Table H-4. Gini Ratios for Households, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder

Table H-4. Gini Ratios for Households, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder

Historical Income Tables - Households - U.S Census Bureau

Table H-4. Gini Ratios for Households, by Race and Hispanic Origin of Householder

Census: Income gap between rich and poor got wider in 2009 - USATODAY.com

Census: Income gap between rich and poor got wider in 2009 - USATODAY.com

A different measure, the international Gini index, found U.S. income inequality at its highest level since the Census Bureau began tracking household income in 1967. The U.S. also has the greatest disparity among Western industrialized nations.

EITC Income Limits, Maximum Credit Amounts and Tax Law Updates

EITC Income Limits, Maximum Credit Amounts and Tax Law Updates

2009 Tax Year

New for tax year 2009: The amount of EITC increased for workers with a third qualifying child* and the rules changed for determining who is a qualifying child.

Earned Income and adjusted gross income (AGI) must each be less than:

*
$43,279 ($48,279 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children
*
$40,295 ($45,295 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children
*
$35,463 ($40,463 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child
*
$13,440 ($18,440 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children

Tax Year 2009 maximum credit:

*
$5,657 with three or more qualifying children
*
$5,028 with two qualifying children
*
$3,043 with one qualifying child
*
$457 with no qualifying children

How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty - U.S Census Bureau

How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty - U.S Census Bureau

How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty

Study: Most Americans want wealth distribution similar to Sweden | Raw Story

Study: Most Americans want wealth distribution similar to Sweden | Raw Story

According to research (PDF) carried out by Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely of Duke University, and flagged by Paul Kedrosky at the Infectious Greed blog, 92 percent of Americans would choose to live in a society with far less income disparity than the US, choosing Sweden's model over that of the US.

The Way We Live Now - The Charitable-Giving Divide - NYTimes.com

The Way We Live Now - The Charitable-Giving Divide - NYTimes.com

In 2001, Independent Sector, a nonprofit organization focused on charitable giving, found that households earning less than $25,000 a year gave away an average of 4.2 percent of their incomes; those with earnings of more than $75,000 gave away 2.7 percent.