Has globalization has undermined America’s working-class

 

·   Globalization has undermined the American working class through wage reduction and upward mobility, as well as damaging international policy decisions.

o   Globalization has brought in an era of border fluidity, free trade, and an extremely high level of profits for corporations.

§  For the beneficiaries of globalization, it is an act that has allowed for the integration of the global economy to such an extent that it has created an environment within which considerable wealth has been generated in addition to benefits to consumers and workers around the world.

§  For the American worker, globalization has become one of the biggest disasters, including the loss of jobs on an unprecedented scale. A

o   The American economy has had small income gains because of globalization.

§  As a whole, it has created a scenario where there is a reduction of wages and upward mobility in society (Mahutga, Roberts, & Kwon, 2017). The damage caused has been especially widespread among the working class to such an extent that it has made it more difficult for the members of this group to compete with others across the world.

§  A consideration of the downward pressure on wages shows that it has not been in favor of the working class and has instead made life extremely difficult for individuals, especially in the manufacturing sector due to offshoring (Smith, 2012). This process has therefore overshadowed the benefits of globalization and shows that the latter may not be as good for everybody as it seems.

§  Globalization has amplified the making of damaging international policy decisions. The latter has come about mainly because of the influence of corporations, which has resulted in policies that are mainly beneficial to them in terms of profits (Flew, 2018). The signing of trade agreements has led to a situation where American workers do not have the ability to have economic leverage, and instead, they are at the mercy of large corporations (Lenox & Arsht, 2018).

§  These entities, because of the considerable influence that they wield in the new order, have been able to tilt the balance of power towards themselves rather than workers (Gaston, 2002); essentially eroding the power, which unions once had in the protection of workers. Workers do not have the power to prevent the losses of manufacturing jobs from going to other countries because of the lower wages that they offer. In this way, American workers have been forced to accept depressed wages as a means of maintaining their jobs and in some cases even that has not saved them from losing their jobs to offshoring.

§  Globalization has proven to be a situation that has hurt the American working class. The damage that it has done to their living standards has become so significant that it has become essential to consider remedies. Among these should be the acknowledgement of the damage caused to wages and jobs and the need to ensure that these workers are compensated appropriately.

§  There should be a stoppage of the pursuit of harmful international trade agreements that cause problems to the working class, and by extension, a majority of American society.

§  It is necessary to make sure that there is the promotion of policies that are beneficial for the entire population rather than just for those that own capital. This can be done through the harmonization of national policies in a manner that spearheads the needs of the working class in society, including the institution of international policies that tax capital more effectively.