Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat
Understanding the Impact of Immigration on American Workers
Format:Paperback
Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Published:29th May '20
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£50.00(9780745692012)
Ruth Milkman's Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat challenges the narrative that blames immigrants for economic hardships, highlighting systemic issues instead.
In Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat, Ruth Milkman explores the complex dynamics surrounding immigration and its impact on the American workforce. She argues that the prevalent narrative blaming immigrants, particularly undocumented workers, for the economic struggles of American workers is fundamentally flawed. Instead of being the root cause of economic precarity, Milkman contends that the influx of low-wage immigrants is a direct result of deliberate actions by employers aimed at undermining labor unions and exploiting neoliberal policies that prioritize profit over worker welfare.
Milkman highlights how the anger of U.S.-born workers, who feel threatened by job loss and declining living standards, has been misdirected towards immigrants rather than the systemic issues at play. This misdirection has led to a troubling rise in calls for immigration restrictions, even from those who typically advocate for workers' rights. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying causes of economic inequality and the role of corporate and political elites in perpetuating these conditions.
Ultimately, Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat serves as a clarion call for progressives to refocus their efforts on challenging right-wing populism. Milkman advocates for a united front among all workers, regardless of their origin, to demand better job conditions and policies aimed at reducing inequality, fostering solidarity rather than division in the fight for economic justice.
“This new book is a vital corrective to the conservative claim that immigrants ‘take jobs’ from American workers. Milkman's careful historical research shows that de-unionization and job degradation, on the one hand, and rising inequality on the other, are the key drivers of rising low-wage immigration over the past half-century — not vice versa. Understanding that employers and political elites are to blame for the plight of U.S.-born workers — not immigrants — can help to build bridges across racial and ethnic lines to mount a unified challenge to the toxic politics of right-wing populism.”
Pramila Jayapal, member of the U.S. House of Representatives and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
“Ruth Milkman addresses the central claim of contemporary nativism, that immigrants ‘take’ the jobs of ‘Americans.’ She persuasively shows that immigrant labor is not the cause of wage degradation, but its consequence. An important and timely book.”
Mae Ngai, Columbia University
“This carefully documented and forcefully argued book is a convincing counter to conventional immigration narratives.”
Michael J. Piore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"In her four-plus decades of pioneering research, Ruth Milkman has profoundly changed the way we approach gender, immigration, and work. . . . Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat does much to capture the policy and political-economic changes that have formed the backdrop of Milkman’s equally pioneering work on immigrant labor organizing."
ILR Review
"A cogent historical sociological argument regarding the main driver of low wage migration to the USA since the 1970s. […] Milkman provides a concise, readable, evidence-based counter-narrative to the 'immigrant threat narrative.'"
Sociology
ISBN: 9780745692029
Dimensions: 208mm x 147mm x 13mm
Weight: 295g
200 pages