[Superman]

Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Len?

I was expanding what a previous poster said, which was true. It used to be that most workers in most jobs could make a decent living. And mom could stay at home with the kiddies. Home ownership and all that.

Now, we do see to be seeing some real serious downward pressure on "real" wages. It has been active for thirty or forty years now, and seems to have more force now than ever. So yeah, I think "real" wages are falling and will continue to fall.

Unions have trouble just facing their members and saying "Brothers and sisters, we're already earning too much. Your real wages are falling and will continue to fall, and you should probably just forget about retiring at 55, forget about avoiding paying your medical insurance, forget about pay raises. We should just accept what management has been kind enough to offer us."

And these same discussions are going on everywhere, whenever contract negotiations occur. So no, I don't think it's an extrapolation or exageration or anything like that. I think we're getting our asses kicked in manufacturing, and the good jobs and good earnings are going away. No real doubt about it. Our living standards are sky-high compared to the rest of the world, and with economies going global like they are, the only way to avoid a significant lowering of our living standards here would be to engage in vigorous trade protectionism which wouldn't solve the problem anyway but might forestall it a bit. Actually there is a way. Education. But we're not going to figure that out until it's almost too late.

Yep, real wages and benefits are falling. And you guys apparently think unions should just step out of the way and let that happen?