Whenever workers assert demands–for better wages, for paid family leave, for work-life balance and longer vacations–you can bet there will be a “chicken little” response from establishment interests claiming that any such concessions pose a grave danger to the proper functioning of the economy.  Well-funded think tanks produce white papers, media press releases and testimony in Congress alleging that allowing workers a greater (or fairer) share of production will result in sluggish growth and higher unemployment. Workers who make demands are labeled as selfish, delusional, or unpatriotic.

However, according to the actual evidence, when workers do better, everyone does better–including the economy as a whole. What does decrease is the widening income gap and obscene concentrations of wealth. More importantly, fairer workplaces rectify the power imbalances between workers and huge hierarchical institutions, which also has positive implications for our democracy.