this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
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Eh..... I think this puts a bit more emphasis on the economic impact of US Steel to the overall economic outlook during the post war period.
The steel industry was more important to the US economy from the later 1800s to the post war boom, but a lot of the growth in the US market started to diversify way before the Vietnam war. Automation and the popularization of mini mills hit the US steel industry harder than anything.
The same thing goes for the accusation of "printing money" being the real cause of inflation. In reality the rapid rise in inflation was one of the reasons Nixon moved to fiat currency. The Brenton Woods system was leading to American gold reserves being drained by other nations right when Germany and Japan began to recover during the post war period.
Tax cuts and deregulation is probably the most significant reason we see the wealth gap start to take off. As well as a general change in attitude of CEO like Jack Welch who popularized the shareholder value movement in American business. He pioneered mass layoffs, cuts to pension, and investment cuts to increase paper prophets. Combined with the legalization of stock buy backs and you have today's modern economy.
It's a little ambiguous, because US Steel was actually the name of one of the biggest companies.
And yes, I could have written a lot more about Reaganomics, but I wanted to go with a very general outline.
Yes, I also could have clarified better, I was referring to the US steel industry as a whole.