Marking Big Labor's Latest Revival & the Focus on "Stagnant Wages" Canard
Greenhouse: "....worker discontent over stagnant wages, shuttered factories, shrinking pensions and the soaring trade deficit." But a fellow reporter noted that hourly wages rose 4 percent in September compared to the previous year.
Published: 10/9/2006 1:11 PM ET
Labor reporter Steven Greenhouse reports the latest revival of the movement in Sunday's "Labor Goes Door to Door To Rally Suburban Voters - Focus Is on Wages, Benefits and Pensions."
"Unions may not feel the economic wind at their back, but they feel good about this year's campaign as they tap into worker discontent over stagnant wages, shuttered factories, shrinking pensions and the soaring trade deficit."
That sounds more like liberal boilerplate than precise reporting, and the "stagnant wages" canard was refuted the day before by economics reporter Eduardo Porter, who noted halfway into his pessimistic story: "Hourly wages for regular workers, excluding managers, rose 4 percent in September compared with a year earlier."
