The rights of American labor are not guaranteed. According to statistics from
the U.S. Department of Labor, in November 2005 the number of unemployed persons
in the United States was 7.6 million,with an unemployment rate of 5 percent.
Nearly 20 percent of the unemployed had been out of work for six months or more
(Union: JobCuts at GM 'Unfair', USA Today, Nov. 22, 2005). And about 3.6 million
people were out of unemployment insurance (The New York Times, Jan. 1, 2005).
Low pay, inadequate work conditions and lack of work protection are also a
problem. The Washington Post reported on Aug. 3, 2005 that employees in American
meatpacking plants face hard work in tough settings, and they suffer cuts,
amputations, skin disease, permanent arm and shoulder damage, and even death
from the force of repeated hard cutting motions. The China Press in New York
City reported on Nov. 1, 2005 that employees in most New York restaurants lacked
basic labor protection. They usually work overtime, with low pay and have hardly
any health insurance. About 38 percent of them have been burned or scalded, and
nearly half have experienced cut injuries. On Oct. 31 last year, transit workers
in southeastern Pennsylvania of Philadelphia went on strike, due to disputes
over health care insurance with the employer. In New York City, the transit
workers union began a citywide strike on Dec. 20 last year after failing to
reach a deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in negotiations on
wage and pension issues.
Per capita medical expenses in the United States are higher than in any other
countries, however, the crisis of health insurance for workers is quite
prominent. Statistics show that in 2004, the overall costs of health care
increased 8.2 percent over 2003, but 45.8 million people or 15.7 percent of the
total population were out of health insurance coverage, an increase of 800,000
people from the previous year. New York City alone had nearly two million
residents without health insurance, with two thirds of them on payrolls. Each
year 18,000 Americans die due to lack of medical treatment. A survey released by
Kaiser Family Foundation in September 2005 found that only 60 percent of
employers offered health insurance coverage, down from 69 percent five years
earlier. In 2005 the average annual premium for family coverage hit 10,880
dollars. In coming years rising health care costs will price more and more
people out of coverage. On Nov. 21,2005 U.S. House of Representatives passed a
bill of budget reduction by 50 billion dollars, including funding for health
care, food aid to the poor and support to children's projects, which suggests
worsening of living conditions for the poor.
