America, What Happened?: Overview

"Ask yourself," politicians running for office like to say, "Am I better off than I was four years ago?"

Have your wages kept up with soaring prices at the pump and the housing market?  How about health care costs or college tuition that are rising at twice the rate of inflation?  Worried about the millions of jobs being shipped overseas?  Will you have enough money to retire?   Concerned about the trillions of dollars of mounting federal debt that our kids and grandkids will be paying off for decades to come?

In recent years, working families have had good reason to feel anxious about their future.  The articles on the following pages explore the crisis for working families and the policies of our leaders in Washington that have created it.

• Five Key Indicators of an Economy Gone Awry
• As Health Care Crisis Grows, CWA Backs 'Medicare for All'
• Workers' Retirement Security at Risk
• Trade, Tax Policies Hasten Loss of Good Jobs
• Colombian Trade Deal Flies Under Radar
• Leaving Workers Behind
• Speed Matters: CWA's Campaign for High-Speed, Universal Internet Access for Jobs and Economic Growth
• Labor Board Loses Sight of Role To Protect Workers' Rights
• Interview with Prof. Catherine Rudder: 'Political Action Is Key to Securing Jobs, Retirement, Health Benefits'
• Ergonomics: The Politics of Pain
• Like Father, Like Son: CWA Leaders on Opposit Coast Fight for Change
• The High Price of Higher Ed
• Cingular Worker Briefs Candidates on Union Rights
• How America Stacks Up