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The American Working Class

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1945 was a pivotal year for the American working class. The middle class rose to power as the new standard for the average American worker. Meanwhile the government debated over how much involvement they should have in the economy and the in the lives of Americans. As in, is it “our job” to give citizens cradle to grave benefits like other European countries? This paper will discuss what has happened to the American working class since 1945 and why. It will also touch on postwar developments and long-term trends that most of society believes is responsible for the situation of middle class American workers today. In 1945 General Motors was booming. They were responsible for manufacturing one-eighth of all the metal goods that Americans used in the war. Walter Reuther seeing the opportunity of a boom after the war, went to GM to negotiate an ambitious contract for the workers. His goal was to secure a 30% raise and a pledge from them to keep prices frozen (Greenhouse pg 72.) While not exactly what he wanted, Reuther got GM to an 11% raise over two years, an annual cost-of-living adjustment to help workers keep up with inflation, and an additional 2% per year raise to help workers profit from the company’s productivity (Greenhouse 73). This win for union workers set the stage for other companies to follow. Companies nationwide who opposed the formation of unions, were compelled to now up their provisions and investment in their workers. Some saw this as a way to keep their

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