The only thing that's going to save the American worker as we've known him and HER is unions. I have worked my entire adult life in an industry which does nothing but squeeze the most it possibly can out of its employees and tries to get around whatever labor laws they can, all while they tally up the earnings of their employer via a cash register. It made me sick when I was 20 and makes me sick today when I received notice that my electric bill will probably be going up $20/month on average. If I'm lucky I might get a $20/month raise next month. And it's always been like this - whatever raise I've gotten has been eaten up by my expenses increasing. Add to that the state increasing the income tax by 2/3rds and I feel very discouraged as an American worker right now.

I would happily pay union dues if it meant I would get a reliable raise every year, have respectable benefits I don't have to put half my paycheck toward and be able to bargain for extras like decent work hours, raises, etc. Not being able to bargain is why American workers have been exploited in the retail industry for decades.