Walk With Me For Many Miles

 

High-Technology Homeless--Bob A. Feldman

Black Male Worker "Seasonally Adjusted" Jobless Rate 12.6 Percent In September 2020

The official seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the United States for African-American male workers over 20 years-old, under the Republican Party-controlled White House and U.S. Senate and the Democratic Party-controlled U.S. House of Representatives was 12.6 percent in September 2020. Also, regarding the current unemployment situation for all workers in the USA in September 2020, according to the Oct. 2, 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics press release:

 "...Employment in government declined over the month mainly in state and local government education...

"In September, the number of permanent job losers increased by 345,000 to 3.8 million; this measure has risen by 2.5 million since February...In September, the number of unemployed persons who were jobless less than 5 weeks increased by 271,000 to 2.6 million...The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 781,000 to 2.4 million...

"The number of involuntary part-time workers is 2.0 million higher than in February. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.

"The number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job, at 7.2 million, changed little in September; this measure is 2.3 million higher than in February. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the last 4 weeks or were unavailable to take a job.

"Among those not in the labor force who currently want a job, the number of persons marginally attached to the labor force, at 1.9 million, changed little in September. These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, was 581,000 in September, also little changed from the previous month.

"In September, 22.7 percent of employed persons teleworked...These data refer to employed persons who teleworkd or worked at home for pay at some point in the last 4 weeks...

"In September, 19.4 million persons reported that they had been unable to work because their employer closed or lost business due to the pandemic--that is, they did not work at all or worked fewer hours at some point in the last 4 weeks due to the pandemic... 

"...Employment in food services and drinking places is down by 2.3 million since February...Employment in retail trade is 483,000 lower than in February. Employment in health care and social assistance...is down by 1.0 million since February...Employment in professional and business services is 1.4 million lower than in February...Employment in transportation and warehousing is 304,000 lower than in February...Employment in manufacturing is 647,000 below February's level...Employment in financial activities is 162,000 below the level in February...Employment in other services is 495,000 lower than in February...Employment in information...is down by 276,000 since February...Construction employment is below its February level by 394,000...Employment in wholesale trade is 312,000 lower than in February...

"Government employment declined by 216,000 in September. Employment in local government education and state government education fell by 231,000 and 49,000, respectively...Employment in private education decreased by 69,000 in September...Employment in the industry is down by 355,000 since February....

"Employment changed little in mining in September...Employment in the industry is down by 133,000 since a...peak in January 2019; about three-fourths of this decline has occurred since February of this year..."

Black Male Worker Jobless Rate Still Over 15 Percent In USA In July 2020

The official seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the United States for African-American male workers, under the Republican Party-controlled White House and U.S. Senate and the Democratic Party-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, continued to exceed 15 percent in July 2020. Also, regarding the current unemployment situation for all workers in the USA, according to the the August 7, 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics press release:

"In July...the number of permanent job losers and the number of unemployed reentrants to the labor force were virtually unchanged over the month, at 2.9 million and 2.4 million, respectively. (Reentrants are persons who previously worked but were not in the labor force prior to beginning their job search)...

 "Among the unemployed, those who were jobless less than 5 weeks increased by 364,000 to 3.2 million in July, and the number of persons jobless 15 to 26 weeks rose by 4.6 million to 6.5 million...The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more), at 1.5 million, was little changed over the month...

"In July...the component of general merchandise stores that includes warehouse clubs and supercenters lost jobs (-64,000)... Job losses continued in nursing and residential care facilities (-28,000)... 

"An employment gain in motor vehicles and parts (+39,000) was partially offset by losses in fabricated metal products (-11,000), machinery (-7,000), and computer and electronic products (-6,000)... Mining continued to shed jobs in July (-7,000), reflecting a loss in support activities for mining (-11,000)...."

In July 2020, 16,338,000 people in the United States were still unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' seasonally adjusted figures; and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for all U.S. workers was 10.2 percent.

Engels' 1844 Take on English-Speaking Workers Competing With Each Other Under Capitalism Revisited

As long ago as 1844, Fred Engels indicated how the majority of English-speaking workers, living under a capitalist economic system in predominantly English-speaking countries, don't benefit from competing with each other, in the following way:

"Competition is the most extreme expression of that war of all which dominates...society. This struggle for existence--which in extreme cases is a life and death struggle--is waged not only between different classes of society but also between individuals within these social groups. Everybody competes in some way against everyone else and consequently each individual tries to push aside anyone whose existence is a barrier to his own advancement. The workers compete among themselves...Those who are unemployed or poorly paid try to undercut and so destroy the livelihood of those who have work and are earning better wages. This competition of workers among themselves is the worst aspect of the present situation as far as the proletariat is concerned. This is the sharpest weapon...against the working classes. This explains the rise of trade unions, which represent an attempt to eliminate such fratricidal conflict between the workers themselves...

"The worker is helpless; left to himself he cannot survive a single day...In law and in fact the worker is the slave...The worker has no choice but to accept the terms offered...or go hungry and naked like the wild beasts...The bourgeoisie alone...decide the terms of the bargain...

"...The...difference between the old-fashioned slavery and the new is that while the former was openly acknowledged the latter is disguised. The worker appears to be free, because he is not bought and sold outright. He is sold piecemeal by the day, the week, or the year. Moreover he is not sold by one owner to another, but he is forced to sell himself in this fashion. He is not the slave of a single individual, but of the whole capitalist class. As far as the worker is concerned...there can be no doubt as to his servile status...His real masters, the...capitalists, can discard him at any moment and leave him to starve, if they have no further use for his services and no further interest in his survival...They can now get rid of their workers whenever it pleases them without losing any of their capital...

"...Wages fall owing to competition between the unemployed...The workers suffer great distress. The small savings of the individual workers are soon spent and charitable organizations are overwhelmed with appeals for help...The number of those who are starving increases...The `superfluous' workers may or may not survive...

"...English industry must always have a reserve of unemployed workers, except during the short period when the boom is at its height. The existence of such a reserve is essential in order that labor may be available to produce the great quantities of goods which are needed during the few months when the business boom reaches its climax...The size of this reserve varies with the state of trade....During a slump the reserve of unemployed swells to formidable dimensions. Even when trade is moderately active--in between the extremes of boom and depression--there are still many workers who are unemployed. This pool of unemployed is the `surplus population.'...When they are out of work, these people eke out a miserable existence...If these people can find no work and are not prepared to rebel against society, what else can they do but beg? No wonder that there exists a great army of beggars, mostly able-bodied men..."

`Lookin' For A Job' protest folk song

`High Technology Homeless' protest folk song