Truthout
Economy & Labor
![Candidates should pledge that the middle class won't pay any new taxes until billionaires put up at least $1 trillion.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/2019_0908-hands-money-400x300.jpg)
Tax the Rich Before the Rest
Candidates should pledge that the middle class won't any new taxes until billionaires put up at least $1 trillion.
![Administrative tablet of clay, Mesopotamian/Sumerian, 3100-2900 BC. The earliest tablets with written inscriptions represent the work of administrators, perhaps of large temple institutions, recording the allocation of rations or the movement and storage of goods.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-463913557-400x300.jpg)
The Key to a Sustainable Economy Is 5,000 Years Old
In ancient Mesopotamia, writing off debts worked brilliantly well for two millennia.
![A man sits in front of a computer at a desk and pinches the bridge of his nose](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/2019_0906-stressed-businessman-400x300.jpg)
Job Growth Slows to 130,000 in August
The number of jobs added is down from an average of 173,000 over the last year, though wage growth has risen slightly.
![Water protectors of all persuasions gathered in talking circles at Borderland Ranch in Pe’Sla, the heart of the sacred Black Hills, during the first Sovereign Sisters Gathering. At the center are Cheryl Angel in red and white and on her left, Lyla June.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/image-400x300.jpg)
The Women of Standing Rock Are Building Sovereign Economies
Food security, traditional agriculture and local self-reliance are key to regenerative societies of the future.
![Rideshare drivers for Uber and Lyft stage a strike and protest at the LAX International Airport in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 2019.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/2019_0902-uber-protest-400x300.jpg)
As Drivers Protest, Trump’s Labor Board Sides With Uber and Lyft
Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are trying to stop California legislation from requiring them to treat drivers as employees.
![Supporter of the Fridays for Future movement hold placards during a protest for climate action on August 30, 2019, in Potsdam, eastern Germany.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/08/2019_0902-climate-protest-400x300.jpg)
Austerity-Obsessed Europe Could Combat Climate Change Without Raising Taxes
With zero or low deficits, many EU countries are needlessly obsessing over deficits while the planet burns.
![Engineers work on the Boeing 747-400 production line.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/2019_0902-boeing-workers-400x300.jpg)
Don’t Subsidize Companies That Silence Workers
When workers can’t organize or speak out, their lives — and ours — may be at risk.
![Vendors prepare booths in the exhibition hall before the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, April 25, 2019.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/09/2019_0901-nra-convention-400x300.jpg)
Top NRA Official Faces Second Accusation of Sexual Harassment
A top vendor complained it would “not tolerate” further contact between the official and its employees.
![Members of the SEIU Local 1021 protest outside of San Francisco General Hospital on March 21, 2012, in San Francisco, California.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/08/2019_0901-seiu-protest-400x300.jpg)
Eight Unions Have Climate Plans, But None Call for End to Fossil Fuel Industry
Some climate groups say humanity cannot afford to preserve industries that have caused so much environmental harm.
![Approval of unions is at a 15-year high alongside a wave of rising labor militancy.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2019/08/GettyImages-1085999986-400x300.jpg)
Five Reasons for Workers to Celebrate This Labor Day
Approval of unions is at a 15-year high alongside a wave of rising labor militancy.