Class Struggles Still Exsist

The current economic recession in the United States has affected many, but perhaps the most affected and still struggling has been the working class.“One is what one owns,” says Teresa L. Ebert. This simple phrase says a lot about class struggles, especially in today’s society. Society seems to be more focused on wealth as time passes by. People are much more concerned with the latest fashion trends rather than focusing on developing ways of creating jobs for the unemployed. However, class struggles have existed since the times of Kings and Lords as Carl Marx suggest. It is not something of the past and unless some changes are made to the current governmental systems it will not change. The recent economic recession in the U.S. has exposed the large gap between the owners and the working class. Jack London’s novel, The Iron Heel attempts such a change in a warlike revolution. But in the real world perhaps changes need to begin small, but what is important is for the working class to rise up and demand their rights as Charlize Theron’s character did in the film “North Country.” In today’s society the working class continues to struggle. Even though some changes have been made, there is still a long way to go. Workers are being forced to work for less and college students are being forced to pay more for their education.
Jack London’s novel explores the conflict of classes through the character of Ernest Everhard. Ernest Everhard represents the working class, but he is a very smart person who not only uses force for his revolution but manages to get involved with the owner of the Mills and his daughter. During a dinner he observes how the owner and some religious figures discuss the working class. After observing them Ernest is asked to speak and he exclaims “…and let me begin by saying that you are all mistaken. You know nothing, and worse than nothing, about the working class. Your sociology is as vicious and worthless as is your method of thinking” (London 13). Through the character of Ernest, Jack London makes a very strong social commentary about the working class and the owners. London’s commentary is still true in today’s society. The owners are not aware of the struggles the working class has. The working class has to face difficult working conditions such as working long hours and without benefits. Even if the owners are aware they choose to ignore it.
In the film North Country, directed by Nikki Caro the main character explores the struggles a common worker has to face in order to obtain their rights. The main character named Josey Aimes is forced to take a job in the mines where her father works. As a single mother it is the only job that allows her to provide for her and her children. However, she faces many obstacles and primarily sexual harassment. The manager of the company warns her not to go to the owner with her complaints telling her that it’s a waste of time. But after several unfortunate incidents she decides to go, but the owner basically threatens to fire her and completely ignores her request. This film inspired by the real life case Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Company, which helped paved the way for the sexual harrasment laws in favor of the workers that exist now in our legal system.
The owner has no idea the humiliation Josey and her female co-workers go through everyday. After much opposition Josey takes her struggle to the courts. While Josey is the only women brave enough to sue the company, the owner hires a great lawyer to represent the company as Earnest from The Iron Heel would say “The company employs very efficient lawyers…” (London 16). The lawyer attempts to break Josie down by trying to ruin her reputation. However, it is not that Josie doesn’t know how the father of her child but she conceals it because she was raped by her teacher as a young girl. There was only one witness of this attack and the company convinces him to lie and say it was consensual sex, but this turns against them when he changes his mind and confesses he lied and that Josey was raped. After this reveal more women join Josey with their complaints. Josey and her female co-workers win the case and pave the wave for sexual harassment laws to go into effect in many states.
There are still many workers who face deplorable conditions in today’s society. Perhaps not loosing arms like in the Iron Heel or being harassed like Josie. However, many workers today are facing unemployment, their benefits taken away, and their hours shorten. Since the recession many U.S. workers have been forced to work part time instead of full time. As Allison Linn writes in her article,
The nation’s recession is leaving millions of Americans working fewer hours than they would like — and taking home less money than they need — as their employers try desperately to trim costs. That, in turn, is hurting everything from consumer spending to tax revenues, adding to the woes already created by the millions of Americans who are entirely without work, or facing other economic hardship. (Linn 1)
Companies or owners prefer to cut hours from their employees then to lower their own salaries. This situation leaves the working class struggling to make what they can of what they earn. However, instead of protesting this many workers let it go, claiming that is better to be working then not working at all, but this type of thinking only allows the owners to keep doing what they want. Instead of letting it go workers should fight for their rights of having health care even if they only work part time and so on.
Parents have to work two jobs to feed their children and college students are forced to choose between a degree or getting a job in order to survive. Perhaps one of the groups affected by this recession the most has been college students. Many of them have been forced to take on part time jobs. However, fees keep increasing and perhaps they might keep increasing. Recently there were many protest at the University of California Los Angeles because the school was going to increase fees. For many students this fee increase would mean that they would have to put their education on hold and work to pay off their loans. The school post it on their website why a fee increase was approved. It states
The increase (9.3 percent, or $662 for resident undergraduates) is consistent with the fee hike the state expected UC to enact as part of the state budget adopted in February, which left UC with a cumulative state funding shortfall of $450 million. It consists of $115 million in new cuts, $122 million in underfunded enrollments, and $213 million in unfunded mandatory costs for utilities, employee health benefits and other inflationary costs.
The statement claims that because of California budget cuts on education, such fees were needed. The website also claims that this was their last resort. However, it doesn’t state if the chairman’s of the school would have their wages lowered as well. It seems very unfair that students are the ones that have to pay so much in order to get a better education. America is believed to be the land of opportunity, but may are not able to access such opportunities. These students are trying to get ahead in life and obtain degrees, but because of fee increases they will be unable too. California is one of the many states that have cut a lot of money from public education. At the beginning of this year Los Angeles School District approved the layoffs of 2,300 teachers.
Many companies are being forced to cut down several of their employees from full time to part time, while other companies have cut down their benefits. And example of this is the company Bashas, this company runs several supermarkets in Arizona. According to an article on azcentral.com released in October of this year, the company cut benefits from 10,000 part time employees in order to avoid declaring bankruptcy. The company is also doing a number of other things to cut cost, but the most affected are the part time workers who now won’t have health insurance among other benefits.
While the working class struggles to pay for what they need working part time jobs and college students balancing work and school, the rich keep getting rich and the poor poorer. The middle class is near extinction, as Ebert suggests “There is no middle class. The middle class is an ideological illusion used to obscure class binaries and conceal the fact that under capitalism society is breaking up more rigidly into two classes whose opposition cannot be dissolved in the hybrid of a playful in-between-ness.” It’s easier for people to try to think they belong in the middle class, but nonetheless they are still workers. There is no middle class it is only working class and owners. However, this is not only a problem in the U.S. many workers in other countries are facing situations like this or far worst. As globalpost.com reports there are still many children working in sweatshops in China. China is just one of many countries who still have deplorable conditions for their workers. Many of the products they make are shipped to the U.S. It is sad to think that all that we consume is made by people struggling just as we are, instead of accepting this and allowing it to continue workers should come together and demand better conditions and pay for what they do. They are the back and bones of these companies and without them companies would be lost.
The only thing the owners are concerned about is their wealth and expanding their companies as Marx points out “The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, and establish connections everywhere.” Even if it means exploiting workers in other countries, owners don’t seem to care as long as their companies expand and their pockets are full. The working class is forced to deal with difficulties out of necessity. If they don’t work they don’t eat or provide for their children. There are many people like Josey who would rather “suck it up, and it like a man” then to fight for their rights. Josey was based on a true story and the real life character was able to make a difference. Perhaps more workers should rise up like Josey and fight for their rights no matter what difficulties they might face; it seems a lot better then being humiliated every day, also, having to suffer with a sickness or disease because a part time does not offer health insurance. Owners do not care about their employees, only workers can care about each other and make a difference. The change should begin in the U.S. but expand to other countries like China and help give those workers a voice they don’t have.
Working class struggles may be different but they still exist. As long as the working class allows the owners to continue ignoring their rights, things will not change, but get worst. Workers need to unite and fight for their rights, not with force and violence but with intelligence and using the court system. They need to stand together and unite no matter what the owners throw at them. Workers need to be persistent and patient as Ernest Everhard was in The Iron Heel.

Work Cited
Dir. Caro, Nikki North Country. Perf. Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spaceck,
Sean Bean, Richard Jenkins. Warner Brothers Pictures Distribution 2005,
Ebert L., Teresa, Daily Lessons on Class. www.webteach.csun.edu./engl312. 11/17/09.
Linn, Allison, “Recession leaves many working less” msnbc.com, msnbc n.d. web Dec 10 , 2009
London, Jack, The Iron Heel. Penguin Books 2006, New York, New York.
Marx, Carl, Manifesto of the Communist Party. www.webteach.csun.edu./engl312.
11/17/2009.
“LAUSD Approves Layoffs of Nearly 2,300 Teachers” cbs2.com. cbs2 n.d. web 14 Dec. 2009