For tens of millions of Americans, working life is characterized by uncertainty and limited recourse. Hours can be plentiful one week and fleeting the next, and often unpredictable, with shifts arranged on short notice, at odd hours, or canceled just as erratically. The prevalence of at-will employment amplifies this insecurity, as the threat of job loss—a potentially devastating blow to both workers and their dependents—is ever-present. Often powerless against corporate practices that prioritize shareholder value over employee welfare, these workers are vulnerable to job insecurity and diminished bargaining power.

Today, we examine the unstable state of American work and how we got here. First, host Geoff Wodtke is joined by Jake Rosenfeld, professor and chair of sociology at Washington University in Saint Louis. They trace the history of the American labor movement from its midcentury heyday to its downfall. The consequences of the decline in union membership loom large over the second conversation, with Daniel Schneider, a sociologist and professor at Harvard. He discusses his work exploring the extent to which precarious work has hobbled American households’ personal and economic health.