Sizing up the strikes of 2023

+ AI in the college classroom US Edition - Today's top story: Waves of strikes rippling across the US seem big, but the total number of Americans walking off the job remains historically low [View in browser]( US Edition | 4 September 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Jobs are up, but recession is still a threat]( - [How do flies find your food so fast?]( - [Should AI be allowed in classrooms?]( Lead story Hotel room cleaners. Screenwriters. Teachers. Workers who make locomotives. Actors. The participants in this summer’s strikes have a dizzyingly wide array of jobs. And it’s possible that airline pilots and [autoworkers will soon join their ranks](. This year’s total number of strikers, which topped 320,000 by late August, is far higher than in most recent years. But it’s nowhere near the levels seen from the end of World War II through the 1970s. About 4.6 million Americans went on strike in 1946 – the most on record. Judith Stepan-Norris and Jasmine Kerrissey – sociologists at the University of California, Irvine and UMass Amherst – explain that [today’s strikes have much in common with early waves]( of walkouts. But they caution, “It’s too early to know how big this wave will become.” I’d also like to encourage you to spend some time on this Labor Day reading other recent articles we’ve published on related issues. Highlights include stories on the [easing of state laws restricting child labor](, the [threats that AI poses]( to people who make their living in show business and why so many workers are [becoming less dependent on their employers](. And please take our special [Labor Day quiz](, which draws on these stories and more from our archive. [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Emily Schwartz Greco Philanthropy + Nonprofits Editor Striking members of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union in New York City in 1958. AP Photo [Waves of strikes rippling across the US seem big, but the total number of Americans walking off the job remains historically low]( Judith Stepan-Norris, University of California, Irvine; Jasmine Kerrissey, UMass Amherst Many of the reasons for strikes now – low compensation, technological change, job insecurity and safety concerns – mirror the motives that workers had for walking off the job in decades past. Economy + Business - [Jobs are up, wages less so – and lower purchasing power could still lead the US into a recession]( Christopher Decker, University of Nebraska Omaha The latest labor figures are less encouraging than they might seem. - [States are weakening their child labor restrictions nearly 8 decades after the US government took kids out of the workforce]( John A. Fliter, Kansas State University; Betsy Wood, Bard College Some of the biggest changes to child labor laws are in Iowa and Arkansas. - [Millions of women are working during menopause, but US law isn’t clear on employees’ rights or employers’ obligations]( Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia; Bridget J. Crawford, Pace University ; Emily Gold Waldman, Pace University Three scholars who are writing a book about menopause and the law suggest ways to protect women experiencing it. - [United Auto Workers strike – if it happens – should channel the legacy of Walter Reuther, who led the union at the peak of its power]( Marick Masters, Wayne State University Reuther was both ambitious and pragmatic, scoring many victories for autoworkers. - [Americans are taking more control over their work lives – because they have to]( Scott Sonenshein, Rice University ‘Career portfolioing’ is a trend where people assemble different sources of income, such as side gigs, to give them a measure of independence from employers who provide little job security. Science + Technology - [How do flies find every stinky garbage dumpster? A biologist explains their sensory superpower]( Christine Picard, Indiana University Flies often beat out competitors for food because of their specialized sensing organs called antennae. - [What are Hollywood actors and writers afraid of? A cinema scholar explains how AI is upending the movie and TV business]( Holly Willis, University of Southern California What would you do if the industry you work in could clone your skills, style and even the way you look and sound? Arts + Culture - [How did abuse get baked into the restaurant industry?]( Ellen T. Meiser, University of Hawaii at Hilo; Eli R. Wilson, University of New Mexico Barbara Lynch’s alleged bullying of her employees is only the latest in a string of high-profile chef scandals. Two scholars explore how this behavior became normalized in kitchens across the US. Education - [Should AI be permitted in college classrooms? 4 scholars weigh in]( Nicholas Tampio, Fordham University; Asim Ali, Auburn University; Patricia A. Young, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Shital Thekdi, University of Richmond Scholars differ over whether having students use AI in their assignments will help or hurt their careers after graduation. Trending on site - [Trump’s mug shot is now a means of entertainment and fundraising − but it will go down in history as an important cultural artifact]( - [RICO is often used to target the mob and cartels − but Trump and his associates aren’t the first outside those worlds to face charges]( - [Space junk in Earth orbit and on the Moon will increase with future missions − but nobody’s in charge of cleaning it up]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( A special edition to celebrate Labor Day in the United States. Today's graphic 📈 [A comparison of the labor supply and labor demand from July 2022 to August 2023. 2023 has seen the number of people looking for employment outstrip the number of jobs available.]( From the story, [Jobs are up, wages less so – and lower purchasing power could still lead the US into a recession]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Conversation Book Club launch event on September 14.]( Join the conversation with Manil Suri and The Conversation’s Senior Science + Technology Editor, Maggie Villiger, on September 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific. Please [register in advance]( to save your spot. - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? 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