Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Farm workers play an essential role in feeding our nation’s families. Despite their key role in our food system, these workers are largely underpaid, receive little time off, and have little recourse when subjected to dangerous working conditions. Half of the households in this majority-Latino workforce of more than two million earn less than $30,000 a year – and many struggle to put food on their own tables. Immigrant workers also face the risk of having their immigration status exploited, putting their safety and well-being in danger. Some become victims of forced slavery and human trafficking.

Better jobs for farm workers are possible and within reach. Multiple states have led the way in legislating better pay and protections, including the right to organize, a right these essential workers have long been excluded from. New high-road business models are showing ways workers and owners can succeed together, and new technologies are being developed to make farm work safer. But poor pay, dangerous working conditions, and inadequate labor and immigration laws persist for the vast majority of farm workers.

In this conversation — hosted in partnership with the Aspen Institute’s Food & Society Program — a panel of experts discuss the long-standing challenges in this essential sector and how to build good jobs for farm workers. Our speakers include:

• Gerardo Reyes Chavez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
• Daniel Costa, Economic Policy Institute
• L. Lloys Frates, Ph.D, Frutura
• Mireya Loza, Georgetown University
• Ximena Bustillo, NPR

For video, photos, transcript, and additional resources from this event, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/job-quality-in-the-fields-improving-farm-work-in-the-us/

Join us March 19 on Zoom for our next event, “Workers On the Line: Improving Jobs in Meat and Poultry Processing.” Click here to RSVP: https://aspeninstitute.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517096789931/WN_hJRY_m01TIOL-rm96tce-w

As the world continues to confront inhumane levels of poverty, widening inequality, and environmental degradation, a growing number of individuals, including academics, business owners, and policy entrepreneurs, are calling for a new moral economy. These leaders are rejecting the conventional economic myths that free markets are more efficient and that enormous inequalities are unavoidable; instead, they’re embracing ethical and socially responsible economic models that prioritize moral action and accountability.

In his new book, “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy,” author and academic Nick Romeo explores this paradigm shift in economic thinking, challenging prevailing notions perpetuated by some economists and business leaders. He shares compelling stories of these new innovative approaches, including businesses organized as purpose trusts, venture capital funds addressing wealth inequality and climate change, Oslo’s successful climate budgeting program, Portugal’s democratic budget decisions, worker-owned cooperatives fostering innovation, and public-sector initiatives providing protections for gig workers. “The Alternative” presents a vision of economies that are more equal, just, and livable, showcasing real-world examples of success. Ultimately, it challenges the prevailing narrative and offers a glimpse into a viable alternative economic system.

In this conversation — which took place on January 24, 2024 — we hear Nick Romeo and moderator Maureen Conway (Vice President, The Aspen Institute; Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program) discuss his new book and invite guests to imagine what a more humane economy could be.

For more information about this event — including video, audio, photos, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/the-alternative-how-to-build-a-just-economy-a-book-talk-with-nick-romeo/

To purchase “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy,” visit: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/nick-romeo/the-alternative/9781541701618/

Workplace benefits can provide workers with economic stability in their lives, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and the chance to build wealth in the long term. Yet the field of benefits offered is incredibly diverse. Deep inequalities in access exist, administration tends to be complex for both employers and workers, and there is little shared knowledge about what benefits are most important for workers’ well-being.

In this conversation, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, we begin to build that shared knowledge through an introduction to the promise and potential of workplace benefits to improve job quality. We share findings from recent research conducted by the Future of Work Initiative highlighting challenges faced by workers today. And we hear from an expert panel about the state of benefits today, current innovative approaches to improve access and effectiveness, and ideas about how to build on these in the future.

Our speakers include Betsy Biemann (Coastal Enterprises), Tonya Hallett (Amazon), Dr. Angie Kim (Center for Cultural Innovation), Emily Martin (National Women’s Law Center), and moderator Shelly Steward (The Aspen Institute).

This event took place on January 9, 2024. For more information — including video, audio, photos, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/how-benefits-make-jobs-better/

To read our complementary report, “Benefits Beyond Measure: The Role of Workplace Benefits in Improving Job Quality,” visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/benefits-beyond-measure-the-role-of-workplace-benefits-in-improving-job-quality/

Our next event, “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy – A Book Talk with Nick Romeo,” will take place at our Washington DC office on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST. Learn more and RSVP: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/the-alternative-how-to-build-a-just-economy-a-book-talk-with-nick-romeo/

Hear from a new wave of business leaders who understand the need to reimagine their relationship with organized workers and from the leader of the biggest federation of unions, who is ready to innovate and work together with business to achieve shared prosperity.

American workers are reevaluating their working conditions and rallying for change, driving a surge in worker organizing that affects businesses across sectors and regions. While many business leaders are unprepared for and resistant to unionization and other forms of worker empowerment, the case for fostering a positive relationship with organized workers is stronger than ever. At a time of historically high public approval of unions and newly emergent public expectations about the nature of work and the responsibilities of corporations, informed by the cataclysm of the pandemic and ongoing inflation, new voices in business are starting to call for an approach where businesses and workers collaborate to achieve shared prosperity.

The Aspen Business Roundtable on Organized Labor cultivates and organizes these new voices. It provides a space for business leaders to come together to learn, share, and advance strategies in which workers have a meaningful seat at the table when it comes to the terms and conditions of their work.

This December 2023 event, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and MIT Sloan’s Institute for Work and Employment Research, is our first public conversation about how business and labor leaders are reframing the narrative about organized labor and worker power, how mutually beneficial labor-management relationships are forged, and how a more constructive labor and business dynamic can support a stronger economy and democracy.

Our speakers include AFL-CIO President Elizabeth Shuler, Roy Bahat (Bloomberg Beta), Jamie Barton (AT&T Services, Inc.), Tom Kochan (MIT Sloan School of Management), Rajesh Nayak (US Department of Labor), Matt Patsky (Trillium), Alyson van Hardenberg (Honeycomb), and moderator Joe Weisenthal (Bloomberg).

For more information about this event — including video, audio, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/reimagining-the-business-labor-playbook-for-the-21st-century/

While the holiday season is a time of joy and celebration for many across the United States, it brings uncertainty and stress for workers facing unpredictable schedules. Workers in the service sector in particular are often on call and can have their schedules changed with very little notice. Research by The Shift Project, for example, shows that in fall 2021, a staggering 64% of workers in the service sector received less than two weeks’ notice of their schedule. Unpredictable and unstable schedules are associated with economic, food, and housing insecurity; various health issues; and, for working parents, adverse effects on childrens’ well-being and education.

In recent years, some state and local governments — including Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, and Chicago, and the state of Oregon — have enacted fair workweek laws that provide workers with more stable and predictable scheduling. And some employers have changed their scheduling practices as well, recognizing that unstable schedules can affect business performance and employee turnover. Despite this scattershot progress, however, the status quo of unpredictable scheduling remains largely the same.

In this discussion — which took place on November 15, 2023 — our expert panel discusses the latest research on the experiences of workers grappling with schedule instability, how new technology is helping businesses adopt worker-friendly scheduling practices, what we are learning from states and cities with fair workweek laws, and other opportunities and strategies for change.

Our speakers include Terrysa Guerra (United for Respect), Silvija Martincevic (Deputy), Daniel Schneider (The Shift Project), Elizabeth Wagoner (New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection), and moderator Shalene Gupta.

For more information about this event — including video, audio, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit our website: as.pn/unstableschedules

Employee ownership can take many forms: employee stock ownership plans, worker cooperatives, broad-based equity sharing plans, and more. A less common approach in the US, but one that is gaining attention, is employee ownership trusts (EOTs). While research has demonstrated the benefits of employee ownership for business performance, business resilience, and job quality, the growth in the number of employee-owners has plateaued. The leveling off is not because fewer businesses are choosing employee ownership as a succession plan, but rather due to valuable employee-owned companies being sold. EOTs, a type of perpetual purpose trust, have the potential to sustain employee ownership over time, often while serving other purposes.

EOTs can provide profit-sharing, support democratic workplace practices, and, like other forms of employee ownership, are associated with improved productivity. While uncommon in the US, EOTs are the primary form of employee ownership in the UK. The model’s successes have been such that the government of Canada recently took steps to facilitate EOT transitions, and there are indications that the approach is gaining ground in the US, as well.

In this conversation from October 25, 2023, our expert panel discusses the current state of research into trusts, the benefits EOTs provide, how EOTs compare to other forms of employee ownership, the experiences of business owners and workers in trusts, and what the future holds for this model in the US.

Our speakers include Leah Hamilton (Optimax Systems), Chris Michael (EOT Advisors), Melinda Paras (Paras and Associates), Rick Plympton (Optimax Systems), and moderator Kristin Toussaint (Fast Company).

For more information about this event — including audio, video, transcript, and additional resources — visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/sustaining-ownership-the-promise-of-employee-ownership-trusts/

Today, as a complement to our regular event series, we’re pleased to present a special conversation between our executive director, Maureen Conway, and Michael Lastoria, founder and CEO of the pizza chain &pizza. The core of our work here at the Aspen Institute rests on increasing the number of good jobs in our economy, and Michael has been a leader and an innovator in this space for many years.

In this conversation — which took place in March of this year — we learn how the desire to create good jobs inspired Michael to launch &pizza in the first place; we discuss how better jobs lead to better business outcomes; we uncover the strategic value of soliciting feedback from employees; we outline the problems with treating labor as a commodity; we discuss how new technologies can enhance workers’ experiences on the job, rather than simply attempting to replace them; and we identify the role of government action in serving to raise the bar across industries.

For a summary of the conversation, as well as additional resources and takeaways, check out this blog post on our website: Job Quality as the Cornerstone: A Conversation with &pizza’s Michael Lastoria. And visit us on YouTube to enjoy these highlights from the discussion:

• &pizza: A Model of Unity, Fair Wages, and Social Impact
• Fostering Resilience and Authenticity: &pizza's Employee-Centric Success
• Empowering Worker Voices
• Predictable and Stable Scheduling
• Empowering Workers Through Automation and Enhancing Customer Experience
• Wages and the Role of Government

Finally, to learn about ways you can increase the availability of good jobs in your organization, we invite you to explore the many resources on our website, including our Job Quality Tools Library, our Job Quality Center of Excellence, and our Statement on Good Jobs, to which Michael is one of over 200 signatories. We encourage you to read and consider signing on behalf of your organization, as well.

Wealth inequality has worsened over the last several decades, with the US having some of the highest inequality among industrialized countries. The top 20% of US households by income hold 70% of the wealth — over $96 trillion — according to the Federal Reserve. Households in the bottom 20%, by comparison, hold just 3% of the wealth, or $4 trillion.

In her new book, “Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drives Today’s Crises,” Marjorie Kelly of the Democracy Collaborative explains how the bias toward wealth that is woven into the very fabric of American capitalism is damaging people, the economy, and the planet, and she explores what the foundations of a new economy could be. The book exposes the myths underlying wealth supremacy, the bias that institutionalizes infinite extraction of wealth by and for the wealthy, and how this bias is the hidden force behind economic injustice, the climate crisis, and so many other problems of our day.

In this book talk with author Marjorie Kelly, hosted at the Aspen Institute on September 12, we learn about the myths that perpetuate wealth inequality and how the democratization of ownership — public ownership of vital services, worker-owned businesses, and more — can help us build a non-extractive capitalism and economy based on the public interest.

For more information about this event — including video, audio, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit as.pn/wealthsupremacy

App-based short-term work, often called gig work, has been around for more than a decade. As use of app-based services has grown and become part of many people’s daily lives, so has awareness of the risks and challenges it presents to workers. During the pandemic, attention on gig work surged as thousands of unemployed service workers turned to apps for an income, and millions relied on these workers to deliver food and other essentials to their homes. Coming out of the pandemic, what is the status of gig work today, and what does the future hold? While many problems with the most widely used apps persist, new models have emerged as platform-based work has become an established part of the labor market. Join as we explore how people are challenging the status quo of gig work and reimagining platform-based jobs to be good jobs that can sustain workers.

In this conversation, we hear about alternative models of platform-based work, including cooperatives and public options, about policies being introduced to improve gig workers’ lives, and about research showing us what’s ahead. This event features a panel discussion with Will Coleman (Alto), Lexi Gervis (Steady), Ligia Guallpa (Worker's Justice Project), Adrian Haro (The Workers Lab), and Shelly Steward (The Aspen Institute).

For more information — including video, audio, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/good-work-in-the-gig-economy-building-a-sustainable-app-based-economy/

Congress has taken important steps in the last couple of years to support the growth of employee ownership in the US. Bipartisan legislation such as the Main Street Employee Ownership Act and the WORK Act have recently passed and hold great potential for helping more businesses to become employee-owned through ESOPs and worker-owned cooperatives.

In this conversation, speakers discuss the implications of recent legislation and what more needs to be done to help more workers become owners. It features a panel discussion with James Bonham (President, The ESOP Association), Ken Baker (CEO, NewAge Industries), Ike Brannon (President, Capitol Policy Analytics; Senior Fellow, Jack Kemp Foundation), Haydee Caldero (Senior Vice President / Finance & Strategy, Crêpes à Latte), and moderator Eleanor Mueller (Economics Reporter, Politico). For more information about this event — including video, audio, transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/ownership-on-the-march-recent-progress-in-supporting-employee-ownership/

The discussion was held on June 14, 2023, as part of the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University. This two-day convening brought together leading policymakers, practitioners, experts, and the media for a robust discussion on how we can grow employee ownership for the shared benefit of American workers and businesses. Learn more: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum/