Audio: Kliman on “The ‘Stagnant Pay’ Myth & Capitalist Production”

Geoffrey McDonald and Andrew Kliman gave presentations during the “Dimensions of the Crisis and Labor” panel that took place on May 8 at the Historical Materialism NYC conference. This audio recording includes their presentations as well as the stimulating and spirited discussion that followed.

Since only two papers were presented, the discussion period lasted more than an hour. The bulk of it concerned Kliman’s presentation. During his replies to questions and comments, he displayed a quotation, several graphs, and a table from his forthcoming book. The discussion period begins approximately fifty minutes after the start of the recording.

Click here to listen to the audio recording.

McDonald’s presentation was entitled “The Cry for Jobs: An Absurd and Brutal Affirmation of Labor’s Subordination to Capital.” Kliman’s presentation was entitled “The ‘Stagnant Pay’ Myth and the Persistent Frailty of Capitalist Production.” For video recordings of similar presentations by Kliman, click here or here.

Video: “The Great Recession & Its Aftermath” at the 2011 Left Forum

The Great Recession & Its Aftermath

Recorded March 19, 2011 at the Left Forum at Pace University in lower Manhattan. Featuring Alan Freeman on “Waking from the Dream: Europe in the Great Recession,” Andrew Kliman on ”The Great Recession and the Persistent Frailty of Capitalist Production,” David McNally on “Global Slump, Age of Austerity, and the Growing Resistance,” and Fred Moseley on “A Lost Decade for Jobs in the U.S., Unless…”

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April Unemployment & Employment Stats: “less disastrous than before”

By Andrew Kliman, Author of Reclaiming Marx’s “Capital“: A refutation of the myth of inconsistency.

Is the worst over?

A couple of hours ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the number of nonfarm payroll jobs fell in April by an estimated 539 thousand, and that the unemployment rate increased to an estimated 8.9%, from 8.5% in March.  So since employment peaked (and the recession officially began) in December 2007, payroll employment has fallen by 5.7 million.  Keeping in mind that the U.S. economy would need to have about 150 thousand additional jobs per month in order for employment to keep up with the growing population, or 150 thousand x 16 months = 2.4 million since December 2007, that makes for a shortfall of over 8 million jobs since the peak. Read More