ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 1997 TAG: 9703120102
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: PROVIDENCE, R.I.
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
A national poll finds Americans feeling betrayed and abandoned - especially by their employers.
Americans are feeling betrayed.
Even after a long run of prosperity and peace, they believe they are being left out, sharing neither in the nation's wealth nor in the success of their companies.
They are anxious about the future, especially for their children.
Companies no longer are loyal to their workers, they believe. The boss makes sure profits continue at all costs, and that his pay goes up. But as to his employees, well, there is always the door.
This feeling of abandonment is one of the major findings of a national poll by Brown University as a prelude to the 17th annual Brown/Providence Journal-Bulletin public affairs conference that begins today.
Almost 70 percent of those polled said companies are less loyal to workers than was the case a decade ago; nearly 60 percent believed workers aren't sharing in the successes and profits of their companies.
``There's a lot of concern that companies have rewritten the social contract with workers, that chief executives are getting richer and laying off workers at the same time,'' said Darrell West, a Brown professor who supervised the poll.
What is surprising, West said, is that this follows an extended period of prosperity, in which those polled concede that, in fact, their own circumstances are stable, if not improved.
Years of massive corporate layoffs, of factories moving to other states or overseas, of often-stagnant wages while executive pay shoots up, have taken a big psychological toll on Americans, he said.
``People are feeling unappreciated and unrewarded.''
Elizabeth Ludvick, 38, of Lynn, Mass., is one of those who participated in the poll. She says she believes companies are less loyal to employees - an opinion she comes to after hard personal experience.
A theologian with a master's degree, she moved to Massachusetts two years ago from the Midwest hoping to further her education, but found it difficult to get a good-paying job, much less continue her studies.
Right now, she's a mover - packing household goods and lugging them out to a moving van. She's not afraid of heavy lifting, having grown up on a farm. But she's only able to make ends meet in her $9-an-hour job.
``Companies are less loyal to their employees in trying to come to some kind of mutual understanding, working in collaboration with what's good for employees - not just fair wages, but what's expected of hours,'' Ludvick said.
Her previous job was at a nursery, where she earned $8 an hour, working 60 to 65 hours a week. Promoted to a management job, she asked for a $2-an-hour raise. Told no, she quit.
The country's problem is the gap between rich and poor, she said. Who's to blame?
``All of us,'' Ludvick said. ``I don't think we can paint anyone as the big, bad wolf. I think workers like me are all responsible to stand up for unequal and unjust pay. A lot of people gripe and don't do anything about it.''
The poll of 603 adults, picked at random across the United States, was conducted by Brown for the forum titled: ``Updating the American Dream: What to Expect from Tomorrow's Economy.''
The first of eight sessions begins today with a keynote speech by writer and editor Robert Kuttner. The forum concludes March 20. All events are at Brown and are free and open to the public.
The survey, conducted Feb. 18 to 25, was led by West, a political science professor and director of Brown's John Hazen White Sr. Public Opinion Laboratory. Here are some findings:
People polled said jobs and unemployment led the list of the country's problems, although government and not business was held responsible.
Sixty-eight percent said companies are less loyal to their employees than they were 10 years ago. Nearly 60 percent said employees also are less loyal.
Those polled said their own circumstances were sound. Almost half said pay had gone up in the past year, while only 6 percent said they were unemployed, close to the national unemployment rate.
Asked if workers are sharing in company profits, 58 percent said no. Have they benefited from a robust U.S. economy? About 47 percent said no.
About 66 percent said young adults grabbing for the first rung of the economic ladder will face increased obstacles to success, more competition in their careers.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 linesby CNB