Selected Books by Joel Rogers

Working Capital: The Power of Labor’s Pensions (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2001). Edited with Archon Fung and Tessa Hebb.

From the publisher... “U.S. pension funds are now worth more than $7 trillion, and many people believe that the most important task for the labor movement is to harness their share of this capital and develop strategies that will help, rather than hurt, workers and unions. Working Capital challenges money managers and today’s labor movement by asking how workers’ hard-earned savings can be put to use in socially and economically progressive ways. Responsible management of pensions will create greater growth and prosperity in America, and the authors of Working Capital show that the long-term interests of pension plan beneficiaries are well served through a 'worker-owner' view of the economy.”

"This book builds on the work of the Heartland Forum supported by the United Steelworkers of America, the AFL-CIO’s Center for Working Capital, and several foundations, including the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, to draw together the wisdom of a number of experts on labor’s next best moves in the pension market.”

The Forgotten Majority: Why the White Working Class Still Matters (New York: Basic Books, 2000). With Ruy Teixeira

From the publisher... “America’s Forgotten Majority explains how and why the Democratic Party lost the support of the white working class by ignoring the interests of this critical block of American voters. White detailing the costs of this defection from the Democratic Party over the last 30 years, Teixeira and Rogers argue for the centrality of working class concerns to the political process as a whole. America’s Forgotten Majority shows that politicians are increasingly pitching their message to an upscale electoral audience that excludes the preponderance of American, and traditionally Democratic, voters.”

Metro Futures: Economic Solutions for Cities and their Suburbs (Boston: Beacon Press, 1999). With Daniel L. Luria.

From the publisher... “Metro Future shifts the discussion of urban issues from despair over inner-city problems to solutions that link urban and suburban well-being. With its specific state and federal policy recommendations, Metro Futures offers timely hope for meaningful change.”

What Workers Want (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1999). With Richard B. Freeman.

From the publisher... “How would a typical American workplace be structured if the employees could design it? According to Richard B. Freeman and Joel Rogers, it would be an organization run jointly by employees and their supervisors, one where disputes between labor and management would be resolved through independent arbitration. Their groundbreaking book – based on the most extensive workplace survey in the last twenty years – provides a comprehensive account of employees’ attitudes about participation, representation, and regulation on the job.”

“More than anything, the authors find, workers want their voices to be heard. They desire a greater role in the workplace and have strong ideas about how their involvement could improve not just their lot but also their companies’ fortunes. Many nonunion workers favor the formation of unions, and virtually all union workers strongly support their union. Most employees support the creation of labor-management committees – to which workers would elect their representatives – to run the organization and settle conflicts.”