Work vs Welfare: The Battle for the Future of American Livelihood in the 1960s

Author: Daisy Varela

Field of Study: Biological Sciences

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 90

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: This research project focuses on the competing strategies of labor unions and advocates for guaranteed income as they navigated the shifts in American industry between 1960 and 1970. Starting in the 1950s, a wave of industrial layoffs and factory relocations began a shift toward a new service economy based on jobs in teaching, healthcare, and clerical work. This study explores how proponents for a guaranteed income clashed with the labor movement's focus on job preservation. By examining the two different approaches to this economic change, this project argues that while unions provided security during the economic boom, their focus on traditional industrial roles complicated the transition workers had to face as society shifted towards service-oriented labor. This struggle over strategy ultimately redefined the relationship between the worker, state, and the source of livelihood.