Justice at Work by Marc Doussard Summary
Overview of Justice at Work
"Justice at Work" reveals how urban coalitions are winning $15 minimum wages and fair scheduling laws across America. Ruth Milkman praises this groundbreaking study showing how city-level activism is transforming economic policy through a powerful fusion of racial and class justice movements.
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The Urban Battleground: How Cities Became Engines of Justice
In the early 2010s, something remarkable was happening in American cities. Despite decades of warnings that businesses would flee at the first sign of regulation, more than fifty cities had enacted minimum wage laws by the late 2010s - many at $15 per hour, double what activists had initially proposed just a decade earlier. This transformation wasn't happening through traditional politics but through a new kind of activism that explicitly linked economic and racial justice. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, followed by widespread protests against police violence and massive job losses, these seemingly separate crises revealed themselves as deeply interconnected parts of the same system of inequality. The urban renaissance had created not just prosperity but also unprecedented leverage for justice movements to transform American cities into laboratories for economic democracy. Cities present a striking contradiction in today's economy. While inequality has worsened dramatically, urban areas have become unexpected winners in the global marketplace. This challenges the conventional wisdom that cities lack power to address inequality for fear of scaring away investment. Three economic shifts have transformed urban dynamics: "post-Fordism" replacing mass production with specialized industries; deindustrialization shifting jobs from manufacturing to polarized service sectors; and financialization intensifying inequality through both employment and housing markets. These changes have made central cities essential coordination hubs for global production networks. Today's businesses depend on dense urban centers to provide specialized labor and innovation ecosystems. They can't credibly threaten to relocate when faced with regulations improving wages or working conditions. This economic transformation enables a fundamental shift in how we approach development - rather than focusing solely on attracting businesses and hoping benefits trickle down, cities can directly regulate service industries that cannot easily relocate.
The Evolution of Justice Movements: From Neighborhoods to Networks
Making Their Own Luck: How Movements Win
The Fight for $15: From Experimental Strikes to National Movement
Beyond Wages: Fighting for Time, Dignity, and Community Connection
The Future of Urban Justice: From Resistance to Transformation
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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