ABSTRACT
Efforts to organize and provide income support for low-wage workers, inside and outside unions, have been among the central activities of social workers in the U.S. since the 1890s. Yet, their dedication to these goals has been neither ideologically nor politically consistent. The diverse and occasionally contradictory roles social workers have played in assisting low-wage
workers in their struggles for economic justice reflect several interrelated factors: the changing class composition of the profession; the relationship between social workers and communities of color and immigrants; the role of the social work profession in the broader political-economy; and the evolution of social workers’ attitudes toward social work unions and professionalism (Fisher, 1994; Karger, 1988; Reisch & Andrews, 2001). Using primary and secondary sources, this article explores the interplay of these factors in four periods: the Progressive Era and its aftermath; the New Deal/Fair Deal/McCarthy period; the War on Poverty; and the Reagan and PostReagan years. These time frames provide a clear demarcation of the development of U.S. social policy and social work which reflect the evolution of the profession’s approach to issues involving low wage workers and its attitudes toward unions. In the conclusion, the article discusses the implications of this history for future endeavors in this arena.
