Stagnant Wages Could Polarize Society

Re: “As Profits Surge, Workers Still Wait,” Nov. 27:

Tom Petruno discusses a vitally important, but largely under-reported, economic trend that I very much hope he will stick with.

In 2005 the earnings of blue-chip stocks may be up 13.4%. For private industry workers, whose toil is producing these handsome results, wages and salaries rose 2.2%, he writes.

Petruno speculates on the possible effect of this trend on future stock market gain. What we need now is a critical analysis of the polarizing effect that such trends have on the social fabric of community life.

Leonard Schneiderman

Santa Monica

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The destruction of the middle class is well underway and there seems to be no political will to stop it.

Our workers are now pitted against formerly Third World workers (now called “emerging countries”) and there seems no prospect for improvement.

Jeff Softley

Work Fair

West Hollywood