Many jobs that allow blue- and white-collar workers to be part of the middle class and adequately support their families have gone away and are never coming back. Too many working people are now stuck in low-paying, dead-end jobs. Unemployment remains high, and the statistics do not even account for the millions of underemployed workers who struggle to get by or those who simply have given up looking for work. Find out more about the loss of good jobs.

The income gap between corporate executives and the average worker is wider than ever and still growing. Corporate profits and executive salaries are surging, while workers are having difficulty just making ends meet. Millions of Americans must work two or even three part-time jobs to keep up with bills. Many of the jobs being created today lack benefits, the chance for mobility, and long-term job security. Find out more about income inequality.

In response to dramatic increases in healthcare costs, employers are reducing benefits for workers and their families, or shifting costs to employees through increased employee contributions, co-pays and deductibles. Some employers have been forced to eliminate benefits entirely, leaving workers and their families without coverage. Some employees may never recover from the financial devastation of a major injury or illness. Find out more about the healthcare crisis.

Will today's workers be able to retire comfortably, if at all? Traditional pensions are quickly becoming a thing of the past, as corporations reduce or eliminate them to save costs. Some workers lost their retirement security to corporate scandals and declines in the stock market. Social Security may not provide an adequate safety net when today's younger workers approach retirement. Find out more about retirement insecurity.

Workers are finding it increasingly difficult to balance their work and family responsibilities. A majority of workers say they already do not have enough time with their families, yet many employers are further restricting programs such as paid family leave, flexible work hours, job sharing, telecommuting, and compressed work weeks which allow employees to harmonize their work and family life. Find out more about work and family balance.

Although some of the worst employment discrimination was eliminated by the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other anti-discrimination laws, there has been strong resistance to enforcement of existing laws and political opposition to remedial affirmative action. As discrimination has become more subtle and more difficult to identify and correct, many Americans continue to endure unfair and unlawful discrimination in the workplace. Find out more about workplace discrimination.

Having a job shouldn't be a matter of life or death, yet each year millions of workers get killed, injured, or seriously ill at work. Workplace safety regulation has become virtually non-existent, while the frequency of repetitive stress injuries climbs due to a lack of ergonomic standards. The workers compensation system fails too many workers, who are discouraged from filing claims or retaliated against once claims are filed. Whistleblowers who report the most egregious health and safety violations can quickly find themselves out of a job, with very little recourse. Find out more about occupational health and safety.

American employers increasingly show a lack of regard for the personal privacy of employees. Workers who endure telephone and computer monitoring, video surveillance, drug testing, medical and genetic screening, credit checks, or lifestyle regulations have few protections from these unwarranted invasions of their privacy. Find out more about privacy in the workplace.

Undocumented workers are among the most vulnerable and exploited workers in America. They are often victims of unpaid wages, dangerous conditions and uncompensated workplace injuries, discrimination, and other labor law violations. Undocumented workers who try to stand up for their rights routinely face physical and immigration-related threats and retaliation. Find out more about undocumented workers.

The dramatic decline in union membership over several decades--in large part the result of deliberate, effective, and often illegal tactics by employers--has a substantial negative impact on the welfare of all American workers. Organized labor not only protects and strengthens the rights of union workers, it is the most powerful voice for fair treatment of all employees and the most effective check on corporate influence in Congress and legislatures across the nation. Find out more about the attack on unions.

While union members and government employees generally have some protection from unfair treatment by their employers, and certain forms of discrimination are illegal in any workplace, most workers are employed "at will" and therefore have no rights when they are treated unfairly or terminated without a good reason. Find out more about diminishing legal protections for workers.

Most workers believe that if their employers violate the law, their rights will be protected and preserved by the courts. Many now find, however, that the courthouse doors are closed to them as a result of mandatory arbitration and conservative judges who are not sympathetic to employee lawsuits. Find out more about the obstacles to justice for workers.