Powerpoint slide talking points

COMMON SENSE ECONOMICS • AFL-CIO • OCTOBER 2015 CSE 101 GUIDE • 1
Learning Objectives
After completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
• share with others their experiences with the economy and how the economy is
not working for most working people;
• describe the impact of neoliberal political choices on working people;
• articulate that powerful people manipulate the rules of the economy;
• explain how working people can change the rules of the economy by acting
together (voting, volunteering, organizing and activism); and
• empower family, friends and co-workers with a specific message to join
together to change the rules to create an economy that works for everyone.
Success will be measured by participants:
• articulating a message about the rules of the global economy to
others;
• collectively advocating for policy changes; and
• engaging in campaigns and becoming active campaign volunteers.
CSE 101 GUIDE

2 • CSE 101 GUIDE COMMON SENSE ECONOMICS • AFL-CIO • OCTOBER 2015
TRAINER NOTES
Materials and Logistics
The CSE 101 Workshop will take 1 hour, 20 minutes,
divided as follows:
Welcome, Introductions and
Group Agreements 5 minutes
Lived Experience Exercise 10 minutes
PowerPoint Presentation 25 minutes
Victory Video 5 minutes
Campaign Overview 10 minutes
Recruiting People to Take Action 20 minutes
Campaign Next Steps,
Contact Form and Conclusion 5 minutes
Optional: Inequality Exercise 10 minutes
Note that timing will be tight. Some host organizations will need
you to finish exactly on time; others may permit a little more time
for discussion. Plan to use your time carefully!
You will need the following materials:
• Projector setup with sound for the PowerPoint and video
• Paper and pens for participants
• Flip charts and markers
• System for keeping time (timekeeper, watch)
• Optional: Placard and/or hat for Mr. Wealthiest 10%
TIME
MATERIALS

TRAINER NOTES
There will be a few handouts you will need to have ready:
• Common Sense Conversations
• Action Campaign Materials
• Contact Commitment Forms
• Evaluation Forms
• Rewriting the Rules Summary
This session can be done in any kind of room and does not
require breakout spaces. It will be best if people are not too
crowded together, so they can comfortably talk in pairs and
small groups, as well as in a line for the practice conversation
exercise.
Additional space may be needed at the front of the room for the
optional Inequality Exercise.
Reference materials available at the end of this guide:
• Optional activity:
• Wealth Inequality Exercise: 10 Chairs
• Glossary of Economic Terms
• Mr. Wealthiest 10% Placard
HANDOUTS
ROOM
RESOURCES

TRAINER NOTES
You will see two types of print in these Trainer Notes.
Print Like This Will Be Training Tips
Or suggestions for how to conduct the training. It will be in a box apart from
the main flow of the page. Read these tips before you conduct the training
to get ideas of how to handle various parts of the session, what to expect,
and various situations which might come up.
Print Like This Will Be Trainer Scripts
That is, words that can be read aloud to the group as you lead the training.
As you become familiar and comfortable with the training materials, you
will make the words your own—you do not need to use our scripts! The
scripts are available here so you can see how a trainer might introduce
something, make a transition or stimulate a conversation. You should
always feel free to put any of this into your own words, and into words you
think will resonate with the particular group you are leading through the
module.

TRAINER NOTES
Make Changes and Adaptations Thoughtfully
We want you to make this training your own—adapt it to the groups you are
using it with, and make the words your own. However, we also want you to think
carefully about the following as you do so:
• A lot of thought went into the wording of these materials, particularly the
questions, introductions and summaries. Casual changes in some places may
lose the meaning of the material. Changes to questions may elicit a whole
different type of responses, rather than what is intended.
• This curriculum was designed by the AFL-CIO, and reflects its current thinking
on economic issues. Please do not misrepresent the AFL-CIO’s positions.

WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS AND GROUP AGREEMENTS
Trainer Note
It is extremely important to introduce the Action Campaign here, and
to frame the session as preparing us to move into action.
We want participants to know from the beginning this is not just
about sitting back and listening. It is about getting involved and
getting others involved as well—building the movement.
J

Welcome to this session of Common Sense Economics, a tool developed by the
AFL-CIO to enhance activism in our communities. Thank you for coming.
Today, we’ll be talking about the impact of neoliberal political choices on the lives
of working people and how the economy is out of balance. We will look at how and
why the current economy is not serving working people, how our lives are impacted
and how we can act together to create an economy that works for all of us.
We will be talking particularly about <Insert Action Campaign here>. We
hope that coming out of this session, you not only will better understand what
influences the rules of the economy, but you will be ready and motivated to take
action to support this campaign and to recruit your family, friends and co-workers
to take action.
WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS AND
GROUP AGREEMENTS
5 minutes

The Importance of Introductions
Be sure to practice the introduction in order to avoid reading from
your script. This is one of the opportunities you will have to establish
yourself as a credible facilitator; few things do that better than a
solid introduction.
J
About Credentials
Let people know why you are qualified to lead this session:
“I’m a shop steward in my union, and I’ve been working in the labor
movement for five years.”
“I’ve been an activist on my church’s justice committee for 10 years.”
The goal is to position yourself as knowledgeable, without boasting or
claiming unnecessary expertise. Why are you at the front of the room?
J
Telling Your Story
Include a quick personal story as you introduce yourself. Quick can
be defined as two sentences that let people know why you are here.
“When I started my first full-time job, I thought I would work with one
company for life. I got laid off three years ago and have had four jobs
since then.”
“I’ve done OK, but my kids are struggling; one of them has moved
home with me. I worry what their futures will be like in this economy.”
A good story tells your personal connection to the economy and helps
people understand why you are concerned about taking action to
improve the economy for working people.
J

Personal Introductions
My name is <insert name>. I am <insert credential>.
I am excited about doing this workshop with you today because
<insert your own story>.
Let me have my co-trainer introduce herself—Jane?
<Jane tells her name, credentials and story.>

Advance Preparation
Prepare the flip chart sheet with the list of Learning Objectives in
advance (this saves time in your session). Have your co-trainer
hang it where people can see it.
J

Learning Objectives
I want to start by reviewing our Learning Objectives. I’ve written them here on the
flip chart.
Learning Objectives
• share with others how the economy is not working for most working
people;
• describe the impact of neoliberal political choices on working people;
• explain how working people can change the rules of the economy by
acting together (voting, volunteering, organizing and activism); and
• empower family, friends and co-workers with a specific message to
join together to change the rules to create an economy that works for
everyone.
It is important we understand why our economy is out of balance. A lot of people
talk about the economy like it’s a force of nature—something that happens to us,
like the weather. We know that’s not true.
We are going to talk today about how deliberate policy choices have changed the
rules of the economy to benefit corporations and the top 1%, and how we can act
together and organize to change the rules to create an economy that works for
everyone.

Prepare the Room Beforehand
Before the workshop begins, write the bold-faced group
agreements on a flip chart. You will want to print with a marker
that is thick and dark so it can be read more easily. The box at
right contains the suggested group agreements.
J
Timing Suggestions
If you have a large group and/or a very tight timeline, you may
want to add:
Allow the trainer to move the agenda. Given that we have
a lot to talk about today, allow the trainer to move the agenda
forward, as needed.
J

Group Agreements s
Ask Participants for Agreement
Here are suggestions for group agreements that will help move our conversations
today and make them as productive as possible.
Group Agreements
• Listen. It is very important to really listen to what your fellow
participants are saying. Give each other the space to talk
and take in what we are learning.
• Keep an open mind. We all have opinions and things we
believe, but don’t be too quick to dismiss ideas that might
be different from yours.
• Value your own experience. It is important to keep an
open mind, but don’t forfeit what you know, feel or believe.
Have confidence in who you are.
• Step up, step back. If you find yourself shy and
contemplative, push yourself to step up and contribute to
the conversation. If you are feeling very talkative, step back
to allow others the space to contribute.
• Cell phones on silent.
Are there any other group agreements you need to help facilitate our time
together?

Trainer Note
If you have a group of 20 or fewer people, have each person
introduce him/herself briefly. Ask for their name, where they are
from and their organizational affiliation. If you have a larger group,
you could ask people to raise their hands if they are from particular
geographic locations or are a part of particular organizations. Choose
locations and organizations you know are likely to be represented in
the room. For example, if the event is hosted by a coalition, you might
mention the coalition member organizations and cities or towns in
the immediate area.
J

Participant Introductions
The goal of the AFL-CIO and its allies is to touch 1 million people through
Common Sense Economics and for us all to move into action together, though we
will not all be working on the exact same issues. Some of us will be working on
local issues, some on state issues, some at the national level, some on minimum
wage hikes, some on immigration reform, and so on. If 1 million people start to
take action to change the rules of the economy and recruit others to work with us
to create an economy that works for everyone.
Sound good?
OK, let’s get started and find out who is in the room.
Each person should take 20 seconds to give his/her name, city and
organization (if you belong to one).

LIVED EXPERIENCE EXERCISE
Learning Objective
To share with others our experience with the economy. J
Trainer Note
If there isn’t sufficient space for participants to take steps toward
the center of the room, have participants stand instead to statements
that apply to them.
J

Let’s start by reflecting for a few minutes about our own experiences and views of
the economy. This bad economy has affected all of us, as well as our friends, our
family, our neighbors and our co-workers.
Choose ONE of the two exercises below.
Use Option #2 only if you have 30 or fewer participants.
OPTION #1 MOVING TOGETHER
Better for larger groups 10 minutes
We are going to do a simple exercise. First, please stand and move to the edges
of the room. I am going to read a series of statements; for any statement that
applies to you, please take one step toward the middle of the room.
Our goal is to get a sense that this bad economy impacts us all in one way or
another, not to put anyone on the spot or pry into your personal business.
As I go through the questions, look around at one another to take in our collective
experience with the economy.
10 minutes

Leading a Discussion
Ask broad, open-ended questions to get people to respond with
their own thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers. Encourage
a variety of people to talk. Do not try to respond to what each person
is saying, or you will dominate the conversation. You may want to
acknowledge what was said by repeating part of it back. “Yes, we
can really see that everyone is affected!”
Trainer Note
Remember to pause briefly between questions so participants have
time to look around the room. Make sure you save 5-7 minutes for
the debrief.
Questions can be uncomfortable!
Some of these questions might make some participants a little
uncomfortable. The goal is to help participants get a sense of their
common experience with the economy and not so much to put
people on the spot or pry into their personal lives. Let people know
they should feel free to stand as the statement applies to them, so
long as they are comfortable expressing themselves in this way.
J
J
J

Statements:
1. You or someone you care about, a family member or friend, have been
unemployed in the last five years.
2. That person had to take a job at lower wages than the job he or she lost.
3. You or someone you care about works more than one job.
4. You or someone you care about has had trouble paying their mortgage, rent or
car payment in the last five years.
5. You know a young person with huge student loan debt.
6. You know a young person who can’t get a good job.
7. You know a young person who had to move back in with his or her parents.
8. You worry your parents won’t have enough money for their retirement.
9. You worry that you won’t have enough money for retirement.
Lead a Brief Discussion
Look around and see where people are standing in the room.
What do you notice? Are you surprised at where people are standing?
What does this tell us about what is going on with our economy today?
Elicit three or four responses from the group.

Troubleshooting Tip
Someone may point out the inconsistency of the bank bailout as
compared with the auto bailout. It is worth noting, in this case, that
the auto industry crisis was an unusual situation requiring unusual
action. Because of the financial crisis, no private lender was in a
position to provide Chrysler and GM with funds. If government
turned down the companies, their only recourse would be
liquidation—they’d have to shut down operations and sell off their
assets. Their workers, numbering in the hundreds of thousands,
would quickly become unemployed.
J

Summarize the Exercise
You’ve made some good points.
Most people have struggled in this economy. People have lost jobs, or worried
about losing jobs, or worried about their friends who have been laid off.
If we’re younger, we’re worrying about that first job, or about finding work we really
want, or that pays enough to pay off student loans and save for the future.
If we’re a little more seasoned, we’re worried about our children’s future or about
our own retirement prospects.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. As we said earlier, the economy doesn’t just
happen.
For example, the federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised in years, and people
can barely survive on $7.25. That’s a policy our elected officials can change—and
some of them have been trying, but there is a lot of pushback from corporations and
the top 1%.
When Wall Street and the Big Banks needed bailing out, our elected officials got
together and voted to spend the money for that right away. That’s a public policy.
It just isn’t one that helped the average person struggling to pay a mortgage.
<If you have time, take some comments here, but stay on schedule!>
We’ve gotten a personal view of what’s going on with the economy. Now we’re
going to take a look at the overall picture and what is happening at a larger level.
If you did Option 1, skip Option 2 and go to page 26.

Respecting Privacy
Some people may feel uncomfortable talking about personal matters.
Let people know they only need to share what they are comfortable
saying. Also, be sure to say you will not be asking the pairs to share
each other’s personal stories with the rest of the group—these should
remain private unless the person chooses to share with the group.
Give an Example
“For example, for me, I haven’t been worried about my job, but I
have two kids in their 20s who haven’t been able to find good jobs,
and I worry that I will have to help support their families.”
Your goal in sharing your story is to model that we want personal
stories, not just general complaining about the economy.
J
Everyone Should Talk!
Midway through the pair time, let people know they have two
minutes left to make sure both partners have a chance to talk.
J

OPTION #2 PAIR DISCUSSIONS
Better for smaller groups 10 minutes
For this exercise we will work in pairs. In a minute, I want you to find a partner.
Together, you will answer this question:
How has the economy affected you, your family and your community?
For example, for me … [give an example, see note].
Be sure each person in your pair has a turn to speak. You will have five minutes.
[If there is an odd number of people, have one group with three people,
or have one of the trainers participate.]
After five minutes, reconvene the group.
OK, let’s come back together. Let’s take a couple of minutes to hear from folks
who want to share parts of their conversations.

Making Your Own Summary
As you summarize the conversation, refer back to issues that were
mentioned.
Be listening for similarities and common threads as people report
back from the pairs.
You may want to have your co-trainer write down what
people say on flip chart paper to help with the summary.
J
Use a Different Example, If You Want
If a different policy example would be better locally, or fits with the
Action Campaign, use it in place of the minimum wage example.
J
Leading a Discussion
Ask broad, open-ended questions to get people to respond with
their own thoughts. There are no wrong answers. Encourage a
variety of people to talk. Do not try to respond to what each person
is saying, or you will dominate the conversation. You may want to
acknowledge what was said by repeating part of it back. “Yes, we
can really see that everyone is affected!”
J

There are a wide variety of experiences in this room and also a lot in common.
Everyone has been impacted in one way or another.
Most people have struggled in this economy. People have lost jobs, or worried
about losing jobs, or worried about their friends who have been laid off.
If we’re younger, we’re worrying about that first job, or about finding work that we
really want, or that pays enough to pay off student loans and save for the future.
Those of us who are more seasoned are worried about our children’s future, or
about our own retirement prospects.
<Note that political choices have played a role.>
Are these concerns the results of individual choices, or political choices made by
those in power who make public policy?
As we said earlier, the economy doesn’t just happen.
For example, the federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised in years and now is worth
a lot less than it used to be. That’s a policy our elected officials can change—and
some of them have been trying, but there is a lot of pushback from corporations and
the top 1%.
When Wall Street and the Big Banks needed bailing out, our elected officials got
together and voted to spend taxpayer money to help the banks. That’s a public
policy; it just isn’t one that helped an average person struggling to pay a mortgage.
<If you have time, take some comments here, but stay on schedule!>
We’ve gotten a personal view of what’s going on with the economy. Now we’re
going to take a look at the overall picture and what is happening at a larger level.
Keep in mind what’s happening in our own lives.

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
If you are not equipped with a PowerPoint projector, please see the
CSE 101 Low-Tech Chapter for an exercise to substitute for this
presentation.
J
This PowerPoint presentation should take 25 minutes. You will need
to pace yourself carefully.
This timing does not allow for a lot of discussion. You can take a few
comments, but generally you will need to move through the presentation.
Do not go so fast that people can’t understand the material!
Remember the goal is to get across the basic concepts, not to make
everyone an expert or to engage in a detailed discussion.
The overall points of this presentation are laid out on Slide 2:
• a historical view of the rules of the economy—how the choices
made throughout our nation’s history have changed who benefited
from the economy and how (slides 3–12);
• how the neoliberal agenda is driving policy changes that benefit
CEOs and the top 1% in our country, creating an economy out of
balance (slides 13–20);
• how we can build power to change the rules to create an economy
that works for everyone (slides 21–28);
• how we can take action today to begin to change the rules of the
economy (slides 29–30).
Review the section in the Training Fundamentals chapter on the basics
of using PowerPoints effectively. Practice giving this session—for friends,
co-workers or just reading out loud while moving through the slides—
before you do it in front of a group. Time yourself, and mark where you
should be at 3 minutes, 6 minutes and so on. Change the sentence flow
if there are words that trip you up. Mark in places where you need to
pause, and underline where you need to make sure to emphasize.

25 minutes
Learning Objective:
To understand the economy is not inevitable but is determined by policy decisions
and to think about a new direction forward for the economy
SLIDE 1

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

In this section, we will be looking at:
• a historical view of the rules of the economy—how the choices made
throughout our nation’s history have changed who benefited from the economy
and how;
• how the neoliberal agenda is driving policy changes that benefit CEOs and the
top 1% in our country, creating an economy out of balance;
• how we can build power to change the rules to create an economy that works
for everyone.
But what do we mean by “the economy?”
You know, a lot of people talk about the economy like it’s a force of nature—
something that happens to us, like the weather.
That’s not true. The economy is a result of deliberate policy choices made by
powerful people. We can make different choices. That’s what we’re going to look
at in more detail.
SLIDE 2

The economy is a set of laws, rules and policies made by powerful people.
The choices those people have made over the last 30 years are not working for
working people.
As a nation, we can make different choices. We can change the rules. We can
create an economy where working people have a say at work, get fair pay and
benefits, and earn enough to sustain a family.
The economy should work for we the people, not just the wealthy and well
connected.
SLIDE 3

Click to view animation.
J

We have struggled over economic rules since the beginning of our nation.
In a democracy, we choose who makes the rules. And who votes determines what
the rules are and who benefits from them.
As we expanded the right to vote, through protest and pressure, we changed the
rules and more people got work that could sustain a family.
• In 1776 the U.S. Constitution said that only white men with land or property
could vote or hold office.
• It took another 64 years before all white men without property could vote.
• Black men couldn’t vote until 1870.
• Women did not have a voice in electing the rule-makers until 1920.
• Native Americans—the first people on the continent—couldn’t vote until 1924.
• It wasn’t until 1971, the nation decided that if 18-year-olds could be drafted to
fight and die for their country, then they should be able to decide whether
or not we GO to war.
As the electorate grew, working people helped change the rules—slavery was
abolished, land ownership opened up, it became illegal to limit access to jobs
because of a person’s race or gender, and laws were established to protect
workers who join unions.
SLIDE 4

During the period from the Civil War to the New Deal, the shift from agriculture to
manufacturing accelerated. Urban factories recruited European immigrants and the
children of farmers. But the transition from farm to the factory was not easy.
There was no national banking system at the time. The economy cycled between
boom and bust—the blue lines on this chart are periods of recession. Huge fortunes
were made through fraud and intimidation. Wealthy elites consolidated control
over entire industries, fixing prices and raking in huge profits, while working people
faced uncertain, insecure and unsafe employment. Industrialists employed private
“security firms” to suppress collective action by working people.
Few states or cities had minimum wage standards, prohibitions on child labor, limits
on working hours or workplace safety rules. If a worker was crippled or killed on the
job, employers were not required to provide anything to their families.
There were strikes and walkouts in cities across the country as workers fought for
the right to organize and sought to improve working conditions and wages.
In the Midwest and South, small farmers joined the Farmers Alliance and Populist
party to get fair shipping fees from the railroads and fair prices for their crops.
In the Deep South, both black and white tenant farmers were tied to the land
through the debts they owed landlords, and faced chain gangs if they tried to leave.
SLIDE 5

In 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed, thanks to speculation and fraud by Wall
Street traders, enabled by incompetent and dishonest bankers.
In the Great Depression, unemployment skyrocketed, with one in every four
men out of work. Many people were thrown off their land and became “hoboes”
moving from place to place in search of work. In cities across the country, there
were rent strikes and demonstrations as people struggled to sustain their families
and survive.
It became clear the economic rules weren’t working for most Americans.
Working people had had enough. They voted Franklin D. Roosevelt into office with
a mandate to change the rules of the economy.
SLIDE 6

Working people demanded new rules for the economy and the Roosevelt
administration responded by creating rules that changed the power dynamic
between employees and employers:
• The right to join a union—without getting fired, beaten up or killed.
• 40-hour workweek—with mandatory overtime and an end to child labor.
• A national minimum wage.
• Social Security—providing public income support for the elderly, widows and
orphans.
• Rules on banks and the stock exchange—to prevent reckless bankers and
traders from gambling with other people’s money.
• Unemployment insurance—with mandatory contributions from employers.
• Government agencies—to ensure the rules were enforced.
The nation raised taxes on the wealthy to pay for enforcement.

What do you think the top tax rate was in 1937?
• In 1937, the wealthy paid 79% of every dollar over $5 million—the equivalent of
79% of every dollar over $81 million today.
What do you think the top tax rate is today?
• 39.6%
SLIDE 7

Together we created rules that ensured the profits from productivity and growth
were broadly shared.
As the United States started mobilizing for World War II, our national government
invested millions in research and munitions. The war effort mobilized both public
and private investments, rapidly growing jobs and the economy.
When the war ended, the new rules, coupled with strong unions, ensured that
wages and benefits increased along with productivity, giving working people more
money to spend on goods and services. This increased demand drove investment
in new businesses.
The rules of the economy created a virtuous cycle—higher wages increased
demand, demand stimulated new investments, technology advanced,
productivity rose, tax revenue increased and we had more wealth to invest in
public infrastructure, public education, research and other things important to our
communities.
SLIDE 8

As a nation we invested in:
• Construction of the interstate highway system and hydroelectric plants;
• Public institutions of higher learning, including the G.I. Bill that put millions of
veterans through college with federal funding;
• Scientific research in public universities and government labs that led to
inventions associated with the space program, spurring new products and
businesses in the private sector;
• Our national space program that led to numerous technological advances and
a landing on the moon.
And under President Eisenhower—a REPUBLICAN—the tax rate on the wealthy
was HIGHER than under FDR: The tax rate on income over the first $200,000
(today, that would be $1.8 million) was more than 90%.
Could you live comfortably on $1.8 million a year?
SLIDE 9

For 25 years, wages (the red line) and productivity (the blue line) rose together—
both nearly doubled between 1948 and 1973.
SLIDE 10

Although the New Deal rules and growth improved the economy, many working
people still were excluded:
• Domestic workers were left out of most New Deal protections—primarily
women of color.
• Agricultural workers also were excluded—primarily workers of color.
• Tipped workers weren’t covered by the minimum wage—more than 70% of
tipped workers were women.
• Black workers in the South continued to live under legal segregation. In the
North, employers paid black workers less and excluded them from some jobs.
• Latino migrant workers in the Southwest were regularly subjected to mass
deportation from areas their families had lived in for generations (e.g., Texas).
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people had no legal protections.
Many of these exclusions continue to impact people today.
SLIDE 11

Then, as now, working people came together to fight for change:
• African Americans led civil rights marches to protest segregation and political
exclusion.
• Latino and Asian communities fought for equal access to education,
immigration reform and an end to job discrimination.
• Women demanded equal pay and equal treatment in the workplace, and an
end to sexual harassment and discrimination.
• The movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights worked to
end discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
Through collective action, we changed the rules to build a more inclusive
democracy and economy.
CIVIL RIGHTS:
• 1957—The Civil Rights Act was passed, allowing the federal government to
investigate abuses
• 1964—President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Title VII of the act banned discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion
or national origin.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
SLIDE 12

VOTING RIGHTS:
• 1964—24th Amendment ratified; prohibited poll taxes used to prevent African
Americans from voting.
• 1965—Voting Rights Act passed; prohibited voting test requirements for
African Americans and established federal election supervision in places where
African Americans had been prevented from voting.
• 1975—Voting Rights Act expanded to require language assistance at polling
stations.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS:
• 1963—The Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay men and women different
wages for equal work.
• 1972—Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibited discrimination based
on gender in federally assisted educational programs.
• 1974—Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibited discrimination in granting credit
based on race, sex, age, national origin or marital status.
If time permits, ask participants about their personal knowledge or
experience with the impact of these rule changes.

Let’s look closer at what’s happening to the rules in today’s economy.
SLIDE 13

J

Let’s start with looking at how the economy is out of balance. Reflecting on
the exercise we did at the start of this section, and considering who
stepped forward and why, what does this say to you about the current
economy? Who was negatively impacted? [Take a few responses from
participants.]
It wasn’t just one or two people, it was almost everyone in the room—and some
folks were impacted in multiple ways.
And it’s not just those of us in this room; working people across the country are
struggling to make ends meet in this economy.
[CLICK] We can see from the headlines that many families are struggling.
All over America, people are wondering what’s happening, why the middle class is
having a hard time making ends meet.
Well there is ONE group that is not worrying—corporate CEOs and the top 1%.
SLIDE 14

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONSLIDE 15
In the early 1970s, conservative elites came together and set about changing the
rules to reduce constraints on their power and to weaken the power of working
people.

They dubbed their ideas “neoliberal economics.” They wanted to remove any
constraints on the power of corporations and businesses that reduced their
profits.
What does this mean for working people like us? What have you seen in your
community?

[Review a few key points from the list and connect to participant responses.]
• Make it harder to form and join unions and to negotiate contracts
• Make it easier to break strikes
• Misclassify workers (e.g., taxi workers as independent contractors)
• Keep the minimum wage low
• Weaken overtime rules
• Attack project labor agreements and prevailing wage rules
• Deregulate the banking sector and Wall Street, remove laws protecting
consumers
• Promote trade agreements, like NAFTA, that pit working people against each
other
• Change policies at the Federal Reserve to keep unemployment rates high
• Cut programs and enforcement of standards that help working people
• Cut corporate tax rates and create new tax loopholes
• Change campaign finance laws to allow unlimited contributions by corporations
and the very wealthy to ensure the election of leaders who support their change
in the rules

We looked before at how productivity and wages rose together from 1948 to
1973.
Looking at this graph, what starts to happen in the early ’70s? What do
you think caused this change?
[Take a few responses from participants. Responses might include trade, attacks
on unions, corporate influence, etc.]
As we can see from the slide, from 1973 on productivity continued to rise, but
employers refused to pay higher wages.
The wealthy and powerful changed the rules of the economy to keep wages low
and make it harder for working people to make a living.
SLIDE 16

What has been the result of these changes to the rules of the economy?
When unions are strong, they act as a check on corporate power and provide a
way for working people to exert economic and political power to set and enforce
rules that work for everyone.
This graph shows union membership rates (the blue line), and the share of income
that goes to the top 10% of our country (the red line). What do you notice
about these lines?
[Take a few responses from participants.]
We can see the relationship between union membership and income—as
union density declined, the share of income going to the top 10% increased
substantially. When unions represented 30 to 40% of the workforce, they
influenced all wages.
As it became harder to form and join unions, and to speak up together, it became
harder to demand our fair share of economic growth and the wealth we all create.
SLIDE 17

J

Our economy in 2014 was more than two times bigger than it was in 1973, but
average wages and the share of household wealth has declined.
As the rules changed to reduce the power of working people, our share of the
growth of the economy went to corporations, CEOs and the top 1%.
SLIDE 18
A Growing Economy
Even though our economy continues to grow
$7.6 Trillion
(indexed to 2014)
Size of U.S. economy
(measured in GDP)
1973
2014
$17.4 Trillion

J

Wealth is much more concentrated in today’s economy.
Just eight people, the heirs to the Walmart fortune and the Koch brothers, control
$216 billion—the same amount of wealth as 44% of American households.
Under the current neoliberal economic rules, wealth inequality is growing. In 1982,
there were just 32 billionaires in the United States, according to Forbes. Last year,
there were 513 billionaires in the United States.
SLIDE 19

The rules of the economy have changed to benefit the top 1% and keep us in
a vicious cycle of low-wage work and communities starved of resources. Low
wages mean no customers, no growth and no business investment.
Instead of the wealth of our country being invested in research, infrastructure,
education and other things important to our communities, the increased wealth is
going into the pockets of the top 1% of our country. This starves the public sector
and undermines the institutions that built the middle class—public colleges and
universities, good government jobs that protect public health, build and maintain
our infrastructure and provide valuable public services.
CEO pay has skyrocketed. Investor profits are on the rise. Contributions to
lobbyists and political campaigns are at an all-time high.
The attacks on unions have made it harder for working people to negotiate
together to demand a fair share of the wealth they create.
The economy of the 1% doesn’t work for most of us.
SLIDE 20

We can change the rules. By acting together, by organizing, we can create an
economy that works for everyone.
SLIDE 21

J

This is our choice—fight for an economy that works for everyone, or watch our
democracy and our families’ future collapse.
That’s why we’re here today—to take action.
What can we do change the rules?
[Take a few responses from participants.]
SLIDE 22

We can exercise our power to change the rules to build and support an economy
for shared prosperity.
We can start by raising wages and labor standards—as thousands of people are
doing now across the country—by:
• Strengthening workers’ rights to organize unions and to negotiate for better
wages and working conditions.
• Raising the minimum wage and tipped wage.
• Passing living wage ordinances.
• Supporting prevailing wage standards and project labor agreements.
• Increasing the number of people eligible for overtime.
• Passing paid sick leave and family leave legislation.
Wage growth increases consumer demand. When there is more demand,
businesses hire more workers, invest in research and development, and expand
operations, driving increased productivity. Strong unions ensure working people
get a fair share of economic growth.
SLIDE 23

We can lower unemployment rates by investing in infrastructure, education and
research to create more jobs that pay wages to sustain a family on and to ensure
the United States remains competitive in the global economy.

For America to succeed in the 21st century, we have to invest in the things that
help us all grow and improve as a country:
• 21st century energy systems
• Learning and education
• Early childhood education for all children
• Public infrastructure—roads, bridges, ports, schools, etc.
• Mass transit
• Clean water
• Science
• Public lands and resources
This means we have to reclaim our relationship with government—we have to
understand that government can and should be a tool for a fairer America.
SLIDE 24

We can exercise our power to change the rules and ensure our government
represents all working people.

We need a government that will fight for a better America.

When people like us elect people who work for us, and we hold them
accountable, then we will have rules that benefit all working people.
SLIDE 25

For America to succeed in the 21st century, we have to include everyone:
• We can provide economic security and health care for all our seniors, including
strengthening Social Security and Medicare and expanding access to
pensions.
• We can invest in high-quality, fairly compensated child care so every child has
a healthy start in life.
• We can create an immigration system that works for working people—not a
system that benefits corporations and separates families. The current system
allows corporations to take advantage of immigrant workers by paying them
low wages and denying their rights on the job. This undercuts the living
standards for all workers in the United States.
• We need to put an end to mass incarceration that robs people—especially
African Americans and Latinos—of a future. This matters to the economy
because when you have millions of people incarcerated or formerly
incarcerated, it presses down wages for everyone. The United States has more
incarcerated people than any other nation in the world. Over the past 30 years,
our crime rate has stayed the same, but the number of people incarcerated has
tripled. And now corporations are fighting to privatize prisons, so they can rake
in profits from this system.
• We can ensure we all have rights at the workplace, no matter who we love.
SLIDE 26

We’ve looked at how working people have come together in the past to fight for a
more inclusive democracy and a fairer economy. But I want to find out from all of
you the different actions you’ve taken to create a fairer economy.
I’m going to ask a series of statements; if the statement applies to you, please
stand [if you have participants who may not be able to stand, have them raise their
hand].
Please stand if:
• You have walked a picket line.
• You have helped organize an event to raise funds for a cause you believe in.
• You have worked with people in your place of worship to help others in need.
• You have volunteered to help in your community.
• You have voted in a city, county or state election.
• You have volunteered to phone bank or knock on doors for a political
campaign.
• You have called or emailed an elected representative.
SLIDE 27

[If time permits, ask participants for specific examples of what they did.]
As we can see from all the people who stood, we have experience in taking
collective action.
We know how to work together to get things done.
We know how to do this. We’ve done it before. We can do it again.

J

We can come together to demand more time for our families, our children, for rest,
for wages that allow us to make a living and have a decent life. To THRIVE, not just
survive.
We can demand more of the wealth we all create together. We have a $17 trillion
economy and more than 500 billionaires—if they paid their fair share, we’d have
plenty to invest in the common good—education, infrastructure, basic research.
We can rewrite the rules to stop offshore tax havens, loopholes and excessive
CEO pay.
We can write rules that stop billionaires from trying to buy elections and lawmakers.
We can vote for, and work for, people who care about people like us, people who
will go to Washington, D.C., and fight for our interests and for a better America.
We have momentum—we are moving forward all over the country.
But we need more people to get involved. Not for today or a week or a month, but
for the long haul. We need you, your friends, your family and your co-workers to take
action.
SLIDE 28

Together, we can change the rules of the economy. Take out your phones and
text “WIN” to 235246; you will be added to the AFL-CIO’s activist database and
receive updates about ways to get involved in your local community.
And that’s what we’re going to focus on now—taking action here and at home to
create change.
SLIDE 29

[Modify this slide to match the campaign being used for the presentation. Use to
introduce the campaign after showing the video.]
There are national fights and there are local fights.
Right now, we want to ask you to help us with:
• A key national fight [insert national campaign information].
• An important local campaign [insert local campaign information].
SLIDE 30

VICTORY VIDEO
Learning Objective
To see how working people are taking action together and
organizing to change the rules of the economy.
J
Video Technology
Make sure you have the video all set to run! Technical delays can
cost precious minutes. Will someone need to turn out the lights?
Have them standing by and ready.
J

VICTORY VIDEO
5 minutes
We all know the economy is worse for working people than it has ever been in our
lifetimes—unless you are old enough to remember the Great Depression.
We have discussed how our out-of-balance economy didn’t “just happen”—it is
the direct result of deliberate political choices. Corporations and the wealthy push
their neoliberal agenda—laws, regulations, tax loopholes—that gives them a larger
share of the economic growth of our country while making it harder for working
people to have economic stability.
We want to focus the rest of this session on how to fight back, to build power to
change the rules to create an economy that works for all working people.
Let’s watch this video and see how people are organizing and fighting back all
across the country.
After we watch this video, we’ll discuss what we can do right here, right now.
<SHOW VIDEO>

VICTORY VIDEO
Some Points to Make in the Debriefing
Emphasize that people in the video are building power by working
together. Large numbers of people who are unified are powerful!
This makes decision makers (employers, elected officials) feel
nervous! If we sustain action, they are forced to respond.
It also makes the people who are acting together feel more powerful.
We are here today to join in building power!
Being right is not enough. We have to build power.
J

VICTORY VIDEO
Debrief the Video
Start by getting general reactions to the video and observations about it.
Often a video of people taking action will raise the energy level in the
room. If this happens, comment on it—just seeing people fight back
makes us feel more hopeful and energized.
The time for debriefing will be short. You may not need to ask any
questions—but here are some questions to ask if you need them:
• What were some of the examples of working people taking action in the
video?
• What campaigns did you see in the video?
• Has anyone attended an anti-Walmart rally, or a living wage rally, or one of the
other kinds of actions in the video? Tell us briefly what that was like.
• What are some recent campaign successes you’ve heard of?

VICTORY VIDEO

Summarize the Discussion
It’s good to see people organizing and taking action—it makes us all feel more
hopeful and energized.
There are many things we all can do, whether we are fighting to improve our own
communities or supporting other people’s struggles. We have to act together to
make the economy work for all of us.
This video shows some of the ways people are acting together and organizing to
win real change in their communities.
We’re going to talk now about what we can do right here. I said when we began
that this session was not just about giving you some information, but about
connecting us all to ways we can take action together to change the rules of the
economy.
VICTORY VIDEO

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
Important Trainer Note on Action Campaigns
Every CSE training must be coordinated with an Action Campaign
that will provide immediate action steps for the participants.
The campaign probably will be introduced and explained by
someone else, not the main trainers. Ideally, the person who talks
about it is working directly with the campaign.
Review the Action Campaigns chapter for campaign examples. You
as the trainer will need to coordinate with the host organization to
make sure there is an Action Campaign and that the person who
presents it knows exactly what is expected.
J

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
10 minutes
At this point, there will be a short introduction to the campaign
connected to the workshop. You will introduce the person (if different
from you) who is going to talk about the campaign.
At the appropriate point, pass out a handout on the issue.
There should be a clear next step that people are being asked to take.
This will be used in the Common Sense conversation that people will
develop in the next section.
Introduce the Campaign Activist
I’m very pleased that we have <name> with us today, from <organization>.
S/he is going to tell us about the <issue> campaign, and give us some
information about how we can get involved.

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
Trainer Note
Make sure your campaign activist clearly writes the problem,
solution, target and action on the flip chart.
J

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW
Campaign Activist Talks
The campaign activist should be prepared to talk about the PROBLEM
being addressed, the SOLUTION being asked for, the TARGET or person
in power who needs to agree to the solution, and WHY the ACTION
everyone is being requested to take will help motivate the target to say
yes.
For example,
“We all know the minimum wage is not a living wage. Even full-time workers
who make the minimum struggle to pay for basic necessities [problem]. We are
marching on Saturday [action] to demand that State Representative Smith [target]
votes yes to raise the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour [solution]. Representative
Smith has a close election coming up, and needs to listen to her constituents
[why].”
The campaign activist should end his/her brief talk with one or two
action steps that people in the room can take, and for which they can
recruit their friends, family and co-workers.
This leads right into the next section, Recruiting People to Take Action.

RECRUITING PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION
Learning Objective
To gain confidence in holding conversations with family, friends and
co-workers about how we can change the rules of the economy, and
to ask them to take action together to create an economy that works
for everyone.
J
Preparing for the Training
Be sure to adapt this section to your campaign. Include the next
action step so participants have context. For example, if you are
doing a postcard action, a petition, turnout or a call-in day, use that
method when you model the conversation and discuss the elements
of a persuasive ask.
This makes it much more likely they actually will take action, which is
the goal here!
J

20 minutes
Introduction 1 minute
Based on our discussion of real-life experiences with the economy and some
background information on what is behind all of this, the next step is asking you to
prepare your own personal stories to share with family, friends and co-workers to
get them to take action.
We all need to become leaders in helping people understand why our economy is
out of balance and how we can change the rules to create an economy that works
for everyone. Almost nobody thinks the economy is doing great, but some people
don’t realize just how bad it is. Others see how bad it is, but don’t think they can
do anything about it.
You don’t have to be an economist to see what kind of changes would make
things better for working people. We can fight together for commonsense
changes like higher minimum wages, paid sick days, affordable child care,
<insert issue from Action Campaign> and retirement security.
Big corporations are fighting to continue to get far more than their fair share. We
need to act together to change the rules to create an economy that works for all
of us.

Distribute the Common Sense
Conversations handout
J
This handout can be found in the RESOURCES section of this manual.
Introduce: Start with a conversational and comfortable approach. “Hi, how are you?”
Approach people when they have some time to talk. Ask whether you can tell
them about a campaign you are involved in to improve the economy for working
people.
Share: Tell them you have been to a workshop about what is happening with the economy.
Tell a short story about how you or someone close to you has been impacted by the economy.
Say that everyone at the workshop had a similar story.
Keep your story short and focused, but choose some telling details that make it
real. Then be clear this is not about just you, it is about all of us.
Inquire: Ask the person what their experiences have been.
Listen to what they say! Getting the person you are talking to engaged in the
conversation at this point is crucial. Ask follow-up questions based on their
experiences to hear more about their thoughts on why this is a problem, not
just for them but also their friends, family and neighbors.
Inform: Explain that our out-of-balance economy is the result of deliberate policy choices.
Corporate CEOs and politicians have manipulated the rules of the economy in their favor—
keeping wages low, creating tax loopholes for corporations and offshoring jobs. We can change
the rules.
There is no need to get all technical here! Naming a couple of policy examples
that the person you are talking with can relate to will suffice.
Ask: Invite the person to get involved in taking action together to change the rules of the
economy. Ask them to be part of the political, legislative or community campaign that is the
focus of the session.
Ask them to do something specific—come to a meeting, make a phone call to an
elected official, etc. Let them know their participation really will matter. Have
a couple of options ready to offer on how they can take action.
j
j
j
COMMON SENSE
CONVERSATIONS
j
j

Explaining the Conversation Process 3 minutes
What we want to do now is take some time to plan how we are going to recruit more
people to take action together.
Here’s a handout that outlines the process. <Distribute Common Sense
Conversations handout>
There are five steps we know that lead to an effective recruitment conversation.
1. Introduce and ease into the conversation with a comfortable approach. Do the
things you do when you start a friendly conversation. Make sure people have
a couple of minutes to talk. Let them know you want to talk about something
specific.
2. Share a little bit about why this topic matters to you personally. This draws people
in and avoids the “economics lecture” approach, which is off-putting.
3. Inquire and invite the person to tell you their personal story about how bad the
economy is. This gets them talking—which is absolutely critical to getting them
engaged in the problem. Learn their perspective and what matters to them, and
you will be much more likely to be able to get them to take action.
4. Inform. Give them a couple of facts about the issue at hand—the one you want
them to take action on. Just a couple—they will ask if they want to know more. Tell
them about the action, and why you believe it will make a difference if people get
involved.
5. Ask. Invite the person to take a specific action—attend a rally, sign a petition,
come to a meeting. Make a direct ask, which calls for a yes or no answer. Often
we stop short of this, and say something like, “There’s a rally next Tuesday if you’re
interested,” without directly asking them to participate and letting them know their
presence will make a difference. “We want to have a really big crowd so that State
Rep. Smith sees that her constituents really care and are watching how she votes.”

Modeling an Ask 2 minutes
Have either two facilitators or one facilitator and a volunteer
demonstrate how a Common Sense Conversation might go.
Starting the Exercise 2 minutes
Now take two minutes to make some notes for yourself about how you are going
to approach your conversation.
Ask participants: How will you take the message you have gotten today and
use it to recruit more people to this effort?
Walk around while they are writing to make sure everyone understands
what they should be doing, and provide assistance if needed.

Activity Note
Participants practice their conversations at the same time. It’s
important the participants rotate to a new partner for each round.
J
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
5
1
2
3
4
PRACTICES THE
RECRUITMENT ASK
PRACTICES THE
RECRUITMENT ASK
ROLEPLAYS THE
PERSON BEING ASKED
ROLEPLAYS THE
PERSON BEING ASKED
ROUND 1 ROUND 2

Practicing the Conversation 10 minutes
Have participants form two lines facing each other and make sure each
participant is paired up with someone across from them. A facilitator
may need to participate if there is an odd number of participants.
Inform participants they each will have the opportunity to practice
having a conversation and moving someone to take action on the
campaign.
• Designate one row of participants as the person initiating the
conversation to move someone to action.
• Designate the second row of participants as co-workers, community
members, family, etc. The person being approached should respond
the way s/he imagines someone really would respond.
Explain to participants they will have 90 seconds to practice the
conversation and move the other person to <Insert Campaign Action>.
Use a timer to keep to the 90 seconds. Start! At the end, call time.
Rotate the group by having one person from the end of a line move to
the opposite end of the line and have all the other participants in that
line shift until everyone has a new partner. Reverse the roles and start. If
time permits, do four rotations so that each participant has initiated the
conversation twice and has been the receiver twice. Walk around while
they are practicing and listen to the conversations.

Trainer Note
Remind the group that most people do this all the time—just not
necessarily in a political context, but maybe at their congregation or
their child’s school.
This is how we build power, by getting lots of people involved!
J

Debrief 2 minutes
Have people return their attention to the front of the room, and ask
them how the discussions went.
Ask for examples of comments that were persuasive or that were
challenging to respond to. Ask participants,
How did you make the connection between working people and the economy?
Emphasize that this conversation is just like many other conversations
that everyone has, but a little bit more structured.
End by asking participants to commit to recruiting at least one person in
the next week and five people within the next month.
Who do you think you can recruit to <take campaign action>?
Where are you going to find people to ask?
How soon can you get started?
Depending on the specific action, there may be someone that people
should be reporting to on their recruitment efforts. That helps build in
accountability! Or, there may be a time and place that people will be
asked to show up with their recruits—again, accountability. The less
vague that you leave this recruitment step, the more likely it is that
people actually will begin to recruit.
We need to recruit our family, friends and co-workers to take action together so
we can build a powerful group of activists. Alone, we are weak; united, we are
strong.

CAMPAIGN NEXT STEPS, CONTACT FORM AND CONCLUSION
Trainer Note
Of course, you will vary your final comments based on what you
know about your participants. For example, if you know you are
talking to a roomful of activists, praise and thank them for what they
are doing, and talk about how they are going to spread the word,
rather than urging them to get active.
SAMPLE CLOSING: “Good luck with your conversations
around <insert Action Campaign here>. Please stay connected
and let us know how they go. By building up a base of people who
are educated about and ready to take action on changing the rules of
the economy, we can win improvements and create an economy that
works for all of us!”
Campaign Specifics
If you have continuing campaign and/or educational programming,
now is the time to make these announcements. Make sure
any campaign point people have the chance to make final
announcements or calls to action.
J
J

CAMPAIGN NEXT STEPS,
CONTACT FORM AND CONCLUSION
5 minutes
Thank you so much for participating and for sharing your knowledge and
experiences today. We started a great conversation about the economy. What we
know is that when we take action together, we can change the rules and build an
economy that works for everyone.
The campaign leader should talk about next steps in the campaign and
what action everyone is encouraged to take. Distribute the Rewriting the
Rules handout and any other materials.
Have participants complete a contact commitment card, recording their
commitment on the back, and complete the evaluation. Make sure you
collect everyone’s contact commitment card and evaluation.
Go to go.aflcio.org/CSE-Reports to submit a brief report on the
session. Attach the spreadsheet of participant contact information,
the scanned evaluation forms and any photos to the report.
If you are unable to scan the evaluation forms or input the
contact information, mail the completed evaluations and contact
commitment cards to:
AFL-CIO
815 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20006
Attn: CSE
See the Staying Connected chapter for more instructions.

RESOURCES

RESOURCES
5 minutes
Optional Activity:
• Wealth Inequality Exercise: 10 Chairs
Glossary of Economic Terms
Mr. Wealthiest 10% Placard

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Learning Objective
To understand how the wealth produced by our nation is not
equally shared
J
Trainer Note
Look the space over when you first arrive to plan for this exercise. It
takes some space where everyone can see.
Look for a participant who is a bit of a ham, or at least not shy, to play
the role of Mr. Wealthiest 10%.
J
Trainer Note
The set-up for this exercise needs to move fast, or the group will
start to lose focus. Be bossy (but with a big smile) if you need to be
in order to keep people moving.
At the end, thank the actors and send them quickly back to their
seats. This is a point where you could lose precious minutes!
J

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY—WEALTH
INEQUALITY EXERCISE: “10 CHAIRS”
10 minutes
Use this optional activity to engage participants in a deeper discussion
about wealth inequality.
To dramatize how our economy is out of balance, we’re going to have a little
demonstration up at the front of the room. During this activity, we will take a closer
look at wealth inequality across American society.
First, we have to clarify two terms we are using.
Wealth is different from income.
Does anyone know what we mean by income?
How about wealth?
If the group doesn’t come up with definitions quickly, you can supply the
following:
• Income is the amount of money you have coming in; for most people, that’s
their wages.
• Wealth is the amount of money and property you already own—what’s in the
bank, the value of your house, stocks or investments and so on.
In this exercise, we are going to be looking at inequality through the lens of wealth.

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Don’t ask how much money the wealthiest 10% would have.
People will have no idea, and won’t know how it compares. Look
for an answer in percent of wealth, or the number of chairs.
J
Distribute Mr. Wealthiest 10% Sign
J
Advance Preparation
Look at the actual chairs available for use and be prepared to adapt
the activity based on the chairs available (e.g., chairs with arms, the
size of the chairs).
J

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Instructions for the 10 Chairs Exercise
OK, I need to have 10 volunteers to help out with this. Come right on up here, and
bring your chairs.
Let’s have one volunteer to play the part of Mr. Wealthiest 10% of people in the
United States. How about you? <pick someone>
Now, everyone line your chairs up in a long row right here—10 chairs, real close
together in a straight line.
Mr. Wealthiest 10%, I’m going to hand you this sign. <see handouts for Mr.
Wealthiest 10% sign> Please hold it in front of you so everyone knows who you are!
Now, everyone have a seat and Mr. Wealthiest 10%, let’s have you sit right here on the
end.
This is what it would look like if wealth were evenly distributed in the United States;
everyone would have the same amount. In fact, each household would have about
$400,000. Sounds pretty good, right?
Now, those of you who are watching: What share of the wealth do you think Mr.
Wealthiest 10% actually has? How many chairs would our rich person get, if this
reflects our current reality?
<Get a few answers, before going on.>
Well, actually, right now, the Wealthiest 10% own 75% of all the wealth in the
country. That’s right, Mr. Wealthiest 10%, can we get you to occupy seven of these
chairs, please? We know you own seven and a half chairs but for our purposes now,
just occupy seven.
<Depending on how tall the person is, this may require quite a bit of
stretching! Give him/her a moment to spread out.>

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Usually this exercise gets a great response. Encourage comments
about what actually happened, what might have happened and
how the chairs are like the economy. Don’t feel you need to react to
every comment; let the group carry the discussion. Encourage quiet
people to speak up. Use these questions and others to stimulate
discussion, as needed.
J
WEALTHIEST 10% EVERYONE ELSE

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Okay, so the remaining nine of you get three chairs; we’re going to borrow half a
chair from our Mr. Wealthiest 10% since the bottom 90% only have 25% of the
wealth today. Could you please take your places now.
<The nine may all try to sit; they may push each other; they may share
politely; some may stand behind. Everyone should be observing as they
arrange themselves somehow.>
Well, Mr. Wealthiest 10%, how are you doing? (Ask this with a smile!)
Let’s look closer at the current state of wealth inequality in the United States. Our
Mr. Wealthiest 10% here owns seven and a half chairs. How many chairs do you
think the top 1% currently own?
Take a few guesses from participants.
The top 1% currently own four of these chairs—43% of the wealth—much more
than the entire bottom 90% of the country.
Debrief the Exercise
Depending on your space, the people on the chairs may remain where they are, or
take their chairs and rejoin the circle.
If they rejoin the circle, thank them as they leave the area.
Ask questions to the group to stimulate discussion:
OK, those of you who were watching this exercise, what did you observe?
What did the people who had no chair do? Were they passive? Or aggressive?
Or confused? Does this happen to real people who are left out by our economy?
What happens in the actual economy when nine people share the equivalent of
two and a half chairs?

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
If you don’t often lead a discussion like this, be sure to read the
section on Leading a Discussion in the Training and Facilitation
Fundamentals chapter.
J

INEQUALITY EXERCISE
Talk about The Rules of The Economy
<After some discussion, if it has not come up already, move the
discussion to talk about the rules of the economy and the public policy
choices that create this disparity in wealth by asking:>
Did the person with seven chairs work that much harder, or how did he/she get all
those chairs?
What kinds of public policies, or rules of the economy, let wealth become so
concentrated?
Review some of the best points that were made about the actual economy and
how corporations and the top 1% benefit from the current rules of the economy.
Points to make include the following:
• The economy is out of balance—it’s not working for most of us.
• Some people have way more than their share, and some have much less.
Wealth inequality is worse than it’s ever been in the history of our nation, and
it’s continuing to grow.
• The current rules of the economy tend to favor corporations and the top 1%
over working people.
• We need to change the rules of the economy—raise wages, ensure working
people a collective voice, invest in the common good—to create an economy
that works for everyone and not just the top 1%.

GLOSSARY OF ECONOMIC TERMS

Capital: Money or physical property, such as machinery, equipment and buildings
used in the production of goods and services.
Corporation: A company or group of people authorized to act as a single entity
(legally a person) and recognized as such in law; a multinational corporation
(MNC) is a business organization whose activities are located in more than two
countries and is the organizational form that defines foreign direct investment.
Deregulation: The reduction or removal of government rules like safety and
health or environmental regulations.
Economy: A system of exchange concerning the production and consumption
of goods and services within a country, region or locality. Three basic factors of
production are necessary for an economy to function: land, capital (see above)
and labor.
Electorate: All the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an
election.
Farmers Alliance: An organized agrarian economic movement among American
farmers that developed and flourished in the 1870s and 1880s. The movement
included several parallel but independent political organizations—the National
Farmers’ Alliance and Industrial Union among the white farmers of the South, the
National Farmers’ Alliance among the white and black farmers of the Midwest and
High Plains, and the Colored Farmers’ National Alliance and Cooperative Union,
consisting of the African American farmers of the South.
G.I. Bill: A law passed in 1944 that provided educational and other benefits for
people who had served in the armed forces in World War II. Since the original U.S.
1944 law, the term has come to include other benefit programs created to assist
veterans of subsequent wars as well as peacetime service.

The Great Depression: A drastic decline in the world economy predicated
by a collapse in the U.S. stock market resulting in mass unemployment and
widespread poverty that lasted from 1929 until 1939. Investment speculation
and a lack of financial regulation were major contributing factors to the economic
collapse. It was the longest, deepest and most widespread depression of the 20th
century.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): A measure of the total value of goods and
services produced within the country over a specified time period, usually a year.
Income arising from investments abroad is not included. The gross domestic
product (GDP) is one of the primary indicators used to gauge the health of a
country’s economy.
Income: The amount of money received by a person or family from all sources
during a specified period of time.
Inflation: The decline in the purchasing power of a given currency over time,
typically accompanying an increase in the supply of money in circulation or growth
of the economy.
Infrastructure: Basic facilities and services that the economy’s industry and
commerce depend on. Examples include roads, rail systems, port facilities, sewer
systems, power plants and communication lines.
Living wage: The minimum income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs,
including housing, food, clothing, health care, transportation and minimum
recreation.
Neoliberalism: An economic theory that favors economic “liberalization” policies
like free trade, deregulation, privatization, minimal role of government, destruction
of unions and corporate tax cuts.

New Deal: A series of domestic programs enacted in the United States between
1933 and 1938 in response to the Great Depression. These programs focused
on relief, recovery and reform: relief for the unemployed and poor; recovery of the
economy to normal levels; and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat
depression.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): A free trade agreement
between Canada, Mexico and the United States formed in 1994. It is currently
the largest trading bloc in existence. While overall trade within North America
increased due to NAFTA and corporate profits skyrocketed, wages have remained
stagnant in all three countries.
Privatization: The process of transferring ownership of a public service or
property from the public sector (a government) to the private sector. This could
involve the government paying a contractor to provide public services, or the
government selling off assets or services. Once a public service or asset is
privatized, the public loses the ability to have a voice in decisions affecting that
service or asset.
Productivity: The quantity of goods and services produced per hour of labor.
Profits: The monetary surplus left over out of sales revenues after costs of
production have been paid.
Quintile: One of five equal parts.
Real Value: A given value (e.g., household income or wages) adjusted for
inflation.
Real Wages: Wages adjusted to take into account the effect of inflation.
Recession: A decrease in the total production of goods and services in the
economy lasting for at least six months.

Shared Prosperity: A broad vision within the labor movement of a more
equitable and fair economy, within which all those who work share in the wealth
they create. This is an economy in which workers have a strong voice at work and
at the ballot box, human needs are met with high-quality public services, and the
global economy prospers based on broad inclusion and high wages.
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): A proposed free trade agreement (FTA)
currently being negotiated behind closed doors by 12 countries throughout the
Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia,
Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam). If
enacted, it would be the largest FTA in history. Many of the proposed rules in the
TPP would impose limits on government policies and regulations designed to
protect workers, promote food safety, conserve the environment and more.
Union Density: The proportion of paid workers who are union members.
Wages: Payments to an employee for working in a private or public institution.
Wealth: The value of assets that a person or family owns at a particular time.
Assets might include a home, other real property, savings accounts, and stocks
and bonds.

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