It’s no mystery why the lifestyle and livelihood of the average working person has plummeted for decades, despite what is happening in the economy.
It’s unions. Someone here will fill in the details if they want to, because I don’t remember them precisely. But generally Ronald Reagan made it more difficult to unionize, and succeeding administrations and court rulings have only amplified the problem.
But the fact is people who work in union shops generally have better pay and working conditions than people in the same kind of job who don’t.
Collective action (the thing a union does in big and small ways every day) is incredibly effective. This is why billionaires spend so much time fighting them.
Organize and negotiate as a unit. It’s not easy, but it will get easier , the more people do it.
I’m not an expert in this stuff but I’ve worked for both union and non union shops and the difference is < dramatic. >