With Justice for All?

But the question that remains is, Just how dramatic an impact can McAlevey and her organizing approach have on the people whose lives the new economy has passed by? Jepsen is something of a skeptic. McAlevey's work has "had an effect on local industries," he says, "but I have yet to see much effect on the multinationals."

Then again, maybe the old slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally" is more appropriate than ever. "Part of labor's responsibility is to force lawmakers and business leaders to think long term," McAlevey says. "Society is changing. The systems that provided security to our workers are being eradicated. We have to replace them. We have built a base among clergy, civil-rights organizations, and public-housing groups. We are asking the deeper questions: What's wrong with an economy that fails to reward people who work as hard as these people do? What do people have to do to earn a living wage in such robust times?"

Greg Donaldson (gghadfield@aol.com) is a New York-based writer whose work has appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Vibe. He is the author of The Ville: Cops and Kids in Urban America (Ticknor & Fields, 1993). Contact Jane McAlevey by email (jmcalevey@hotmail.com).