Cynthia, the cautionary tale

 In the era of NAFTA, manufacturers relocated production to Mexico, where they could instill much lower wages with their much lower standards- leaving workers like those of "Sweat" displaced and despondent, waiting desperately on their tarnished American Dream. 

The SCOTUS ruled in Janus v. AFSCME (2018) that government workers who choose not to join unions may not be required to help pay for collective bargaining, meaning that non-union workers were no longer obligated to pay "agency fees" to public sector unions even while receiving implicit benefits from their progress for workers for all. The impact of this at large has been predicted to cost unions tens of millions of dollars. 

The weakening of unions would align with  it being more common to see that less voice is given to the people, while simultaneously vilifying them- as seen by Cynthia’s character. Cynthia risks her managerial position to provide inside information from the higher-ups to her friends still on the floor. But as much as she is putting everything on the line to prove her loyalty to them- “I’m trying. I’m trying!”- they still view her with a certain resentment and suspicion, as the newfound, unfamiliar power dynamic creates a strain in their friendship. Betrayal is felt on both sides: by Cynthia, the grief of feeling “othered” by her work family that found common ground in their shared difficulties; for the others, a mourning (that manifests in spite) that one of their friend has become one of “them”. 

As labor unions continue to erode, and unions are attacked as the villain, the class divide will maintain being as disproportionate as ever. The rich will get richer, the poor will become poorer, and the middle class lifestyle will become more and more impossible to attain, and ultimately recede. Equality will remain an illusion. 


Comments

  1. Gautham November 20, 2022 at 3:36 PM

    I like how you connected real events and rulings and the events of the novel to the us. vs them idea. The idea that there will be animosity between the lower working class and upper class, and how cynthia, despite still technically being a member of the lower class, faces resentment from her peers due to a promotion. Almost as if she is a scapegoat.

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  2. Halle ChenNovember 20, 2022 at 7:17 PM

    I liked how you included some outside knowledge that wasn't in the book such as the SCOTUS ruling to help give some context as to why events took place in the book. It gives a lot of background information to why Tracey was shocked to find out the spanish flyer did not require workers to be in a union.

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  3. Jessie ChangNovember 20, 2022 at 7:37 PM

    Your title immediately caught my attention by saying that Cynthia was a cautionary tale instead of how she was independent and "strong". This was a really in depth look at Cynthia's character and I love the amount of information you gave on some of the research :)) forgiving you for buying Taylor Swift tickets Emily

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