Michael Yates (economist)
Encyclopedia
Michael Yates is an economist
and a labor educator, and associate editor of the socialist
magazine Monthly Review
(MR).
He advocates a socialist view of economics.
. His grandmother worked on a barge boat as a cook and a servant for families in Manhattan, Newport
and other wealthy enclaves. His immediate family had a long history working at dangerous, unhealthy jobs in the coal mines
. At the age of 14, his mother took a job unloading dynamite
at the entrance of the coal mines. His mother, uncle and grandmother all suffered from severe asthma
from the dust generated by the mines. His father suffered emphysema
from inhaling asbestos
and silica dust at work.
Life for the Yates was a difficult one. Yates' father did not live with the family; the only employment he could get was in a glass factory several miles away. The Yates home did not have running water, and was owned by the mining company. When Michael was one year old, his mother moved the family to be with his father.
These experiences had a deep impact on Yates, radicalizing him. As the Vietnam War
intensified while he was a graduate student, his leftist tendencies strengthened:
Yates attended graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh
(UP) from 1967 to 1973, although only the first two years were full-time.
. With the encouragement of an academic advisor, he applied for a teaching position at UP's satellite campus in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
. He was appointed an assistant professor in 1969. He worked part-time on his degree while teaching.
Yates received his Ph.D.
in economics
from UP in 1976. He was given tenure by UP shortly after completing his doctorate.
Although Yates continued to teach at UP-Johnstown, in 1980 he began to teach workers and labor activists as well. He traveled all over the state of Pennsylvania
and into West Virginia
and Ohio
, educating workers about labor unions
, their right to form a union, and economics.
Yates began a long-time relationship with Monthly Review in the mid-1970s. He published a number of articles in the publication over the years. The relationship between Yates and MR's editorial staff grew close. Monthly Review Press eventually agreed to publish Yates' first book, Longer Hours, Fewer Jobs: Employment and Unemployment in the United States. Three more books and a co-edited volume followed. Eventually, Yates was asked to become a part-time editor at MR.
During the mid-1980s Yates divorced his first wife and several years later married a second time and had four children.
In 2001, Yates retired from his position at UP-Johnstown. He and his wife lived an itinerant existence, spending significant amounts of time in Yellowstone National Park
, Manhattan, Miami Beach
and Portland, Oregon
. These travels were documented in the book Cheap Motels and a Hotplate.
After his retirement, Yates became a full-time associate editor at Monthly Review.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and a labor educator, and associate editor of the socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
magazine Monthly Review
Monthly Review
Monthly Review is an independent Marxist journal published 11 times per year in New York City.-History:The publication was founded by Harvard University economics instructor Paul Sweezy, who became the first editor...
(MR).
He advocates a socialist view of economics.
Early life and education
Yates was born in a small coal mining town about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. His grandmother worked on a barge boat as a cook and a servant for families in Manhattan, Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
and other wealthy enclaves. His immediate family had a long history working at dangerous, unhealthy jobs in the coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. At the age of 14, his mother took a job unloading dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
at the entrance of the coal mines. His mother, uncle and grandmother all suffered from severe asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
from the dust generated by the mines. His father suffered emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
from inhaling asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
and silica dust at work.
Life for the Yates was a difficult one. Yates' father did not live with the family; the only employment he could get was in a glass factory several miles away. The Yates home did not have running water, and was owned by the mining company. When Michael was one year old, his mother moved the family to be with his father.
These experiences had a deep impact on Yates, radicalizing him. As the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
intensified while he was a graduate student, his leftist tendencies strengthened:
- I am sure that the experience of growing up in the heart of the working class and learning from my parents, and especially from my grandmother ... that life was not especially fair and always full of bad possibilities, helped shape my future take on life. Then what really transformed my thinking was the war in Vietnam and trying to be a good teacher. The war was so obviously evil and bore down most heavily upon working class youth that it made me think about things more deeply than I had before. It disillusioned me completely and forever about the government. And it made me aware that the media and the government lied almost as a matter of course. But it also opened my eyes to what was really going on in this country.
Yates attended graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(UP) from 1967 to 1973, although only the first two years were full-time.
Teaching and later career
In the summer of 1968, Yates received his induction noticeConscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
. With the encouragement of an academic advisor, he applied for a teaching position at UP's satellite campus in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
. He was appointed an assistant professor in 1969. He worked part-time on his degree while teaching.
Yates received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from UP in 1976. He was given tenure by UP shortly after completing his doctorate.
Although Yates continued to teach at UP-Johnstown, in 1980 he began to teach workers and labor activists as well. He traveled all over the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and into West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, educating workers about labor unions
Labor unions in the United States
Labor unions in the United States are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police...
, their right to form a union, and economics.
Yates began a long-time relationship with Monthly Review in the mid-1970s. He published a number of articles in the publication over the years. The relationship between Yates and MR's editorial staff grew close. Monthly Review Press eventually agreed to publish Yates' first book, Longer Hours, Fewer Jobs: Employment and Unemployment in the United States. Three more books and a co-edited volume followed. Eventually, Yates was asked to become a part-time editor at MR.
During the mid-1980s Yates divorced his first wife and several years later married a second time and had four children.
In 2001, Yates retired from his position at UP-Johnstown. He and his wife lived an itinerant existence, spending significant amounts of time in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
, Manhattan, Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
and Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. These travels were documented in the book Cheap Motels and a Hotplate.
After his retirement, Yates became a full-time associate editor at Monthly Review.
Solely authored works
- A Labor Law Handbook. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass.: South End PressSouth End PressSouth End Press is a non-profit book publisher run on a model of participatory economics. It was founded in 1977 by Michael Albert, Lydia Sargent, John Schall, Pat Walker, Juliet Schor, Mary Lea, Joe Bowring, and Dave Millikan, among others, in Boston's South End...
, 1987. ISBN 0-8960-8261-X - Longer Hours, Fewer Jobs: Employment and Unemployment in the United States. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1994. ISBN 9-9961-6403-9
- Power on the Job: The Legal Rights of Working People. Cambridge, Mass.: South End PressSouth End PressSouth End Press is a non-profit book publisher run on a model of participatory economics. It was founded in 1977 by Michael Albert, Lydia Sargent, John Schall, Pat Walker, Juliet Schor, Mary Lea, Joe Bowring, and Dave Millikan, among others, in Boston's South End...
, 1994. ISBN 0-8960-8498-1 - Why Unions Matter. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8534-5929-0
- Naming the System: Inequality and Work in the Global Economy. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2003. ISBN 1-5836-7079-3
- Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate: An Economist's Travelogue. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2007. ISBN 1-5836-7143-9
- More Unequal: Aspects of Class in the United States. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2007. ISBN 1-5836-7159-5
- In and Out of the Working Class. Winnipeg: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2009. ISBN 1-8940-3735-9
Co-edited works
- Meiksins Wood, Ellen; Meiksins, Peter; and Yates, Michael D., eds. Rising from the Ashes?: Labor in the Age of "Global" Capitalism. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8534-5939-8
External links
- Monthly Review Web site - Most of Yates' articles which have appeared in MR are available for reading on this site.
- Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate - Michael Yates's blog.