GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Alatas, V. & Cameron, L.A. (2008). The impact of minimum wages on employment in a low-income country: A quasi-natural experiment in Indonesia. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 61(2), 201-223.

Indonesian minimum wage rates increased dramatically between 1990 and 1996, but the resulting increment in average wages carried across various areas in Greater Jakarta. The authors examine the extent of legislation compliance and the employment impact for various large and medium-sized organizations. Findings suggest that large organizations, both foreign and domestic, experienced no negative employment impact within Indonesia, but workers in smaller, domestic organizations may have lost jobs because of minimum wage increases.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Dean, H. (2007). Tipping the balance: The problematic nature of work-life balance in a low-income neighborhood. Journal of Social Policy, 36(4), 519-537.

The author discusses a small-scale study of the work-life experiences of 35 women and seven men within a low-income London, England neighborhood. Many working-class parents mentioned that unpredictability and general lack of control over their work schedules and tasks contributed to their difficulties with work-family balance. Findings also indicate that managers tended to be more “understanding” of workers’ family responsibilities if they themselves were parents. Finally, the workers were nearly universally unaware of their rights as workers as well as their rights to income maintenance via the social security and tax credit system. The author emphasizes his belief in the importance of policies that favor social responsibility over economic productivity.

Hsueh, J. & Yoshikawa, H. (2007). Working nonstandard schedules and variable shifts in low-income families: Associations with parental psychological well-being, family functioning, and child well-being. Developmental Psychology, 43(3), 620-632.
Using longitudinal data from the New Hope Project evaluation of a work-based antipoverty program, the authors investigate the effects of nonstandard schedules and variable shifts on parental and child psychological well-being as well as the effects of these work schedules on child school performance. The authors assess these effects by focusing on mediators: parental stress, parental perceived time pressure, and regularity of family routines. Major findings include that nonstandard schedules or variable shifts do not alone pose risks for the children in low-income families. Some results indicated that fixed nonstandard schedules were associated with decreases in school performance, while variable shifts were associated with increases in school performance. The combination of variable and nonstandard schedules, however, was found to perhaps have short-term negative consequences on children’s school performance and externalizing behaviors.  (annotation by Caitlin Sullivan)

Lautsch, B.A. & Scully, M.A. (2007). Restructuring time: Implications of work-hours reductions for the working class. Human Relations, 60(5), 719-743.
This paper discusses the impact of reducing the working hours of working-class employees through the reduction of overtime. Here, “working-class” is defined as “those who engage in manual work in which the execution and schedule of work is heavily controlled.” Unlike professional workers, who often find themselves making choices between “money or family,” working-class individuals often see overtime work as “money for family,” and are likely to respond to hours reductions with resistance and anxiety rather than relief. Recommendations for organizational and societal supports to assist working-class families in finding work-life balance are made.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Vincent, C., Ball, S.J., & Braun, A. (2008). ‘It’s like saying “coloured”’: Understanding and analyzing the urban working classes. Sociological Review, 56(1), 61-77.
Using data from a project on London working class families and their relationships with childcare, the authors explore the meaning of the term “working class” and consider the heterogeneity of the different types of “working classes” and the variant experiences of the “classes” due to place, gender, occupation, education, age, and family relationships. The authors conclude that understanding the lives and experiences of working class families may be achieved by considering the ways and extent to which they “manage or struggle to cope.” Other recent sociological literature on working classes families is discussed.

Yoshikawa, H, Weisner, T.S., & Lowe, E.D. (2006). Making it work: Low wage employment, family life, and child development. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Table of contents: Pathways through low-wage work -- Pathways through low-wage work : Do they matter for children's development? -- How mothers in New Hope experienced job quality -- Mothers at work in a 24-7 economy : Exploring implications for family and child well-being -- Discrimination in the low-wage workplace : the unspoken barrier to employment -- "I want what everybody wants" : Goals, values, and work in the lives of New Hope families -- What earnings and income buy : The "basics" plus "a little extra" -- Can money buy you love? Dynamic employment characteristics, the New Hope program and entry into marriage -- Child care and low-wage employment -- Informal social support, well-being, and employment pathways of low-income mothers -- Do formal work support services work?: Experiences of the New Hope and Wisconsin works (W-2) programs.

Kelly, E.P. (2008). Accommodating religious expression in the workplace. Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal, 20(1), 45-56.
As the American population diversifies, religious expression in the workplace gains attention. Employers have a legal responsibility to reasonably accommodate the religious practices and beliefs of their employees. This article discusses common types of religious expression in the workplace, including time off for observation or practice, grooming and dress code accommodation, and conscientious objection in the workplace. Several court cases that illustrate the interpretation of religious expression as it relates to legal legislation are discussed.