The rise of a shadow workforce—workers who perform essential labor without full rights or protections—is not a side issue in the American economy. It is rapidly becoming the model that reshapes work for everyone.
During an April 2020 interview with Kimberly Graham about her U.S Senate race, she laid a framework,
We are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Americans are very productive. We work hard but we are not seeing the rewards of that. We are falling further and further behind financially. More of us are hurting financially. We may have jobs, but yeah, we have two jobs because we can’t make it on one. There’s all the gig economy. We have fewer and fewer unions, fewer and fewer union jobs that come with benefits and come with a pension and all of that. (Blog for Iowa, Kimberly Graham – A Voice For ‘Us,‘ April 2, 2020).
Not much has changed for the better since Graham said this. Increasingly, a shadow workforce performs work, yet are not counted as employees on payrolls. This includes legally present independent contractors, freelancers, gig workers, temporary agency workers, and part-timers. It also includes undocumented workers who are not legally in the country. The work they do is real, yet legal protections are partial, inconsistent, or absent. There are risks in this.
In a discussion with local writer Joel Wells, he said in an email, “We are actively allowing the creation of a permanent underclass of workers with fewer rights, fewer protections, and no real voice. That is not speculation; it is already happening.”
Businesses are designed primarily to generate profit not jobs. That is why public policy must set the rules that protect workers.
Democrats must take the mantle in establishing and maintaining worker protections through policy. What is needed is a clear, understandable framework that voters can grasp and defend. Things like health insurance, retirement contributions, child care, and paid leave are a beginning. There should also be strong penalties for wage theft, labor standards enforcement regardless of immigration status, and whistleblower protections for vulnerable workers. Democrats should bring these issues to the forefront of policy discussions. Since FDR, Democrats have stood firmly with labor. That relationship needs revisiting.
If neglected, the shadow workforce can be normalized, lowering standards for everyone. It has begun to spread… to everyone.
When work is pushed into the shadows, rights disappear first—wages and standards follow. Bringing that work back into the light is not just about fairness for some workers. It is about protecting the future of work for all.
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