The State, Race, and 'Wage Slavery' in the Forest Sector of the Pacific North-West United States

Abstract

'Wage slavery' is sometimes used by workers and their representatives to describe the position of the labour force - low-wage, mobile, seasonal and almost entirely Latino - in the timber services sector of the US Pacific North-West. This article examines the political economy of this labour market in light of the differing utility, specificity and history of the concept of 'wage slavery' to Latino and white forest workers. The focus is on the articulation and intersection of racial and class-based identities, and also on the role of the state in the reproduction of labour market segmentation by race.