Article content

Gail Evans and Marta Ramos have one thing in common: They have each cleaned offices for one of the most innovative, profitable and all-around successful companies in the United States.

For Evans, that meant being a janitor in Building 326 at Eastman Kodak’s campus in Rochester, New York, in the 1980s. For Ramos, that means cleaning at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, in the present day.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Differences between janitorial positions in 1980s and now reveal rising inequality in U.S. Back to video

In the 35 years between their jobs as janitors, corporations across America have flocked to a new management theory: Focus on core competence and outsource the rest. The approach has made companies more nimble and more productive, and delivered huge profits for shareholders. It has also fuelled inequality and helps explain why many working-class Americans are struggling even in an ostensibly healthy economy.

The $16.60 per hour Ramos earns as a janitor at Apple works out to about the same in inflation-adjusted terms as what Evans earned 35 years ago. But that’s where the similarities end.