{"id":11317,"date":"2020-10-29T13:15:18","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T17:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/?page_id=11317"},"modified":"2021-02-14T09:14:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T14:14:00","slug":"honoring-helen-lachs-ginsburg","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/honoring-helen-lachs-ginsburg\/","title":{"rendered":"Honoring Helen Lachs Ginsburg"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"css-1vkm6nb ehdk2mb0\">\n<h3 id=\"link-1cb68f3a\" class=\"css-rsa88z e1h9rw200\" data-test-id=\"headline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/11\/04\/business\/economy\/helen-ginsburg-d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Helen Lachs Ginsburg, Who Saw a Living Wage as a Right, Dies at 91\u00a0\u00a0 [New York Times obituary]<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-1smgwul e1wiw3jv0\">A top authority on full employment, she said a job for all may seem unrealistic, but at one time so did the right of women to vote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-vr8aq3 ehw59r12\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<div class=\"css-tux0zj ehw59r13\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-overlay\">\n<div class=\"css-1v6n5k3 ehw59r14\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-8h527k\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-1a48zt4 ehw59r15\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<figure class=\"sizeMedium layoutVertical css-1ox9jel\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"media\">\n<div class=\"css-bsn42l\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"auto, ((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 920w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/11\/06\/obituaries\/04ginsburg\/04ginsburg-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1559w\" alt=\"Helen Lachs Ginsburg in an undated photo. A Brooklyn College professor, she was a founding member of the National Committee for Full Employment, which was led by Coretta Scott King.\" width=\"283\" height=\"315\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"css-17ai7jg e18f7pbr0\"><span class=\"css-16f3y1r e13ogyst0\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Helen Lachs Ginsburg in an undated photo. A Brooklyn College professor, she was a founding member of the National Committee for Full Employment, which was led by Coretta Scott King.<\/span><span class=\"css-cnj6d5 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span>via Ginsburg family<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-18e8msd\">\n<div class=\"css-vp77d3 epjyd6m0\">\n<div class=\"css-1baulvz\">\n<p class=\"css-1nuro5j e1jsehar1\">By <span class=\"css-1baulvz last-byline\">Katharine Q. Seelye <\/span><time class=\"css-129k401 e16638kd0\" datetime=\"2020-11-04T17:17:21-05:00\">Nov. 4, 2020<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Helen Lachs Ginsburg, an economist and leading authority on full employment, or what has been called a job guarantee, died on Oct. 8 in a hospital in Queens. She was 91.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Her family said she had multiple health problems.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Dr. Ginsburg had retired as a professor of economics at Brooklyn College, where she specialized in labor and social welfare. She studied the public policy\u2019s ramifications of full employment in the United States as well as in Sweden, and she received several awards from the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2006\/02\/12\/business\/yourmoney\/chasing-full-employment.html\">Full employment<\/a> \u2014 defined as an economy in which anyone who wants a job can find one \u2014 has been part of the national conversation since the early 20th century.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a strong proponent of full employment during the Depression. His hiring programs, including the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/04\/04\/826909516\/in-the-1930s-works-program-spelled-hope-for-millions-of-jobless-americans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">provided significant relief for many workers<\/a>, but their temporary nature made them insufficient to achieve the long-term benefits that he had hoped for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cLiving-wage jobs as a right may seem unrealistic,\u201d <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/studylib.net\/doc\/8858684\/historical-amnesia--the-humphrey--hawkins-act--full-emplo...\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dr. Ginsburg wrote in a 2011 article<\/a>, \u201cbut so once did the right of all children to go to school, the right of women to vote and the abolition of slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Dr. Ginsburg was a founding member of the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/made-by-history\/wp\/2018\/04\/04\/the-king-who-carried-on-the-fight-for-economic-justice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Committee for Full Employment<\/a>, which was led by <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2006\/02\/01\/obituaries\/coretta-scott-king-a-civil-rights-icon-dies-at-78.html\">Coretta Scott King<\/a> as she carried on the quest for economic justice and equality begun by her husband, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Dr. Ginsburg lectured around the country in the 1970s in support of the full employment legislation proposed by <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/11\/14\/us\/14hawkins.html\">Augustus Hawkins<\/a>, California\u2019s first Black representative in Congress, and <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1978\/01\/14\/archives\/new-jersey-pages-hubert-h-humphrey-is-dead-at-66-after-32-years-of.html\">Senator Hubert H. Humphrey<\/a>, Democrat of Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">The original legislation, intended to reduce inequality and poverty, would have provided a job for everyone who wanted to work. It was a forerunner of similar proposals today, including the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbpp.org\/research\/full-employment\/the-federal-job-guarantee-a-policy-to-achieve-permanent-full-employment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">federal job guarantee<\/a>, a $15 minimum wage and the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201112222947\/https:\/\/aftguild.org\/get-active\/12-reasons-labor-should-demand-a-green-new-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green New Deal,<\/a> which includes a right to living-wage work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">A watered-down version of the Humphrey-Hawkins bill was passed in 1978 and did not guarantee full employment. At that point, a disappointed Dr. Ginsburg began her study of Sweden\u2019s successful, sustained full employment policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">It led to her book, \u201cFull Employment and Public Policy: The U.S. and Sweden\u201d (1983), which inspired progressives to examine the Swedish model and try to adopt parts of it to the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">She also co-wrote, with two authors, a 1994 manifesto on full employment, \u201cJobs for All: A Plan for the Revitalization of America.\u201d That work led to the creation of the National Jobs for All Coalition, now called the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/444f343ff2d7\/building-the-movement-for-economic-equality-update-on-coronavirus-recovery-and-reform-2537234?e=7a8b1019f6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Jobs for All Network<\/a>, which promotes the idea that everyone capable of working has a right to a job. Dr. Ginsburg was a founding member.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">\u201cHelen Ginsburg was a model of a scholar-activist whose research and writing, always informed by her engagement in the struggle for economic justice, was an inspiration and impetus to all who carry on that struggle,\u201d Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg, chair of the National Jobs for All Network, wrote in a tribute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">Helen Lachs was born on June 25, 1929, in the Bronx. Her father, William Lachs, was a haberdasher. Her mother, Anna (Riegelhaupt) Lachs, was a homemaker.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">She grew up in Bayside, Queens, and received her undergraduate degree in economics from Queens College and a doctorate in economics from The New School.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-158dogj evys1bk0\">She married Nathan Ginsburg in the mid-1950s. He survives her, as does her brother, Sherman Lachs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"css-1jp38cr\">\n<div class=\"css-19hdyf3 e1e7j8ap0\">\n<div>\n<p>Katharine Q. \u201cKit\u201d Seelye has been the New England bureau chief, based in Boston, since 2012. She previously worked in the Washington bureau for 12 years, has covered six presidential campaigns and was a pioneer in The Times\u2019s online coverage of politics. <span class=\"css-4w91ra\"> <a class=\"css-1rj8to8\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kseelye\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class=\"css-0\">@<\/span>kseelye<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-13ldwoe\">A version of this article appears in print on <span class=\"css-1dmwf73\" data-testid=\"todays-date\">Nov. 6, 2020<\/span>, Section B, Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: Helen Lachs Ginsburg, 91; Saw a Living Wage as a Right<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Helen Lachs Ginsburg, Who Saw a Living Wage as a Right, Dies at 91\u00a0\u00a0 [New York Times obituary] A top authority on full employment, she said a job for all may seem unrealistic, but at one time so did the right of women to vote. Helen Lachs Ginsburg in an undated photo. A Brooklyn College&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/honoring-helen-lachs-ginsburg\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Honoring Helen Lachs Ginsburg<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11317","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}