Growing Inequality: Kodak In The 80s Vs. Apple Now

On one hand, we have Gail Evans, who was a janitor in Building 326 at Eastman Kodak’s campus in Rochester in the early 1980s. She was a full-time employee, receiving more than four weeks of paid vacation per year, partial reimbursement of her part-time college tuition fees and a bonus payment every March. When a manager learned that she was taking computer classes, he asked her to teach some other employees how to use spreadsheet software to track inventory. When Ms Evans finished her college degree in 1987, she was offered a job in information technology. After a long career as a senior executive at top companies, she is now a chief technology officer of the whole company.

On the other hand, there is Marta Ramos, a janitor at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, hired by Apple’s contractor. She works from 6 pm until 2 am, hasn’t taken a vacation in years, hasn't received any bonuses and is unable to afford going back to school. She also cannot think of any possibility of being transferred to some other role at Apple — her only advancement possibility is becoming a team leader overseeing work of other janitors, which pays an extra 50 cents an hour.

Gail Evans and Marta Ramos “both spent a lot of time cleaning floors. The difference is, for Ms. Ramos, that work is also a ceiling”, writes The New York Times.

The article greatly combines a human story with a look into changes in employment structure to paint a picture of a rising inequality. Contrary to Ms Evans’ experience, Ms Ramos’s world is the one where “rather than being treated as assets that companies seek to invest in, [employees] have become costs to be minimized.” Comparing Kodak and Apple, The New York Times demonstrates a general shift from company loyalty to a contracting economy, emphasizing a growing focus on profits and not on employee satisfaction.