The working class being “recycled” refers to the working-class population relying on welfare and public institutions to make ends meet. This is seen in the quote: “Deindustrialization threw the working-class population back onto the welfare state for survival, testing its component institutions, public and private…” The market would need to see investment into a new labor market, for example service based healthcare. Therefore, once high-wage industrial jobs were replaced with low-oriented service jobs. However, worryingly, these changes disproportionately impacted black individuals. In fact, companies laid off black men before their white counterparts.
This was significantly seen amongst black workers in Pennsylvania. “In 1968, Pittsburgh saw a worse unemployment rate for African Americans than any other major city in the country…” This was a time that was ripe with layoffers and strikes as the labor market shifted. These changes were attributed to the way in which steel declined and came back, residents hoped that when steel rose again unemployment would drop. However, for others, especially union members and black individuals, there was a call to fight back against the feeling that nothing was being done, as seen in Sadlowski’s call to action.
I think that there was not enough budgetary and political backing for the assistance in programs. Lyndon B. Johnson had to balance a budget for his Great Society but also the Vietnam War. So even if there would have been a desire to aid the struggling working class, there is not enough financing to do so. Furthermore, the presidencies of Nixon and Reagan were more conservative in nature. Especially seen with Reagan, there was immense drawback in funding of social programs, instead, more funding was put into defense spending. Largely, poverty was also still viewed as a character problem.
Will Wright 
I like how you included a quote to better explain the recycled working class and the effect de-industrialization had on the working class. While it threw the working class onto the welfare state for survival, it also created a new service industry and the rise of women in the workforce. I think it is important to note the racial component to deindustrialization and the effect on black populations, as they were often the first to be laid off. I agree with you that there was likely not enough of the budget placed aside for welfare or political backing, as the governments during this time were increasingly conservative.
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