Erin Hatton

Erin Hatton can speak to the media about labor movements, the gig economy, the minimum wage, coerced labor and other issues related to labor policy and inequity in the workforce.

Her research focuses on work and political economy, extending into the fields of social inequality, labor, law and social policy.

Among other topics, she has studied the rise of the temp and gig economies. Her first book, “The Temp Economy: From Kelly Girls to Permatemps in Postwar America,” weaves together gender, race, class and work in a cultural analysis of the temporary help industry, starting in the 1950s, when industry leaders exploited gender stereotypes to justify low wages, minimal benefits and chronic job insecurity for working women.

Hatton has also done extensive research on coerced labor in the United States, exploring the experience of groups of coerced workers including people who are incarcerated, student athletes, graduate students and public assistance recipients who have to work for their benefits.

Erin Hatton, PhD
Professor of Sociology
University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences

• 716-645-8476
• eehatton@buffalo.edu
• Erin Hatton’s website