Now accepting applications for Alliance Summer internships.
An internship with the Alliance is an opportunity to expand your horizons, on issues — like social justice, income inequality, health care access, and immigration — that impact millions. Interns will have the chance to work on important, tangible public policy products that will have immediate impacts. Continue reading
We’ve all heard the stories of folks unable to make ends meet. Today, we shared with legislators the data that backs that up.
In partnership with the Washington Community Action Network, the Alliance shared our Job Gap Report Washington state findings before a panel of state legislators during a House Labor & Workforce Development Committee work session. Continue reading
The sky is blue and their air is clean; the schools are good and the kids are happy; there are parks, good food, and safe places to live and work, as well as artistic, cultural, and religious institutions that reflect the richness and diversity of our communities and society. The desire to create strong communities where families can thrive seems almost universal, and this is true despite the presence of conservative ideologies that promote rugged individualism.
This is the shared vision of our diverse communities, around the country. Continue reading
Black Friday turned out to be more than about recovering from food comas and hittin’ the mall.
It was about standing up to one of America’s grossest violators of the public trust.
Across the country, Alliance affiliates stood up in solidarity with our union partners on behalf of Walmart workers who are among the most underpaid in the country.
In Seattle, the Alliance was represented as well over 100 protesters rallied in Renton, Wash., in support of workers.
Protestors braved the rain in Seattle.
The op-ed raised up the obscene difference between living wages — as calculated in our Job Gap Report — and the wages actually earned by employees.
“There are many benefits to society when people earn living wages. The cost of community services go down. Consumer spending increases, creating an economic ripple effect that benefits the entire state. Crime and homelessness decrease. In this land of opportunity, an honest living should provide enough to make a living. Support those who still believe in that most American of ideals.”
Read the full op-ed here:
http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2019735257_leeannhallwillpittzopedxml.html
MOP hits the streets in Montana.
In Montana, the Montana Organizing Project (MOP) worked with several groups, mobilizing for a morning Black Friday rally and getting signatures for a petition.
One MOP member, Karen Kearney, described how workers are treated.
“Walmart keeps their employees poor, forcing them to use public services such as food stamps and Medicaid because they don’t provide the substantial hours that would qualify their employees for health care benefits,” she said.
More Montana news coverage here:
The leaves have fallen from their branches and await their final rest upon winter’s calm. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has arrived, the one holiday of the year when families gather simply to reflect on the good things in life. Then, as the clock strikes midnight, it is time to waken from our over-fed slumber, take to the streets with wallets in hand, and prepare for another favorite holiday: Black Friday.
Shopping is a great American pastime. Unless, of course, you are a Walmart employees who does not earn enough to survive, let alone shop.
Despite working hard to make an honest living, Walmart employees find that their paychecks fall short of meeting their day-to-day needs. Employees across the country are working one, two, even three jobs simply to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food on their tables.
The once-deeply held belief that hard work equals success is proving to be nothing more than a far-fetched myth.
It is a basic American value: Hard work should earn you a paycheck that pays enough to survive. In this land of opportunity, an honest living should provide enough to make a living.
However, as we find in our upcoming Job Gap Study — which calculates the living wage in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington — that ideal is, all too often, a myth. Continue reading
In March 2010, Congress passed historic health reform legislation. It is now up to state lawmakers to implement reform in our state, including passing legislation to establish new health insurance exchanges through which individuals and small businesses can buy health insurance. Continue reading
Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its Citizens United decision in 2010, we have witnessed an unprecedented degree of influence by corporate interests in setting public policy in America. ”How Money in Politics Affects the 99% … And How the 99% Is Fighting Back” explores the profound impact money is having on decisions that affect all of us. Continue reading
As members of Congress arrive home for their August recess, which starts this week, some of them have a lot of explaining to do about their recent votes on the Bush tax cuts. In particular, every senator and representative who stood in the way of ending special tax cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans and restoring some much-needed fairness to the tax code owes his or her constituents an explanation.
Health care reform in the United States has come a long way. But much work remains.
This series of papers by AJS Federal Issues Policy Director Bill Daley examines the state of health care reform in the U.S. and the role state-level policy-making will play as we move forward and implement the Affordable Care Act. Continue reading
