Last month, we showed just how difficult it is for working parents to afford to pay for child care and cover other living expenses. One of those other major living expenses that all workers must account for is the cost of housing and utilities. Housing is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30Continue reading “Making Ends Meet: Unaffordable Housing”
Category Archives: Job Gap
Making Ends Meet: The High Cost of Child Care
What does it take to make ends meet? For workers making less than $15 an hour – which is about 40 percent of all workers in the United States – housing, food, and transportation are all major expenses. But for a working parent with young children, one of the biggest expenses is likely to beContinue reading “Making Ends Meet: The High Cost of Child Care”
Testimony: A Living Wage Is about Family Prosperity
Yesterday I got the chance to testify to the Washington state House Labor and Workforce Development Committee. Our living wage research findings set a standard, that mere survival is not an adequate measure of a healthy society, and not an expectation we should be striving to set. It’s about a living wage that positions familiesContinue reading “Testimony: A Living Wage Is about Family Prosperity”
I Give Thanks to Workers Standing Up to Injustice
The holiday season — a time of counting your blessings, spending time with your family, and abundance. It is also a time for a huge portion of workers — unable to make basic ends meet — to be made painfully aware of how they are falling short. About half of all full-time workers of color in the United States do notContinue reading “I Give Thanks to Workers Standing Up to Injustice”
King County Council Approves One of Toughest Living Wage Ordinances in the Country
SEATTLE — The King County Council yesterday approved a living wage ordinance, which, when signed by County Executive Dow Constantine, would be among the stronger county-level ordinances in the country. The Alliance for a Just Society and Washington Community Action Network have supported the legislation, which includes language citing Alliance living wage research. The legislationContinue reading “King County Council Approves One of Toughest Living Wage Ordinances in the Country”
Report: America’s Families Are Out of Balance
Media Advisory Alliance for a Just Society September 29, 2014 Contact: Kathy Mulady kathy@allianceforajustsociety.org (206) 992-8787 America’s Families Are Out of Balance “The basic bargain of America is that no matter who you are, where you come from or what you look like, if you work hard & play by the rules, you can makeContinue reading “Report: America’s Families Are Out of Balance”
King County Living Wage Ordinance a Modest Step to Address Inequalities
On the heels of the historic passage of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage, a King County Council committee will be voting next week on a living wage ordinance that would apply to county employees and contractors for broader King County. The Alliance testified at a Council committee hearing on Sept. 2 calling for adoption of the legislation,Continue reading “King County Living Wage Ordinance a Modest Step to Address Inequalities”
Let’s Truly Celebrate Workers’ Contributions – With a Living Wage
Is Labor Day just a day to celebrate workers’ labor in name, without ensuring that those workers actually benefit? “The basic bargain of America is that no matter who you are, where you come from or what you look like, if you work hard & play by the rules, you can make it, ” saysContinue reading “Let’s Truly Celebrate Workers’ Contributions – With a Living Wage”
Job Gap: Working Families Struggling, Sliding Deeper into Debt
Debt – it’s become so entrenched in our daily lives that it’s almost a given. Debt is often a choice for higher income families, as an investment in the form of a mortgage or as a means to help pay for college. However, lower-income households often end up in debt because their incomes leave themContinue reading “Job Gap: Working Families Struggling, Sliding Deeper into Debt”
Everyone Benefits When Workers Earn Living Wages
The South Korea government is taking an interesting approach to stagnating wages. The South Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance is pushing a policy to offer tax credits to those firms that increase worker pay. This legislation — which, if approved by the South Korean parliament, would go into effect in January — creates a policy incentive forContinue reading “Everyone Benefits When Workers Earn Living Wages”