Author Archives: AJS admin

Default on Student Debt and You Could Lose Your License

This guest blog post was contributed by Chris Hicks, campaign organizer for Jobs With Justice. Did you know that in two states not paying your student loans could mean your driver’s license can be revoked? That’s the harsh reality for those who have had to borrow to pay for college in both Montana and Iowa, where there areContinue reading “Default on Student Debt and You Could Lose Your License”

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”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Florida Leaders Hear Concerns of Main Street Members

Written by Steve Rouzer from The Main Street Alliance. Paid sick leave, tipped minimum wage, and women’s health were some of the issues discussed when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi visited Orlando, Florida for the Working Women Town Hall earlier this month. Pelosi was joined by Congressman Alan Grayson and several community leaders for theContinue reading “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Florida Leaders Hear Concerns of Main Street Members”

Ferguson October Draws a Rainbow of Solidarity

In the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, the case of Dred Scott was first heard in 1847. Dred Scott and his family sued for freedom from their slave owner on the grounds that they had been removed from a “slave state” and brought to U.S. territories in which slavery was illegal. The caseContinue reading “Ferguson October Draws a Rainbow of Solidarity”

Ebola Should Remind Us of Our Values and Priorities

After months of being ignored by much of the mainstream media and U.S. government, the ebola epidemic in West Africa has become headline news. The reason is that a traveler from Liberia—one of the West African countries most severely impacted by the outbreak of the disease—came to Dallas, TX infected with ebola. The deaths ofContinue reading “Ebola Should Remind Us of Our Values and Priorities”

If Germany Can be Tuition Free, Why Not Us?

There was some very exciting news coming out of Germany this week, when the country announced that it is scrapping tuition and fees for its universities. Organizing is widely credited with building the public will and political momentum for free college. In fact, Dorothee Stapelfeldt, of the Hamburg Parliament, told reporters this week, “Tuition feesContinue reading “If Germany Can be Tuition Free, Why Not Us?”

High Student Debt and Low Wages Don’t Mix

Students and graduates throughout the country continue to bear the burden of the high cost of education by taking out student loans. For those in states with high average student debt and lower median incomes, the weight of student loans combined with low incomes can mean a lifetime of debt. The Alliance for a JustContinue reading “High Student Debt and Low Wages Don’t Mix”