There has been a lot of buzz around the Seattle City Council’s historic adoption of a $15 minimum wage, the highest in the nation. Now there’s also excitement over last week’s passage of a living wage ordinance by the King County Council that sets the same wage floor for county employees and contractors. Yes, $15Continue reading ““While We Celebrate a $15 Minimum Wage, Let’s Remember It’s Not Enough””
Category Archives: featured
Main Street Business Owners Stand Together to Support Fair Wages and Workplace Policies
By Stephen Michael Main Street Alliance business owners across the country are proud to stand with our partners in Oakland at EBASE to support raising the minimum wage and increasing access to paid sick days. Rising income inequality is the moral and economic challenge of our time. Main Street business owners understand that small businessContinue reading “Main Street Business Owners Stand Together to Support Fair Wages and Workplace Policies”
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”
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”
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”
Using Our Stories to Win: Native Organizing Alliance Webinar
[av_video src=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NzUUiXjgn4′ format=’16-9′ width=’16’ height=’9′] As Native people, no one knows our issues and struggles better than we do. Storytelling, an art form that is indigenous to us, can be used to shift power dynamics and substantiate ourselves as experts on the social justice issues that we fight for. In this hour-long webinar witness Native organizersContinue reading “Using Our Stories to Win: Native Organizing Alliance Webinar”
Bank of America Settlement Could Fund Principal Reduction Programs
It has taken six years and dozens of lawsuits and settlements after the largest housing collapse since the Great Depression – and finally we may have a way to set up and implement local principal reduction programs in cities across the country. September has brought us what is expected to be the last of theContinue reading “Bank of America Settlement Could Fund Principal Reduction Programs”
Graduates Struggle Under a Mountain of Debt
College is supposed to be the pathway to a better job and a better life, but for students across the country college is also the pathway to a life of debt. Since 2008, states across the country have decreased their investment in higher education, with every state except for Alaska and North Dakota providing lessContinue reading “Graduates Struggle Under a Mountain of Debt”