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”
Category Archives: featured
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”
Ferguson Mandate: Time to Change Police Policies and Practices
The Ferguson grand jury has announced its decision in the killing of Michael Brown. The Alliance for a Just Society joins with millions of people who are outraged and incredulous that no indictment was made of officer Darren Wilson for killing the unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. An indictment is notContinue reading “Ferguson Mandate: Time to Change Police Policies and Practices”
Who Earns a Living Wage, and Who Doesn’t?
A living wage: the ability to make ends meet, to provide for necessities as well as to have some left over for savings and miscellaneous expenses. It sounds simple, but for a large number of workers across the country, it is far out of reach. For a staggering percentage of women and people of color,Continue reading “Who Earns a Living Wage, and Who Doesn’t?”
Voter Support Spreading Nationwide for Higher Minimum Wage
Workers deserve to earn enough to support themselves and their families. This concept has helped guide the work of the Alliance for a Just Society for years. And, in the recent midterm elections, voters in five states and two cities showed that this is an issue that is important to people of all backgrounds, inContinue reading “Voter Support Spreading Nationwide for Higher Minimum Wage”
LeeAnn Hall: Our Work Together is More Important Than Ever
Dear Friends, I join all of you in a sense of disappointment and outrage as I consider the changed composition of Congress after yesterday’s elections. That outrage has ignited in me a renewed determination, stronger than ever, that we must continue our fight in communities, in cities and in states where we are making aContinue reading “LeeAnn Hall: Our Work Together is More Important Than Ever”
Changing the Way We Help Underwater Homeowners
This opinion piece by LeeAnn Hall originally appeared in the Seattle Times. By LeeAnn Hall and Will Pittz While the recession officially ended in 2009, there are still over 9 million households across the country with homes worth less than the value of their mortgage. There are still neighborhoods in Seattle where more than 20Continue reading “Changing the Way We Help Underwater Homeowners”
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”
From Oregon to New York, Law Officers Just Say ‘No’ to ICE
Last week the New York City Council passed legislation, 41-6, stopping the New York Police Department and the New York City Department of Corrections from honoring detainer requests from ICE, unless they are backed by a federal warrant. “Today is a historic day. After five years of work, New York City will put an endContinue reading “From Oregon to New York, Law Officers Just Say ‘No’ to ICE”