On New Year’s Day, 20 states raised their minimum wages. That leaves a lot of states that aren’t increasing the minimum wage — along with the federal government. Even some of those employees who are getting increases don’t have much to celebrate. Workers in Florida might barely notice their 12-cents-an-hour raise. And the extra 15 centsContinue reading “Minimum Wage Shouldn’t Force Workers to Live in Poverty”
Category Archives: Minimum Wage
Making Ends Meet: Unaffordable Housing
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”
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”
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”
“While We Celebrate a $15 Minimum Wage, Let’s Remember It’s Not Enough”
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””
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”
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”
Fair Wages Aren’t Enough, Workers Need Hours, Predictability, too
There’s no question that working families across the country are struggling to get by; wages for most income levels have been stagnant or declining over the past decade, while the cost of living has continued to increase. One key to helping working families is increasing wages so that there are more living wage jobs available.Continue reading “Fair Wages Aren’t Enough, Workers Need Hours, Predictability, too”