Black Friday turned out to be more than about recovering from food comas and hittin’ the mall.
It was about standing up to one of America’s grossest violators of the public trust.
Across the country, Alliance affiliates stood up in solidarity with our union partners on behalf of Walmart workers who are among the most underpaid in the country.Continue reading “Alliance Affiliates Mobilize Behind the Living Wage on Black Friday”
The leaves have fallen from their branches and await their final rest upon winter’s calm. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has arrived, the one holiday of the year when families gather simply to reflect on the good things in life. Then, as the clock strikes midnight, it is time to waken from our over-fed slumber, take to the streets with wallets in hand, and prepare for another favorite holiday: Black Friday.
Shopping is a great American pastime. Unless, of course, you are a Walmart employees who does not earn enough to survive, let alone shop.
Despite working hard to make an honest living, Walmart employees find that their paychecks fall short of meeting their day-to-day needs. Employees across the country are working one, two, even three jobs simply to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food on their tables.
The once-deeply held belief that hard work equals success is proving to be nothing more than a far-fetched myth.
Continue reading “Job Gap Report: No Living Wages Make Walmart a Scrooge”
2012 proved to be an exciting and successful year of civic engagement for AJS affiliates all across the country. Oregon Action, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Make the Road New York, PLANevada, Montana Organizing Project, Idaho Community Action Network, Maine People’s Alliance, Colorado Progressive Coalition, and Washington Community Action Network all devoted considerable staff and resources to civic engagement in an election year when so much was at stake for the communities we advocate for.Continue reading “AJS and Affiliates Finish Off a Strong Year of Civic Engagement Work”
On November 15th – 17th, members of Alliance for A Just Society attended the Facing Race 2012 Conference held in Baltimore, Maryland. Hosted by the Applied Research Center (ARC), Facing Race is a conference like no other– it is the largest national, multi-racial gathering of leaders, educators, journalists, artists, and activists on racial justice.Continue reading “Facing Race in 2012”
Over the last three decades the average family income has stagnated while the top 2% has seen their portion of the national income quadruple– at the expense of working families. This week, Alliance affiliates across the country mobilized in a series of actions to emphasize the message that was sent in last week’s election. Continue reading “Who Pays: Millionaires or The Rest of Us?”
After days of rain and snow in Anchorage,Alaska, the skies cleared and it warmed to chilly 34 degrees just in time for 400 Natives to rally in a park to call for an end to increasing regulations, enforcement and criminalization of their traditional way of life.
A unique scene in Alaska: 400 Natives taking to the streets with picket signs, unafraid of backlash, no longer willing to compromise on life’s essentials, calling on elected officials to take action and make changes.
Continue reading “Alaska Natives Rally for Traditional Hunting & Fishing Rights”
Melanie Collins, a small business owner and leader with the Maine Small Business Coalition, traveled to Washington, DC on October 19 to speak at a press conference outside the headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Her message was simple: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn’t speak for small business, and it doesn’t speak for me.”Continue reading “Does the U.S. Chamber of Commerce speak for small business? Maine small business owner says: “No!””
It is a basic American value: Hard work should earn you a paycheck that pays enough to survive. In this land of opportunity, an honest living should provide enough to make a living.
However, as we find in our upcoming Job Gap Study — which calculates the living wage in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington — that ideal is, all too often, a myth.Continue reading “The Myth of an Honest Living: When One Job Just Isn’t Enough”
After more than two and a half years of preparation, KBWE Radio Voz de Magic Valley, a project of Idaho Community Action Network, is near completion. KBWE—and the campaign to establish it—will provide a focal point for the growing role of Idaho’s Latino and new immigrant community in Idaho’s Magic Valley.Continue reading “ICAN’s “Radio Voz de Magic Valley” to Go Live Soon”
You don’t have to go to the theater to see a good drama. Microwave some popcorn, plant yourself on the couch, and tune into your favorite news station to see this classic American romance tale unfold.Continue reading “Medicaid Expansion: The American Romance”