Tag Archives: Wages

Choose the Side Fighting for American Workers

As we approach nearly two years of a pandemic, a booming stock market, and massive profits for numerous corporations, many American workers are finding themselves falling further behind as wages continue to stagnate and inflation rises. With pressure mounting, Americans are fed up.  From Hollywood to Holler, American workers are rising up to demand better pay and better working conditions.  I hope we are witnessing … Continue reading Choose the Side Fighting for American Workers »

Striketober

This year, the incoming chill of fall is carrying more than just autumn leaves – it’s bringing with it the winds of change. Workers across America are saying enough is enough in response to stagnant wages, brutal working conditions, and mistreatment of workers in the midst of a recession, global pandemic, and skyrocketing corporate profits. Over 100,000 organized workers from across the country have authorized … Continue reading Striketober »

The Value of Labor

As we come out of Labor Day weekend, let’s talk about labor. More specifically, let’s talk about the way the law treats labor. You’ve likely heard dozens of politicians talk endlessly about how American workers are the backbone of our country, and how the value their labor creates for their communities is what makes America great. But talk is cheap. When it comes to what … Continue reading The Value of Labor »

Life Without A Living Wage

Unsplash | Dan Smedley

Being poor in America is expensive. The 16% of our population that lives in poverty faces a daily barrage of hidden fees, fines, and predatory interest rates almost perfectly designed to keep them trapped in poverty.  To be poor in America is far more difficult and complicated than it is often presented as. Things can quickly spin out of control when hidden costs start to … Continue reading Life Without A Living Wage »

Year In Review: 2019

As 2019 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to look back at the major events that impacted the state of the economy – and the national conversation around our three core issues – as we enter the new year, and the many policy developments this year that are giving us hope for better, brighter decade to come. 

The Bare Minimum Series: Jobs and Businesses

Raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour will lift millions of Americans out of working poverty – and it’s scaring a lot of special interests who profit from keeping people poor. In this series, we’re dismantling the myths, one by one, that Raise the Wage opponents use to try and stop 40 million workers from making the money they deserve.  This … Continue reading The Bare Minimum Series: Jobs and Businesses »

The Bare Minimum Series: Regional Variation

Raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour will lift millions of Americans out of working poverty – and it’s scaring a lot of special interests who profit from keeping people poor. In this series, we’re dismantling the myths, one by one, that Raise the Wage opponents use to try and stop 40 million workers from making the money they deserve.  This … Continue reading The Bare Minimum Series: Regional Variation »

The Bare Minimum Series: Wage Compression

Raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour will lift millions of Americans out of working poverty – and it’s scaring a lot of special interests who profit from keeping people poor. In this series, we’re dismantling the myths, one by one, that Raise the Wage opponents use to try and stop 40 million workers from making the money they deserve.  This … Continue reading The Bare Minimum Series: Wage Compression »

When Corporations Say Employees Aren’t Employees

There are loopholes in the laws that allow employers to take advantage of their workers and avoid paying them or giving them benefits that they by rights are owed. As our economy changes in the face of automation, the gig economy, and new corporate employment schemes, we need to focus not just on how employees are treated, but on who counts as an employee at all.

Wages Don’t Kill Jobs, Corporations Do

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Raise The Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour and tie it to inflation, with near-unanimous support from Democrats and near-unanimous opposition from Republicans. This is a momentous victory for workers, but self-proclaimed “grim reaper” Mitch McConnell casts a long shadow on any celebration. Surprising no one, McConnell promptly vowed not to … Continue reading Wages Don’t Kill Jobs, Corporations Do »

House Passes Historic Vote to Raise Minimum Wage to $15

Last week, the House passed the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. If successfully passed by the Senate, this legislation would be the first time in a decade that Congress has raised the minimum wage.  Our economy has fundamentally changed over the last ten years, but for too many Americans their wages have not. The current minimum of $7.25 an hour was inadequate when it … Continue reading House Passes Historic Vote to Raise Minimum Wage to $15 »

The Fight For $15 (Finally) Comes to Congress

The end of this month will mark a full decade since Congress has raised the federal minimum wage since it was first established in 1938. That’s 10 years that millions of workers across the country have gone without a single raise, trying to eke out a living on $7.25 an hour amidst surging rent and housing, rising costs of living, and inflation. It’s a shameful … Continue reading The Fight For $15 (Finally) Comes to Congress »

Thanks, But No Thanks: Stop Bleeding the Middle Class to Cut Our Taxes

It’s Tax Day, so by now Americans have had a chance to see how their filings stack up against Trump’s promises. Working folks are largely unimpressed, but millionaires like us made out like bandits. When Republicans pitched the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), they sold it as a tax break for the middle class, but despite lower income tax rates and a … Continue reading Thanks, But No Thanks: Stop Bleeding the Middle Class to Cut Our Taxes »

Adults and Breadwinners, Not Teens, Benefit Most from Raising Minimum Wage

For years, opponents of raising the federal minimum wage have argued that we don’t need to raise the minimum wage because most low-wage workers are just teenagers trying to earn a little  spending money. We’ve known that’s not true for years, but as the fight for $15 ramps up across the country, a new study shows just how far from reality that “common knowledge” really … Continue reading Adults and Breadwinners, Not Teens, Benefit Most from Raising Minimum Wage »

Workers Pay While Trust Fund Babies Play

The manner in which taxes are computed vastly favors the wealthy. Workers pay higher taxes on wages than those living on investment income — and workers also have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on their wages but investment income recipients do not. A comparison of taxes due for 2018 for two married couples illustrates the gross inequities: Couple No. 1: Trust Fund Babies. … Continue reading Workers Pay While Trust Fund Babies Play »

$15 Minimum Wage a Win for All Illinoisans

The road to every working American being able to afford their basic needs took a big leap forward last week when Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. Illinois now joins the growing number of states who are listening to the concerns of their workers and challenges they face from rising wealth inequality and … Continue reading $15 Minimum Wage a Win for All Illinoisans »

Illinois Becomes Fifth State with $15 Minimum Wage

Across the country, states have taken it into their own hands to raise the minimum wage, with 18 states raising their minimum wage in 2018 alone. Thanks to the voters who elected a new governor in November, Illinois is now one of them. Two years ago, instead of using his office to lift citizens out of poverty, former Gov. Rauner resigned his constituents to subsistence … Continue reading Illinois Becomes Fifth State with $15 Minimum Wage »

It’s Time for a $15 Minimum Wage – A Look at the Raise the Wage Act

"March for a $15/hour minimum wage at the University of Minnesota" by Fibonacci Blue is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Today, Democrats in the House and Senate introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. If successful, it would be the most important legislative win for workers in decades. The bill would: Raise the federal minimum wage to $8.55 in 2019 and increase it over the next five years until it reaches $15 an hour in 2024; Adjust the minimum wage every year after 2024 to … Continue reading It’s Time for a $15 Minimum Wage – A Look at the Raise the Wage Act »