Recently, Amazon announced it will begin paying its full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary workers a minimum wage of $15 per hour. To be clear, this is great news. The question is: why did we have to wait for Amazon to do it? There should already be a federally mandated minimum wage of $15 per hour. Since 2009, the federal minimum has been stuck at just … Continue reading Why Did We Have to Wait on Amazon to Pay a Fair Wage?
Yesterday, the DC City Council voted 8 to 5 to repeal the democratically enacted Initiative 77. The ballot measure would have gradually raised the tipped minimum wage until it matched the regular DC minimum wage of $15/hr. This is an outrage. This summer, Initiative 77 won the support of voters by an 11-point margin. Instead of this being the end of it, City Council has … Continue reading DC Council Repealed Voter-Approved Initiative 77
Restaurant employees across the nation are facing a serious threat to their wages, pushed by the legal arm of the National Restaurant Association, or “the other NRA.” Just as the National Rifle Association is a front group for weapons manufacturers (they are majority-funded by them, not concerned citizens), the National Restaurant Association is a front group for restaurant owners. They routinely oppose policies that would … Continue reading Show Up Against Wage Theft
Under the guise of improving and encouraging investments in our economy, federal legislation has made shareholders richer and richer. At the same time, the federal minimum wage and tipped-minimum wage have remained stagnant. The combination of these two policies has resulted in the weakening of American innovation. When Republicans lowered the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%, they did so under the promise that … Continue reading Stock Buybacks Instead of Employee Raises
The Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed a new rule that would allow employers to take their workers’ tips, so long as they pay them the minimum wage. If finalized, this rule could cost workers $5.8 billion annually. For workers who rely on tips to make up the difference on their $2.13/hr wage, this would be an economic disaster. Women would be affected most, as … Continue reading Tip Stealing: the Latest Attack on Low-wage Workers
On February 24th, 2018 Chair Morris Pearl spoke at the Working People’s Day of Action rally in New York City. Below are his thoughts. I’m standing on the podium at the Working People’s Day of Action. It’s twenty minutes before call time and there are already at least a thousand people here. Hospital workers from local 1199. Teachers from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). … Continue reading Working People’s Day of Action
One of the ills of American capitalism is the growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. At this very moment, the gap between rich and poor has never been wider, and it is only growing. As we are unable to even broach the discussion of maximum wages, we frequently argue over raising the minimum wage. These conversations quickly turn to ad hominems … Continue reading We Don’t Need or Want an Underclass to Look Down On
A bill that could increase the wages of 29% of workers in Massachusetts has sat in committee for almost a year. The legislation, which was filed by Senator Ken Donnelly of Arlington, now deceased, and Representative Dan Donahue of Worcester, would increase the state’s minimum wage by $1 a year until it is $15/hr in 2021. At that point, it would be indexed to the … Continue reading Why is Legislation to Raise the Minimum Wage in Massachusetts Stalling?
Let’s talk about the incentives in the new tax bill for employers to raise workers pay. Here is a concrete example. Say I own a small bar where people come and drink beer after work. Suppose I gross (on average) $1,000 per day in sales, the bartender gets paid $4,000 per month, I spend $10,000 per month on other fixed costs and $8,000 per month … Continue reading Does the New Tax Bill Provide More Incentives to Give Workers Raises… or Less?
The strength of any state is its people. To succeed and grow, a state needs its citizens to be engaged, both civically and economically.
We have a wage problem in the United States. Our current system is not working. It is harming our economy and money is not going to those who need it most but to the wealthiest.
How we treat the least in society reflects our values. As a nation, we need to ask ourselves what it really means to be a citizen in America? In fact, we should go further as ask what it means to be a human.
This morning the Patriotic Millionaires took to the streets once again to fight for a fair minimum wage. Vice-chair Stephen Prince spoke at a rally to raise the minimum wage alongside Senators Bernie Sanders, Patty Murray, and Chuck Schumer.
The purpose of the American minimum wage is to ensure that all Americans are able to earn enough money to provide for the basic needs of themselves and their family.
Tuesday the Patriotic Millionaires took to Annapolis to fight for a fair wage as the Economic Matters Committee in the Maryland House of Delegates began hearings on a bill to raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Today Patriotic Millionaire TJ Zlotnitsky stood with a coalition of groups at the Maryland State House calling for a statewide minimum wage of $15 an hour. He delivered the following remarks:
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson made three grave mistakes on Tuesday with his comments.
Representative Rick Mulvaney, Trump’s pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, is under fire for failing to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for a nanny he employed between 2000 and 2004.
President Trump has nominated Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. owner Andrew Puzder to lead the Department of Labor for the next four years. Should Congress approve or reject this nomination? A brief look at the functions of the Department of Labor and Puzder’s background supplies the obvious answer: Puzder cannot become the Secretary of Labor. Congress established the federal Department of Labor in 1912. The legislation … Continue reading Abandoning America’s Workers, Starting at the Top
We need to explain why we believe that raising the income of working Americans is good, not just assert that it is.