Everyone Benefits When Workers Earn Living Wages

The South Korea government is taking an interesting approach to stagnating wages. The South Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance is pushing a policy to offer tax credits to those firms that increase worker pay. This legislation — which, if approved by the South Korean parliament, would go into effect in January — creates a policy incentive forContinue reading “Everyone Benefits When Workers Earn Living Wages”

Reversing the Trend: A Longitudinal Study of Living Wage and Minimum Wage

A new report, “Reversing the Trend” by the Alliance for a Just Society, finds that Mayor Ed Murray’s minimum wage proposal reverses a minimum wage trend that is increasingly unable to meet the basic living needs of workers. Seattle’s proposed $15 minimum wage would be the highest in the country. Analyzing more than a decadeContinue reading “Reversing the Trend: A Longitudinal Study of Living Wage and Minimum Wage”

Seattle’s $15 Wage Plan to Boost Families and Businesses

The day after Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a modest minimum wage increase to $10.10, Seattle small business owners with the Main Street Alliance proclaimed their support for a city level $15 minimum wage. “It is smart and responsible to raise the minimum wage, boost our local economy, and support small business success atContinue reading “Seattle’s $15 Wage Plan to Boost Families and Businesses”

Entrenched Lobbyists Stirring Raise-the-Wage Opposition

Spring is in the air. That means cherry blossom season in Washington. It also means fly-in time, when the nation’s biggest trade associations hold their annual lobby days. Case in point: the National Restaurant Association (NRA) is hitting town at the end of April. Topping the Restaurant Association’s agenda? Stick a fork in the proposedContinue reading “Entrenched Lobbyists Stirring Raise-the-Wage Opposition”

Anti-Minimum Wage Restaurant Association Serving Up Powerful Lobbyists

The National Restaurant Association is a lobbying powerhouse in Washington, D.C. and a leading opponent of efforts to raise the minimum wage. A new analysis by the Alliance for a Just Society and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United uncovers the “secret sauce” behind the NRA’s success: a heaping helping of insider influence. In The Hill thisContinue reading “Anti-Minimum Wage Restaurant Association Serving Up Powerful Lobbyists”

Tipping Subminimum Wage in Favor of Workers

When you go out to dinner at a restaurant you might ask for salad dressing on the side, whether the carrots are organic, or if the chicken is free range, but do you ever ask the restaurant owner if her employees make a living wage? Waitresses and waiters are the largest group of tipped workersContinue reading “Tipping Subminimum Wage in Favor of Workers”

State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow

President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night: low-key compared to other addresses, determined and occasionally defiant. He touched on many of the priorities being worked on by the Alliance for a Just Society this year, including mentioning that nine million Americans have signed up for private health insurance orContinue reading “State of the Union Has the Right Themes, Action Must Follow”

Alliance On Stage With Pelosi and Raise the Wage

The work of Alliance for a Just Society was very much in evidence earlier this month when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Labor Secretary Tom Perez held a press conference calling for passage of legislation to raise the federal minimum wage. The legislation, endorsed by the Alliance, would bring the hourly minimum wage upContinue reading “Alliance On Stage With Pelosi and Raise the Wage”

2013 Job Gap Report Released Nationwide

Fast food workers are taking to the picket line throughout the country. SEIU and other unions are helping these efforts, but many strikes are happening in places without any union presence. Low-wage work is simply not enough for families and individuals to thrive, to plan for their future, and most times, simply not enough toContinue reading “2013 Job Gap Report Released Nationwide”

Profiles of Poverty: Who Benefits from Fair Wages?

Singles Moms, Children, the Elderly and Students Have Much at Stake in the Living Wage Debate Opponents of raising the minimum wage frequently argue that low-wage jobs are transitional, for teenagers seeking experience before life in the “real world.” Granted, many teenagers work to contribute money desperately needed for their family, or are raising familiesContinue reading “Profiles of Poverty: Who Benefits from Fair Wages?”