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”

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”

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”

Apply Now: Summer 2014 Public Policy Internships

We are now accepting applications for Alliance summer and fall Public Policy Internships. An internship with the Alliance is an opportunity to work on social justice issues like income inequality, health care access, and immigration that impact millions. Interns will have the opportunity to work on important, tangible public policy products with immediate impacts.

Social Justice in Motion: Video Training Offers Organizers an Engaging Way to Tell a Story

From sharing the perspectives of the children of immigrants to calling out the Speaker of the House for his opposition to a proposed increase of the federal minimum wage, a group of a dozen emerging leaders and organizers from across the country gathered in Seattle last week to learn new ways to tell a story.

Alliance Testimony Declares ‘Living Wage Crisis’

We’ve all heard the stories of folks unable to make ends meet. Today, we shared with legislators the data that backs that up. In partnership with the Washington Community Action Network, the Alliance shared our Job Gap Report Washington state findings before a panel of state legislators during a House Labor & Workforce Development CommitteeContinue reading “Alliance Testimony Declares ‘Living Wage Crisis’”

Building a Movement for a Constructive Commonwealth

The sky is blue and their air is clean; the schools are good and the kids are happy; there are parks, good food, and safe places to live and work, as well as artistic, cultural, and religious institutions that reflect the richness and diversity of our communities and society. The desire to create strong communitiesContinue reading “Building a Movement for a Constructive Commonwealth”

Alliance Affiliates Mobilize Behind the Living Wage on Black Friday

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.