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TechnoratiHope and Change for Low-Wage Workers
On March 18, 1968, two weeks before his murder, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., "It is criminal to have people working on a full-time basis getting part-time income." He said, "A living wage should be the right of all working Americans."
What would Dr. King have thought of a $6.55 federal minimum wage in 2009, when the 1968 minimum wage is worth about $10 in today's dollars?
What would he have made of a minimum wage that is less adequate for the basic necessities of life than it was 40 years ago?
This is a moment exultant with hope. Watching the inauguration of the first African American president, we ask each other, "Have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed?" But our hope is tempered with anxiety about our current economic crisis and concern about the millions of people in our country who are still working for poverty wages.
Paychecks have stagnated for many years, and more and more jobs come with no benefits, not even sick days. Today the minimum wage is set so low that millions of men and women working full time are constantly choosing which necessities to go without. Health workers go without healthcare; childcare workers struggle to care for their own children; food service workers seek help at food banks.
Low-wage workers waited ten long years for the minimum wage increase that finally arrived in 2007, from $5.15 to $6.65 an hour the longest wait in the history of the minimum wage. All of us are now paying for that delay, as falling worker buying power helped fuel the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The minimum wage is the floor of the economy, and when it sinks, we all sink.
With the election of Barack Obama we are seeing a new coalition preparing to govern. We are hopeful that we have an opportunity now to bring the voice of low wage workers and their families to the White House and to Congress.
Let Justice Roll, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 90 faith, community, labor and business organizations, which played a leading role in winning the last increase, is calling for $10 an hour in 2010. We are asking people to join with more than 15 leaders of denominations and national faith organizations and Americans from all 50 states, and endorse our call for $10 in 2010 at www.letjusticeroll.org.
A federal minimum wage of $10 in 2010 will move us closer to the day when all workers earn a living wage.
President Obama's choice of Representative Hilda Solis for Secretary of Labor evoked the accomplishments of Frances Perkins, the architect of the minimum wage, who served as the first female Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. The time has come to reclaim Perkins¹ legacy and build on it. The daughter of two immigrant workers and union members, Rep. Solis has promised to "improve the opportunities for hardworking families." To keep this promise, we encourage her to advocate for $10 in 2010.
In June 1966, I heard Dr. King speak to the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. He decried poverty and militarism as well as racism, and he reminded us, "When the church is true to its nature, it stands as a moral guardian of the community and of society." He called on each of us to create our own 'stone of hope.'
I call upon all of us to honor Dr. King's memory by renewing our commitment to a just economy. I hew my stone of hope with these words: "The arc of the universe is long," said Dr. King, quoting 19th century Unitarian abolitionist Theodore Parker, "but it bends toward justice."
25 Comments so far
Show AllBecause minimum wage is so high, the gap between what I can pay the hard workers and what I can pay the deadbeats just gets slimmer and slimmer. Nowadays, a QUARTER is the best we can do...when the hard working person deserves several DOLLARS more an hour. How is that fair?
Dog Obedience
How about $10.00 now with a increase to $12 or better yet $14 in the next 2 or 3 years. I will grant the people at the top some time to get used to the idea. One other thing this needs to be automatically adjusted anytime the average cost of living goes up.
Rickster
"one is actually used to haul the fruit to the warehouse in summer and fall."
If you can figure out how to bypass the warehouse/middle man you could increase your profits while at the same time reduce the cost the consumer pays for your product.
I would be willing to bet(if I had any money) there's only one warehouse in the area you can sell too.
We need more fruit and vegetable stands around the country for people like you to sell to. Farmers markets is one way but they need to be open more than one day a week.
Rickster
I live in Washington State where the minimum wage just went to $8.55 per hour. This increase happens every year due to a citizens' initiative passed several years back. I think it's great. Unfortunately we have a really small fruit orchard, less than 15 acres. We always pay everyone more than minimum and always have. We believe in paying as much as we can afford and still have something left for us in the end. That doesn't always happen. The vehicles we own are over ten years old and one is actually used to haul the fruit to the warehouse in summer and fall.
That's why I have a full time job. I know that we are all paying more for tree fruit in the grocery stores, but guess what? The people growing that fruit are still being paid at almost the same rate as growers were paid back in the 1970s and 1980s. Our economic system is so screwed up I think that a total overhaul is what is called for.
Peggy
peggyforpeace:I think there was an article recently on CD on saving small farmers. I salute you all. I get organic Macs apples from a small farm in Maine, since the local store stopped carrying them. Glad you are "hanging on" and "Hanging in". Farmers are bringing produce in to local outdoor markets in the midst of NYC and we are grateful for it. Many many farmers are working full time at outside jobs.
I remember hearing the figure of $22 being bandied about in terms of keeping up with CEO pay. Is it higher now? Anyone know?
Wow, I bet you'd get awesome service at whatever supermarket or department store if the employees were all making that much.
I bet you'd see less crime, in general, especially in the youth population. I can't imagine most kids wanting to roam the streets all summer or sit at home playing video games if they could make some serious money making sandwiches.
Of course, if you cancel all debt at the same time, you'd really see some happy workers. Happy workers means less harassment, more productivity, less alcoholism, and so many other things.
"Happy workers means less harassment, more productivity, less alcoholism, and so many other things."
Why does milk in Oklahoma come from happy cows in California? Is that the reason milk cost so much? Most of the beef in OK comes from Illinois. There's a bunch of cows here in OK but they are all shipped up north for processing. To many businesses have become too big to fail and we're all paying the price for it.
Rickster
When Rev. Dr. MLKing Jr made those statements, there was a functional HUD and low income housing. Along with a living wage, there needs to be reviving of low and moderate income housing. I've lived in NYS mixed middle and low income housing, called Mitchell-Lama (for the NYS legislators who put forth the legislation). The NYS legislature let the housing law die. HUD has been stripped of funding. Public housing has been destroyed, for example in New Orleans, housing that wasn't water damaged, was destroyed to make way for luxury condos and get rid of poor people. Affordable housing that people can live in. And government public works jobs. Now.
In MS, most low wage workers are generally female and/or minority. It's saddening to see how poor white guys and even more white women in the state join the top elites when they should be teaming up with the minorities, most of whom are lower class, to heal the racial and wage divides. I'm not so sure Obama's gonna be able to bridge the wage gap in states where wage discrimination is gleefully supported by the poor and middle class who really need a wage increase the most and very desperately.
The rulng elite have been dividing the working classes, causing them to fight among themselves while the ruling elite gains more power and control.
It's like the state lottery. Every now and then someone hits the jackpot and they're lifted from the oppression to enjoy the good life. It happens enough that the glimmer of hope doesn't die out.
The ruling elite have been scammiing the rest of us since they invested capitalism.
The neocon goal is 2 million billionaires and 298 million slaves in the US.
Don't forget the "free trading" neolibs. The neocons would be nowhere without them !
Washington State's current minimum wage is now $8.55. This sounds good and we can all say that people should be making more, but think about it. I was in business for 20 years. Most of my workers were minimum wage workers. I had some who worked their tails off and others who stood around complaining that they've "been here for 5 years" and "should have a better job", but never really even WORKED. Just to get them to do the minimum work was like pulling teeth. (And firing every person who didn't measure up and hiring someone else was even MORE expensive.)
Because minimum wage is so high, the gap between what I can pay the hard workers and what I can pay the deadbeats just gets slimmer and slimmer. Nowadays, a QUARTER is the best we can do...when the hard working person deserves several DOLLARS more an hour. How is that fair?
Restaurants (which is the business I was in) profit 3-5 cents on every dollar, so the profit margin just isn't there to give the great workers a bunch more money. We'd all be out of business, or we'd be so short staffed that all the customers would suffer if we did that.
Angela from Aberdeen
Backlinks
Absolutely right - the concept of minimum wage actually renders competition among workers and other work ethics useless.
hgh
herpes treatment
Do a google search on AngelaE8654. She's nothing more than a rabid rightwing prick on the issues. She's pro-war in Iraq, she sells books that are usually filled with scams and criminally insane ideas that can get you in trouble, plus she's a Raygunomics fan.
"Restaurants (which is the business I was in) profit 3-5 cents on every dollar."
Did you own the Restaurant or did you just work there. Most of the Restaurant Owners I know live in pretty fancy homes and drive pretty fancy cars. I got a sister in-law that makes $125,000 a year in the Restaurant business and she can't figure out why she can't keep good help. When I point out she ought to cut her wages in half and pay her workers better she looks at me like I'm nuts. I've heard that excuse to many times from to many business owners that are making a killing.
The minimum wage in this country should be at least $12.00 per hour with full benefits.
Rickster
Additionally, if everyone is paid a living wage, they can eat out more often and spend more money when they do.
So you simply raise your prices.
Whe everyone does better, everyone does better.
the far higher minimum wages in Europe don't seem to be hurting the viability of businesses like yours. In fact there are far more such small businesses, and fewer big boxes.
---USAn---
Do you mean folks like wait staff who have no health coverage, work only for tips in restaurants?
deleted by author
$8.55 is high?
In most European countries, minimum wage is the equivalent of about $14 to $17 per hour, including restaurant workers. Tipping is not done in many EU countries.
---USAn---
There always that same argument made in Canada, wherein a minimum wage harmful to an economy as it discourages small businesses from hiring more workers.
Many studies have shown this not the case and that in fact as that minimum wage rises, more jobs are created as people have more income to spend in their local community.
If I am making 4.55 bucks an hour then I am NEVER going to go out to eat in that restaurant because I could not afford it.
Try telling the low wage workers out here in Tulsa. A lot of them froth at the mouth and call you "unpatriotic" for trying to help them achieve a wage increase. The irony is they'll still borrow and spend like crazy but then never understand what hit them. Even today, if I spend at a mom and pop store for better quality and choose not to go to Walmart, I'm often attacked as a "latte transplant". It's a madhouse out here. And don't be fooled if anyone's telling you that OK is doing fine because of no recession. The truth is the state never had much of an economy to begin with and those of us trying our honest best are met with hostile opposition. Worse, even folks with native names are still addicted to Reaganomics like crazy. I voted for Obama but getting a Democrat to win in this state is like trying to negotiate with David Korash supporters. If anyone wants to go out with a "Joe The Plumber" clone, Oklahoma is the place to come to !
peter,
So true!
I frequently see this idiotic, uniquely USAn, "I'm underpaid and I'm proud!" attitude even here in the formerly unionized rust belt.
And, when we tried to pass a living wage ordinance for Allegheny county and contract employees, both our black councilmembers, reporsenting the poor neighborhoods, joined the republicans in voting against it and it failed by one vote.
---USAn---
If you want an interesting thing to listen to, go to cylinders.library.ucsb.edu, and do a search for Teddy Roosevelt. You will find a recording of him talking about the need for a living wage, a term I believe he coined. He talks about there being a real need for such a thing as enough of a wage for a person to actually have a family life as well as just a work life. It's quite an ear opener, especially when you consider that he was a Republican at the time.
And isn't it interesting that now, a hundred years later, we are again talking about the exact same thing, but now it's the republicans who are leading the charge to the bottom the heap. To be fair, it wasn't long after that speech that Teddy left the Republican party, as he saw them for the greedy scum they truly are. But it was the republicans who caused the great depression, and it's the republicans who caused the one we are entering into now. It seems that all they know how to do is loot and pillage. Why would anyone with even half a brain vote for them? It's truly beyond me.