How To Reduce Poverty In The United States
Reducing U.S. Poverty Rates: How Organized Labor Can Help
Intro
The current wealth inequality and continuing rise in poverty rates within the United States has troubling implications for a country that prides itself on being the “land of opportunity.” In recent years, wealth inequality has soared, reaching historic heights that are higher than any other developed Western country and rival those on the eve of The Great Depression (Fischer et al. 1996, Saez 2008). The top one percent of Americans owns 42 percent of the nation’s financial wealth while the bottom 80 percent of Americans own only five percent of the nation’s wealth (Domhoff 2010). The income of the top one percent has nearly tripled in the last 30 years while those at the bottom …show more content…
are struggling to make ends meet (Congressional Budget Office, 2007). Our country is at a crossroads while we lose our middle class. The decline of organized labor and subsequent proliferation of low wage jobs have played an influential role in the growing divide between the rich and poor in America. Deliberate policies have created this current state of inequality. However, this fortunately means that new policies can help to reverse the trend (Fischer et al. 1996). In this memo, I will argue that a set of policies aimed at allowing workers a free and fair process to organize unions will help to dramatically reduce the growing poverty within the U.S. – uplifting the lives of millions of hardworking families and revitalizing our local economies.
Why Reducing Poverty Matters
There are many arguments for why high levels of inequality and poverty are bad for a society. For the purposes of this proposal, I will highlight only a few of the most consequential. Researchers have found that a large disparity between the rich and poor produces higher crime rates as those at the bottom must turn to illicit forms of employment as a means of survival (Krueger 2004, Western 2001). A large wealth gap also creates an ineffective democratic process, as there are many less educated voters and the extremely wealthy can use their money to wield disproportionate influence in the state (Krueger 2004, Mills 1956, Domhoff 2002).
Furthermore, large levels of inequality have been found to reduce economic growth both locally and in our gross domestic product (GDP) (Krueger 2004). Workers who do not make enough to subsist must go on public assistance, which is paid for by the American taxpayer (Krueger 2004). Additionally, struggling workers consume much less, depleting local economies further (Gutierrez 2013). Finally, there are the lived experiences of the working poor. These are the Americans who work full time, sometimes two jobs, and six or seven days a week. They are doing hard manual labor or demeaning service-sector work and sometimes traveling great distances to their job, yet do not have enough money to feed their children or find stable housing (Ehrenreich 1999, Newman and Chen 2007, Wilson 1999, Hays 2003). These are the individual experiences of poverty that many people often forget, but are nevertheless crucial to our understanding of inequality and the reasons why we must address it. A healthy nation requires a flourishing economy and stable democracy. As a society, we must stop and reconsider the ways in which our policies are helping to reproduce and further economic injustice.
The Significance of Unions
Through looking back on the history of labor in this country we find that unions have long played a crucial role in the formation of a strong middle class. It comes as no surprise then, that their decline over the last four decades has accordingly played an equal role in the growing U.S. poverty rates. Union strength was at an all-time high during the 1950’s. In the post world-war period, one-third of the private sector employees were unionized with millions more living in households dependent on a union wage (Rosenfeld 2010). Through collective bargaining, unions helped to establish a minimum standard for wages, workweeks, benefits, and worker protection laws of union and nonunion workers alike (Rosenfeld 2010). This is no longer the case as union rates have dropped dramatically over the last 40 years. Today, a mere 6.6 percent of the private sector workforce is unionized – demonstrating a drastic 80 percent decline (Rosenfeld 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). Many argue that the sharp decline is due to deindustrialization and the exportation of manufacturing jobs oversees. However management’s efforts towards blocking the organizing of unions through intimidation and other techniques have played a continual and crucial role in the declining significance of labor as well (Rosenfeld 2010).
Such a sharp decline in organized labor is not without its significant economic and societal consequences. The transition from a largely manufacturing based economy to a service sector one, has led to the concomitant rise of low-wage industries such as fast food, retail, and hospitality (Schmitt and Jones 2012). These industries pay their workers minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, which is 15 percent lower than it was in 1979 when adjusted for inflation (Schmitt and Jones 2012). To give one state’s example, a living wage for an individual living in New York, which is defined as “high enough to allow workers to meet basic needs,” comes out to be $11.50 – over three dollars more than that state’s minimum wage (Glasmeier 2013, Thompson and Chapman 2006). Add a child to the equation and the wage needed to sustain oneself becomes more than double what New York’s fast food and retail workers are currently receiving (Glasmeier 2013).
Consequently due to the aforementioned decline of organized labor, the jobs created within these industries are also almost primarily nonunion and thus do not include any means by which workers can negotiate for better pay, sick days, healthcare and more (Schmitt and Jones 2012). This lack of bargaining power has led to devastating effects for working families and America’s once thriving middle class. In Los Angeles alone it has been found that 40 percent of hospitality workers are living in poverty (Gutierrez 2013). It is the same story for fast food and retail workers across the country. Half of the fast food workforce is over the age of 23. Among those above 20, over one third have at least one child and must support a family on an income of $11,000 per year (Schmitt and Jones 2013, Allegretto et al. 2013). This is particularly troubling when you consider a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which shows that it will cost $241,080 for a middle-income couple to raise a child today (Hicken 2013). A country that was once full of well-paying union manufacturing jobs has now been replaced with low wage nonunion service sector work and an eroding middle class. Policies aimed at reversing the decline of unions provide a crucial opportunity for efforts to reduce poverty.
Policy Alternatives and Projected Outcomes
A comprehensive set of policies aimed at increasing the bargaining power of workers through an easier path to unionization will be invaluable to reducing U.S. poverty rates and the numerous negative externalities associated with it. Hardworking Americans once again will be given a voice on the job - allowing them to receive adequate wages, job security, benefits, as well as the respect and dignity that they deserve. The policy I detail in this memo contains four components under the large umbrella of what I will call a Nationwide Labor Peace Agreement. Such an agreement would seek to amend the National Labor Relations Act, which currently governs the method by which unions are voted in. A policy similar to this, titled the Employee Free Choice Act, was proposed in 2009, but Congress failed to pass it. This labor peace agreement is similar to EFCA except it also contains one concession for labor, thereby making it more appealing for bi-partisan support.
I will begin with outlining the first three components of this agreement that will allow workers to form a union fairly and free from intimidation. First, this agreement requires that the employer maintain neutrality during the organizing process. Second, unions shall be recognized if over 50 percent of the employees sign a card check stating they want a union rather than requiring an additional secret ballot. Finally, under this agreement, management must give workplace access to union organizers who otherwise must find ways to communicate with workers at their homes.
All three of these components are crucial to fair organizing free from intimidation. The secret ballot occurs only after 30 percent of employees have already signed card checks. It also requires employees to come into work in order to cast their votes. Thus employers have time and access to use many intimidation tactics, often threatening employees with termination or decreasing hours and hiring business consultants to persuade workers not to form a union (Johansson 2013). For example, as of last summer there have been over 150 incidents of intimidation reported against Wal-Mart employee activists (Johansson 2013). Employees are also routinely illegally fired for organizing or being sympathetic towards the union. Although this is against law under the National Labor Relations Act, for these large corporations, it is often cheaper to fire workers and potentially pay a fine for unfair labor practices than it is to have a union (Johansson 2013). Wal-Mart, which is worth $470 billion, provides another clear instance of this as they fired 23 of their employees last year just for striking (Eidelson 2013).
The final component and the one concession required of unions is that workers must waive their right to go on strike in the process of forming the union. Once a union is formed, workers regain their right to strike and protest if a dispute arises. This concession is beneficial to everyone involved, including community members, because it reduces the chances that businesses will be interrupted due to a labor strike. It is also beneficial to the workers, because this one concession does not outweigh the significantly fairer process of organizing that will result from the former three components. Furthermore, after the formation of a union, their right to strike is regained, thereby maintaining one of the most important and effective means by which workers can push back against their employers. With this policy, workers will be able to freely organize and vote in a union if they so wish without intimidation or the fear of losing their livelihood. The outcomes of this policy will be extremely beneficial not only for the workers who seek an adequate standard of living, but for the rest of our society as well. First, American taxpayers are picking up the brunt of the industries’ decisions to maximize their own profits while keeping wages impossibly low. In the fast food industry alone, it has been found that “52 percent of the families of…fast food workers need to rely on public assistance programs, costing taxpayers nearly $7 billion dollars a year” (Allegretto et al. 2013). American are essentially subsidizing these multi-billion dollar corporations with their hard earned tax dollars - continuing to pay more and more for what should instead come from these businesses’ hefty revenues. With an easier path to unionization, workers will be able to provide for their family and stop using public assistance, thus benefiting all Americans. Secondly, with a living wage and the rucial benefits packages that come with organized labor, workers will have increased purchasing power that will then be reinvested back into our local economies. It has been found that an individual spends 56 cents of every dollar earned (Gutierrez 2013). If the wages of workers increase even by just $5, the amount of additional annual income then spent in the economy would be incredibly substantial. In Los Angeles alone, it was found that a $15 living wage for hotel workers would put $73 million dollars back into the local economy (Gutierrez 2013). Higher wages from a quality union job will serve to uplift entire working class communities, helping local businesses and revitalizing our economy as a whole. Finally, as stated earlier, high levels of poverty and wealth inequality in a society, such as what we are experiencing now, are detrimental to our overall success as a nation. It increases crime, reduces the effectiveness of our representative democracy, and hurts our overall economic growth. By creating more union jobs, millions of working families will be able to move out of poverty, helping to close the significant wage gap and rebuild our nation’s middle class.
Conclusion
Recently, workers all around the U.S. are rising up against the pervasive low-wage economy that has taken hold. Five days ago, thousands of fast food workers walked off the job in 100 U.S. cities, demanding for a living wage at $15 per hour and the right to a fair process to organize. Less than two weeks ago there were Black Friday Wal-Mart protests at nearly 1,500 stores across the country in a fight for better wages and respect on the job. Last year, Long Beach hotel workers were able to successfully win a living wage and just last month, a living wage for airport workers was passed in SeaTac, Washington. The recent courageous actions on the part of workers demonstrate even more clearly the vital need for action on the part of the government. High levels of poverty and inequality within the U.S. are incongruous with the values of mobility upon which our nation was founded. If we are to truly be the land of opportunity, we must allow all Americans the opportunity to succeed and provide for their families.
References
Allegretto, Sylvia, Marc Doussard, Dave Graham-Squire, Ken Jacobs, Dan Thompson, and Jeremy Thompson.
2013. Fast Food, Poverty Wages: The Public Cost of Low Wage Jobs in the Fast-Food Industry. UC Berkely Center for Labor Research and Education and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved December 10, 2013. (http://fastfoodforward.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Cost-Fast-Food-Report-FINAL.pdf).
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union Members Summary. United States Department of Labor. Washington, DC. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
Chapman, Jeff and Jeff Thompson. 2006. The Economic Impacts of Local Living Wages. Economic Policy Institute. Washington, DC: EPI. Retrieved December 3, 2013. (http://www.epi.org/publication/bp170/).
Domhoff, G. William. 2002. Who Rules America? Power and Politics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Domhoff, G. William. 2010. Wealth, Income, and Power. Retrieved December 8, 2013. (http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html).
Ehenreich, Barbara. “Nickel and Dimed.” Harper’s Magazine, January 1999, pp. …show more content…
37-52.
Eidelson, Josh. 2013. “Biggest-ever Fast Food Strike! Thousands to walk out across 100 cities.” Salon, December 5.
Eidelson, Josh. 2013. “Breaking: Massive Black Friday strike and arrests planned, as workers defy Wal-Mart.” Salon, November 29.
Fischer, Claude S., Michael Hout, Martín Sánchez Jankowski, Samuel R. Lucas, Ann Swidler, and Kim Voss. 1996. Inequality by Design. New York, NY: Princeton University Press.
Gilson, David and Carolyn Perot. 2011. “It’s the Inequality Stupid: Eleven charts that explain what’s wrong with America.” Mother Jones, March 2011.
Glassmeier, Amy K. 2013 “Living Wage Calculation for New York.” Poverty in America: Living Wage Calculator. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Retrieved December 9, 2013. (http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html)
Gutierrez, Ed. 2013. Raise LA: How Good Hotel Jobs Will Boost Local Businesses, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Renew Our Economy. Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. Los Angeles: LAANE. Retrieved December 5, 2013. (http://www.laane.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Raise-LA-Report-FINAL-SMALL.pdf.)
Hays, Sharon. 2003. Flat Broke with Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hicken, Melanie. 2013. “Average cost to raise a kid: $241,080.” CNN Money, August 14. Johansson, Erin. 2013 Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse. American Rights at Work. Retrieved December 10, 2013. (http://www.jwj.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/130520fightingforavoice.pdf)
Krueger, Alan B. 2004. “Inequality, Too Much of a Good Thing.” Inequality in America, edited by Benjamin M. Friedman. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Mills, C.
Wright. 1956. The Power Elite. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Newman, Katharine S. and Victor Tan Chen. 2007. The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Rosenfeld, Jake. 2010. “Little Labor: How Union Decline is Changing the American Landscape.” Pathways:3-6.
Saez, Emmanuel. 2008. “Striking It Richer,” Pathways:5-7.
Schmitt and Jones. 2012. Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone? Center for Economic and Policy Research. Washington, DC: CEPR. Retrieved December 6, 2013. (http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/good-jobs-2012-07.pdf)
Schmitt and Jones. 2013. Slow Progress for Fast-Food Workers. Center for Economic and Policy Research. Washington, DC: CEPR. Retrieved December 6, 2013. (http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/fast-food-workers-2013-08.pdf).
Western, Bruce. 2001. “Incarceration, Unemployment, and Inequality.” Focus (21):32-36.
Wilson, William Julius. 1999. “Jobless Poverty: A New Form of Social Dislocation in the Inner-City Ghetto.” in A Nation Divided: Diversity, Inequality, and Community in American Society, edited by Phyllis Moen, Donna Dempster-McClain, and Henry A. Walker. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.
Intro
The current wealth inequality and continuing rise in poverty rates within the United States has troubling implications for a country that prides itself on being the “land of opportunity.” In recent years, wealth inequality has soared, reaching historic heights that are higher than any other developed Western country and rival those on the eve of The Great Depression (Fischer et al. 1996, Saez 2008). The top one percent of Americans owns 42 percent of the nation’s financial wealth while the bottom 80 percent of Americans own only five percent of the nation’s wealth (Domhoff 2010). The income of the top one percent has nearly tripled in the last 30 years while those at the bottom …show more content…
are struggling to make ends meet (Congressional Budget Office, 2007). Our country is at a crossroads while we lose our middle class. The decline of organized labor and subsequent proliferation of low wage jobs have played an influential role in the growing divide between the rich and poor in America. Deliberate policies have created this current state of inequality. However, this fortunately means that new policies can help to reverse the trend (Fischer et al. 1996). In this memo, I will argue that a set of policies aimed at allowing workers a free and fair process to organize unions will help to dramatically reduce the growing poverty within the U.S. – uplifting the lives of millions of hardworking families and revitalizing our local economies.
Why Reducing Poverty Matters
There are many arguments for why high levels of inequality and poverty are bad for a society. For the purposes of this proposal, I will highlight only a few of the most consequential. Researchers have found that a large disparity between the rich and poor produces higher crime rates as those at the bottom must turn to illicit forms of employment as a means of survival (Krueger 2004, Western 2001). A large wealth gap also creates an ineffective democratic process, as there are many less educated voters and the extremely wealthy can use their money to wield disproportionate influence in the state (Krueger 2004, Mills 1956, Domhoff 2002).
Furthermore, large levels of inequality have been found to reduce economic growth both locally and in our gross domestic product (GDP) (Krueger 2004). Workers who do not make enough to subsist must go on public assistance, which is paid for by the American taxpayer (Krueger 2004). Additionally, struggling workers consume much less, depleting local economies further (Gutierrez 2013). Finally, there are the lived experiences of the working poor. These are the Americans who work full time, sometimes two jobs, and six or seven days a week. They are doing hard manual labor or demeaning service-sector work and sometimes traveling great distances to their job, yet do not have enough money to feed their children or find stable housing (Ehrenreich 1999, Newman and Chen 2007, Wilson 1999, Hays 2003). These are the individual experiences of poverty that many people often forget, but are nevertheless crucial to our understanding of inequality and the reasons why we must address it. A healthy nation requires a flourishing economy and stable democracy. As a society, we must stop and reconsider the ways in which our policies are helping to reproduce and further economic injustice.
The Significance of Unions
Through looking back on the history of labor in this country we find that unions have long played a crucial role in the formation of a strong middle class. It comes as no surprise then, that their decline over the last four decades has accordingly played an equal role in the growing U.S. poverty rates. Union strength was at an all-time high during the 1950’s. In the post world-war period, one-third of the private sector employees were unionized with millions more living in households dependent on a union wage (Rosenfeld 2010). Through collective bargaining, unions helped to establish a minimum standard for wages, workweeks, benefits, and worker protection laws of union and nonunion workers alike (Rosenfeld 2010). This is no longer the case as union rates have dropped dramatically over the last 40 years. Today, a mere 6.6 percent of the private sector workforce is unionized – demonstrating a drastic 80 percent decline (Rosenfeld 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). Many argue that the sharp decline is due to deindustrialization and the exportation of manufacturing jobs oversees. However management’s efforts towards blocking the organizing of unions through intimidation and other techniques have played a continual and crucial role in the declining significance of labor as well (Rosenfeld 2010).
Such a sharp decline in organized labor is not without its significant economic and societal consequences. The transition from a largely manufacturing based economy to a service sector one, has led to the concomitant rise of low-wage industries such as fast food, retail, and hospitality (Schmitt and Jones 2012). These industries pay their workers minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, which is 15 percent lower than it was in 1979 when adjusted for inflation (Schmitt and Jones 2012). To give one state’s example, a living wage for an individual living in New York, which is defined as “high enough to allow workers to meet basic needs,” comes out to be $11.50 – over three dollars more than that state’s minimum wage (Glasmeier 2013, Thompson and Chapman 2006). Add a child to the equation and the wage needed to sustain oneself becomes more than double what New York’s fast food and retail workers are currently receiving (Glasmeier 2013).
Consequently due to the aforementioned decline of organized labor, the jobs created within these industries are also almost primarily nonunion and thus do not include any means by which workers can negotiate for better pay, sick days, healthcare and more (Schmitt and Jones 2012). This lack of bargaining power has led to devastating effects for working families and America’s once thriving middle class. In Los Angeles alone it has been found that 40 percent of hospitality workers are living in poverty (Gutierrez 2013). It is the same story for fast food and retail workers across the country. Half of the fast food workforce is over the age of 23. Among those above 20, over one third have at least one child and must support a family on an income of $11,000 per year (Schmitt and Jones 2013, Allegretto et al. 2013). This is particularly troubling when you consider a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which shows that it will cost $241,080 for a middle-income couple to raise a child today (Hicken 2013). A country that was once full of well-paying union manufacturing jobs has now been replaced with low wage nonunion service sector work and an eroding middle class. Policies aimed at reversing the decline of unions provide a crucial opportunity for efforts to reduce poverty.
Policy Alternatives and Projected Outcomes
A comprehensive set of policies aimed at increasing the bargaining power of workers through an easier path to unionization will be invaluable to reducing U.S. poverty rates and the numerous negative externalities associated with it. Hardworking Americans once again will be given a voice on the job - allowing them to receive adequate wages, job security, benefits, as well as the respect and dignity that they deserve. The policy I detail in this memo contains four components under the large umbrella of what I will call a Nationwide Labor Peace Agreement. Such an agreement would seek to amend the National Labor Relations Act, which currently governs the method by which unions are voted in. A policy similar to this, titled the Employee Free Choice Act, was proposed in 2009, but Congress failed to pass it. This labor peace agreement is similar to EFCA except it also contains one concession for labor, thereby making it more appealing for bi-partisan support.
I will begin with outlining the first three components of this agreement that will allow workers to form a union fairly and free from intimidation. First, this agreement requires that the employer maintain neutrality during the organizing process. Second, unions shall be recognized if over 50 percent of the employees sign a card check stating they want a union rather than requiring an additional secret ballot. Finally, under this agreement, management must give workplace access to union organizers who otherwise must find ways to communicate with workers at their homes.
All three of these components are crucial to fair organizing free from intimidation. The secret ballot occurs only after 30 percent of employees have already signed card checks. It also requires employees to come into work in order to cast their votes. Thus employers have time and access to use many intimidation tactics, often threatening employees with termination or decreasing hours and hiring business consultants to persuade workers not to form a union (Johansson 2013). For example, as of last summer there have been over 150 incidents of intimidation reported against Wal-Mart employee activists (Johansson 2013). Employees are also routinely illegally fired for organizing or being sympathetic towards the union. Although this is against law under the National Labor Relations Act, for these large corporations, it is often cheaper to fire workers and potentially pay a fine for unfair labor practices than it is to have a union (Johansson 2013). Wal-Mart, which is worth $470 billion, provides another clear instance of this as they fired 23 of their employees last year just for striking (Eidelson 2013).
The final component and the one concession required of unions is that workers must waive their right to go on strike in the process of forming the union. Once a union is formed, workers regain their right to strike and protest if a dispute arises. This concession is beneficial to everyone involved, including community members, because it reduces the chances that businesses will be interrupted due to a labor strike. It is also beneficial to the workers, because this one concession does not outweigh the significantly fairer process of organizing that will result from the former three components. Furthermore, after the formation of a union, their right to strike is regained, thereby maintaining one of the most important and effective means by which workers can push back against their employers. With this policy, workers will be able to freely organize and vote in a union if they so wish without intimidation or the fear of losing their livelihood. The outcomes of this policy will be extremely beneficial not only for the workers who seek an adequate standard of living, but for the rest of our society as well. First, American taxpayers are picking up the brunt of the industries’ decisions to maximize their own profits while keeping wages impossibly low. In the fast food industry alone, it has been found that “52 percent of the families of…fast food workers need to rely on public assistance programs, costing taxpayers nearly $7 billion dollars a year” (Allegretto et al. 2013). American are essentially subsidizing these multi-billion dollar corporations with their hard earned tax dollars - continuing to pay more and more for what should instead come from these businesses’ hefty revenues. With an easier path to unionization, workers will be able to provide for their family and stop using public assistance, thus benefiting all Americans. Secondly, with a living wage and the rucial benefits packages that come with organized labor, workers will have increased purchasing power that will then be reinvested back into our local economies. It has been found that an individual spends 56 cents of every dollar earned (Gutierrez 2013). If the wages of workers increase even by just $5, the amount of additional annual income then spent in the economy would be incredibly substantial. In Los Angeles alone, it was found that a $15 living wage for hotel workers would put $73 million dollars back into the local economy (Gutierrez 2013). Higher wages from a quality union job will serve to uplift entire working class communities, helping local businesses and revitalizing our economy as a whole. Finally, as stated earlier, high levels of poverty and wealth inequality in a society, such as what we are experiencing now, are detrimental to our overall success as a nation. It increases crime, reduces the effectiveness of our representative democracy, and hurts our overall economic growth. By creating more union jobs, millions of working families will be able to move out of poverty, helping to close the significant wage gap and rebuild our nation’s middle class.
Conclusion
Recently, workers all around the U.S. are rising up against the pervasive low-wage economy that has taken hold. Five days ago, thousands of fast food workers walked off the job in 100 U.S. cities, demanding for a living wage at $15 per hour and the right to a fair process to organize. Less than two weeks ago there were Black Friday Wal-Mart protests at nearly 1,500 stores across the country in a fight for better wages and respect on the job. Last year, Long Beach hotel workers were able to successfully win a living wage and just last month, a living wage for airport workers was passed in SeaTac, Washington. The recent courageous actions on the part of workers demonstrate even more clearly the vital need for action on the part of the government. High levels of poverty and inequality within the U.S. are incongruous with the values of mobility upon which our nation was founded. If we are to truly be the land of opportunity, we must allow all Americans the opportunity to succeed and provide for their families.
References
Allegretto, Sylvia, Marc Doussard, Dave Graham-Squire, Ken Jacobs, Dan Thompson, and Jeremy Thompson.
2013. Fast Food, Poverty Wages: The Public Cost of Low Wage Jobs in the Fast-Food Industry. UC Berkely Center for Labor Research and Education and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved December 10, 2013. (http://fastfoodforward.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Cost-Fast-Food-Report-FINAL.pdf).
Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union Members Summary. United States Department of Labor. Washington, DC. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
Chapman, Jeff and Jeff Thompson. 2006. The Economic Impacts of Local Living Wages. Economic Policy Institute. Washington, DC: EPI. Retrieved December 3, 2013. (http://www.epi.org/publication/bp170/).
Domhoff, G. William. 2002. Who Rules America? Power and Politics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Domhoff, G. William. 2010. Wealth, Income, and Power. Retrieved December 8, 2013. (http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html).
Ehenreich, Barbara. “Nickel and Dimed.” Harper’s Magazine, January 1999, pp. …show more content…
37-52.
Eidelson, Josh. 2013. “Biggest-ever Fast Food Strike! Thousands to walk out across 100 cities.” Salon, December 5.
Eidelson, Josh. 2013. “Breaking: Massive Black Friday strike and arrests planned, as workers defy Wal-Mart.” Salon, November 29.
Fischer, Claude S., Michael Hout, Martín Sánchez Jankowski, Samuel R. Lucas, Ann Swidler, and Kim Voss. 1996. Inequality by Design. New York, NY: Princeton University Press.
Gilson, David and Carolyn Perot. 2011. “It’s the Inequality Stupid: Eleven charts that explain what’s wrong with America.” Mother Jones, March 2011.
Glassmeier, Amy K. 2013 “Living Wage Calculation for New York.” Poverty in America: Living Wage Calculator. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Retrieved December 9, 2013. (http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html)
Gutierrez, Ed. 2013. Raise LA: How Good Hotel Jobs Will Boost Local Businesses, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Renew Our Economy. Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. Los Angeles: LAANE. Retrieved December 5, 2013. (http://www.laane.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Raise-LA-Report-FINAL-SMALL.pdf.)
Hays, Sharon. 2003. Flat Broke with Children. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hicken, Melanie. 2013. “Average cost to raise a kid: $241,080.” CNN Money, August 14. Johansson, Erin. 2013 Fighting for a Voice: Walmart Workers Speak Out Despite Systematic Labor Abuse. American Rights at Work. Retrieved December 10, 2013. (http://www.jwj.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/130520fightingforavoice.pdf)
Krueger, Alan B. 2004. “Inequality, Too Much of a Good Thing.” Inequality in America, edited by Benjamin M. Friedman. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Mills, C.
Wright. 1956. The Power Elite. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Newman, Katharine S. and Victor Tan Chen. 2007. The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Rosenfeld, Jake. 2010. “Little Labor: How Union Decline is Changing the American Landscape.” Pathways:3-6.
Saez, Emmanuel. 2008. “Striking It Richer,” Pathways:5-7.
Schmitt and Jones. 2012. Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone? Center for Economic and Policy Research. Washington, DC: CEPR. Retrieved December 6, 2013. (http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/good-jobs-2012-07.pdf)
Schmitt and Jones. 2013. Slow Progress for Fast-Food Workers. Center for Economic and Policy Research. Washington, DC: CEPR. Retrieved December 6, 2013. (http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/fast-food-workers-2013-08.pdf).
Western, Bruce. 2001. “Incarceration, Unemployment, and Inequality.” Focus (21):32-36.
Wilson, William Julius. 1999. “Jobless Poverty: A New Form of Social Dislocation in the Inner-City Ghetto.” in A Nation Divided: Diversity, Inequality, and Community in American Society, edited by Phyllis Moen, Donna Dempster-McClain, and Henry A. Walker. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.