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  • Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Thank Low-wage Workers for Walking off Their Jobs; Maryland Becomes 2nd State to Increase Minimum Wage; Temp Jobs are Widening Income Inequality Gap

    Workers are finally receiving additional hours at Wal-Mart, but don't thank Wal-Mart. Thank the workers that walked off the job and demanded respect from their employer. Wal-Mart wouldn't have implemented a new software program that lets workers pick-up more hours if employees weren't demanding respect, more hours and better pay at last year's strikes. "We fought for this from the beginning," Cynthia Murray, a 14-year employee who works at the Wal-Mart store in Laurel, Maryland.

    Wal-Mart Swears Its New Pregnancy Policy Has Nothing to Do With Outside Pressure - Business Week

    It's because of people like Cynthia Murray, who walked off their Wal-Mart jobs for better working conditions and pay that the State of Maryland, just yesterday, passed a statewide minimum wage of $10.10 an hour. “We worked hard to bring people together and forge the consensus necessary to make this important progress possible,” Governor O’Malley said.

    Maryland set to increase its minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018 - Washington Post

    Workers are demanding higher wages, because they know their employers aren't paying them their worth. But what about workers that aren't considered employees. A contributing factor to the widening income inequality gap is contingent employment, meaning temp jobs, contract workers, part time jobs, or jobs with irregular hours. According to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, One-third of the U.S. workforce (or 42.6 million workers) is contingent.  

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  • Thursday, April 3, 2014 Federal Government: Don't do Business with Thieves!

    The Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter this week to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez asking the Department of Labor to speed up investigations at Union Station and the Ronald Reagan building. Food-service employees at federal buildings in Washington say they have been denied overtime and paid subminimum wages.

    Keeping Track: April 2, 2014 - New York Times

     Victims of wage theft in federal buildings need more than to be paid back their stolen wages. The federal government needs “strong enforcement of wage-theft violations and consideration of those violations in future contract-award decisions would send a clear signal to contractors that the federal government will not do business with law-breakers,” the Congressional Progressive Caucus clarified in a letter to Labor Secretary Perez.

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  • Tuesday, April 1, 2014 College Graduates are Low-wage Workers; Wage Theft is Rampant, 90% of Fast-food Workers are Victims; Wal-Mart Lost $3 Billion from Cutting Hours

    Imagine being tens of thousands of dollar in debt and making minimum wage. It's happening, Debbra Alexis, a 27-year-old Victoria's Secret employee has a bachelor's degree in health sciences. Today, a higher education won't guarantee you a good paying job. About a quarter of a million people, who have a degree, make $7.25 or less an hour. According to a recent NELP report, 58% of the jobs created during the recent economic recovery are largely low-wage positions like retail and food prep workers.

    260,000 graduates in minimum wage jobs - CNN

    And it gets worse! Today, out of 1,088 fast-food workers, 89% said they have been forced to do off-the-books work, have been denied breaks and were refused overtime pay. In the Los Angeles, 81% of fast-food employees in Los Angeles said they have experienced wage theft.

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  • Thursday, February 20, 2014 Port Truck Drivers Receive Poverty Wages through Misclassification; Gap Announces Raise for 65,000 workers

    Without a union, companies are able to take advantage of workers. Port Truck Drivers are a perfect example, making fast-food wages or even less. On average, drivers make $9.30 an hour because they are misclassified as independent contractors, not employees, and their bosses get away with not paying minimum wage, benefits or employment taxes."Carol Cauley, a port truck driver with C&K Trucking at the Port of Savannah for the last 9 years, said that because she is an independent contractor, she could make as little as $200 per week, even if she's working full-time."

    Why truck drivers are getting dinged on pay - CNN Money

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  • Friday, February 14, 2014 The President Signed the Executive Order for Federal Contract Workers!

    On Wednesday, Good Jobs Nation workers and advocates joined the President at the White House for the signing of an executive order that will raise federal contract worker pay to $10.10 an hour and raise tipped worker pay to $4.90. "The order, which applies to new and renewed contracts, could lift the wages of up to half a million people."

    That’s an Order! - New York Times

    "Obama is affirming the dignity and worth of all working people. As the CEO of the federal government, he is also sending a powerful message to the CEOs of private corporations that they too must honor their workers with just wages." Read more from Sr. Simone Campbell and Rev. Michael Livingston:

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