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It’s Time for Lawmakers to Acknowledge Workers Are Struggling
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Jan. 17, 2020 | FAIR WAGES | There rightfully has been a lot of focus recently on the need for good-paying jobs. We wrote about it last week in this space and will again right now. Why? Because it is important to counter the narrative being pushed by some that everything is going just great for workers. Interest in the topic certainly goes beyond the Teamster Nation Blog. In fact, a report released last week by the Brookings Institute painted a bleak picture of the state of working America, noting that 44 percent of workers – 53 million workers overall – earn barely enough to live on. Their median earnings come out to about $18,000 a year. Many of these low-wage workers are in what should be their prime earning years of 25 to 54 (64 percent) and are the primary earners or contribute substantially to their family living expenses (51 percent). About 37 percent have children, and 23 percent live below the poverty line. This is all happening, mind you, while $10 billion in cuts are made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, widely known as food stamps)... Teamsters Related: 14 states (including Maryland and Virginia), D.C. and New York City sue to stop Trump plan to slash food stamps for 700,000 unemployed people
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