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Raise the Floor : Wages and Policies That Work For All Of Us
Raise the Floor Wages and Policies That Work For All Of Us Author:Holly Sklar, Laryssa Mykyta, Susan Wefald "They work full time in the richest nation on earth, yet they can_t make ends meet. They can_t make ends meet because their wages are too low. They are health care aides who can_t afford health insurance. They work in the food industry, but depend on food banks to help feed their children. They are child care teachers who don_t make enough to sa... more »ve for their own children_s education. . . . They care for the elderly, but they have no pensions."_from Raise the FloorA job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it. But millions of people make up the working poor in the U.S. Rooted in powerful new research and personal narratives, Raise the Floor makes the case for a livable minimum wage and shows how good wages are good business.Raise the Floor illustrates how the current annual minimum wage income of $10,712 a year just doesn_t add up. For example, to make ends meet, two parents with two children would have work more than three full-time minimum wage jobs_66 hours a week_leaving little time for sleep, family outings, religious services, or participating in community activities with their kids.In a January 2002 poll of likely voters, Americans overwhelmingly identified raising the minimum wage as key to stimulating the economy. By a resounding 77 percent, these voters favored increasing the minimum wage to $8 an hour_the amount a single, full-time worker needs to meet minimum needs. Raise the Floor is written in a lively, readable style and includes boxed quotes from folks in all walks of life who recognize the need for practical solutions to ending poverty. Documented with 60 tables and charts.« less