Social Justice all year round

Fighting for a living wage

Did you know that — thanks to rising inflation and congressionally mandated wage boosts that haven't kept pace — today's minimum wage has significantly less buying power than it did in years past?

Created in 1938 to ensure workers received a living wage, the real value of the minimum wage peaked in 1968 at $1.60 hourly, and it's gone downhill ever since. According to the Economic Policy Institute, today's federal minimum wage is worth 23 percent less than it was in 1968. Many earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour rely on government assistance to support themselves and their families.

Although minimum wage workers in New York state receive $8.75 hourly, it's still not enough. Thousands of NYSUT-represented School-Related Professionals earn less than a living wage from their paychecks. Mandating employers to pay living wages is key to maintaining a robust, sustainable economy — one that spurs consumer spending and business growth. Join the fight for a living wage.

How you can help

• Sign a petition at http://fightfor15.org urging the New York Wage Board to raise wages for fast food workers in New York state to $15 an hour.
• Help bring the "Fight for $15" movement to your community by raising awareness among fast food workers of the national strike. Visit http://fightfor15.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/lpnok_campaign_cards.pdf for printable campaign cards.
• Are you, or someone you know, working for minimum wage? NELP seeks real life stories to share when lobbying lawmakers, www.raisetheminimumwage.com/page/s/help-raise-the-minimum-wage-tell-your-story-now.
• Contact your state and federal representatives and let them know you support a living wage.

It's time for a change

Learn why paying a living wage is important

• "Fight for $15" advocates raising the minimum wage for fast food, and eventually other low-wage workers, to $15 hourly, http://fightfor15.org. Find more about "Fight for $15" at http://portside.org/2015-06-08/fight-15-convention-call-clinton-little-talk-union.
• The National Employment Law Project has compiled a list of resources to underscore the importance of raising the minimum wage, www.raisetheminimumwage.com/pages/resources/.
• Working with state and national advocates and legislators, NELP is committed to rebuilding the wage floor for low-wage workers in the U.S., www.raisetheminimumwage.com/pages/minimum-wage-state.
• From the U.S. Department of Labor, dispelling myths about the impact of increasing the minimum wage, www.dol.gov/minwage/mythbuster.htm.
• A White House report calling for an increase in the national minimum wage, www.whitehouse.gov/raise-the-wage.

Make the fight for a living wage a 'teachable moment'

• Lesson plans — www.sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/minimum-wage-deliberation-50028462/; www.sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/let-and-39-s-take-a-realitycheck-50035899/; www.sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/common-sense-economics-young-workers-50033902/.
• Video — Highlights of the April 15, 2015 worldwide day of strikes staged by "Fight for $15" to raise awareness of the need for a living wage www.facebook.com/Fightfor15/videos/.vb.580610428636345/947733268590724/?type=2&theater.
• Blog — www.raisetheminimumwage.com/blog/.
• Learn more about the need for higher wages and better workplace treatment at http://talkpoverty.org/2015/04/22/fight-15-expands-fight-good-jobs/.
• Find state minimum wage rates as of June 1 at www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx.