Must Read’ Raising Wages Story of the Week: 6 Ways to Reconnect Hard Work with Decent Pay

Covert emphasizes the need for “ways to reconnect hard work and decent pay” that “hand employees more power so they can ask for more.” What does she have in mind?

• Making it easier for workers to unionize and demand better pay;
• Aiming for full employment, so all people who want a job can have one for as many hours as they need;
• Urging the Federal Reserve to be more concerned about unemployment than inflation;
• Following the German model of putting workers on corporate boards, so firms are not used as piggy banks to pump money out to shareholders;
• Providing a path to citizenship for undocumented workers; and
• Raising the minimum wage.

Covert discusses more than just minimum wage workers and the fast-food industry, she points out other issues, including wage theft, the uphill battle for workers trying to form unions, NFL cheerleaders getting paid what sometimes amounts to $2 an hour, unscrupulous employers exploiting immigrant workers and more.

Make sure you read the rest of Covert’s article on decent wages: The NFL Cheerleaders Should Be Your Fair-Pay Heroes.

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This has been reposted from the AFL-CIO.