Progressive talk show host Leslie Marshall recently spoke with United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo W. Gerard about income inequality and the need to raise the minimum wage.
When the President spoke at the State of the Union, he talked about increasing the minimum wage, about people earning the lowest wage, living at the poverty level. The most disturbing response to the President’s proposal was displayed by many of the Republicans who remained seated instead of showing some form of support for those at the lowest end of the wage scale.
“The reason that the extremely wealthy and extremely powerful are doing so well is because we have tilted the playing field in their favor.” said Gerard. “We have to create a movement that talks about bringing back some equality and equity into the system.”
“I spend most of my time talking about how a family is affected but you can also look at how the nation is affected. When you have the kind of income inequality that we have now, the kind of society that we would like for our kids and grandkids can’t be sustained.”
They discussed the benefits of a negotiating a collective agreement at the bargaining table and how workers share in the wealth they are creating. Most CEOs in North America have a contract with their Board of Directors or their company that states the allocation of the CEO.
“But workers are expected to rely on the benevolence of the boss,” said Gerard, “and we’ve seen what the benevolence of the boss does – it creates more inequality.”
To hear the discussion, click the audio below.
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