Friday, October 20, 2006
seven days at minimum wage
I get all kinds of interesting e-mail in my inbox these days from folks who want to spread the word about their candidate or issue. I guess people really do read blogs, even tiny, irregularly published local ones.
Anyway, I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago and one again this morning about a new project by the AFL-CIO and ACORN called "Seven Days At Minimum Wage". It's a video blog (sound familiar?) starting Monday featuring seven people living (or trying to) on the minimum wage, which is $5.15/hour and hasn't been increased in ten years.
From the release:
That's right, THE Roseanne. And apparently she's a blonde now.
Watching these videos is especially important for those of us who vote in Arizona, since Proposition 202 is on the ballot this year and would establish the state's first ever minimum wage seperate from the federal minimum. A yes vote for Prop 202 would make the state minimum wage $6.75/hour and index it to inflation annually, just as federal lawmakers' salaries are. $6.75/hour is still not a living wage, but it's a huge step in the right direction.
And contrary to the pants-wetting of the business community over this proposed raise for working families, businesses with an annual gross income of less than $500,000 a year would be exempt from paying their employees the more reasonable, higher minimum. Good luck competing for quality staff though when you're offering $1.60 less an hour! Walmart won't go out of business because of Prop 202 (damn!) but neither will the Mom and Pop store on the corner.
Anyway, I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago and one again this morning about a new project by the AFL-CIO and ACORN called "Seven Days At Minimum Wage". It's a video blog (sound familiar?) starting Monday featuring seven people living (or trying to) on the minimum wage, which is $5.15/hour and hasn't been increased in ten years.
From the release:
ACORN and AFL-CIO originally launched the "7 Days" video blog in support of minimum wage ballot initiatives in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Missouri, Nevada and Ohio. But we learned quickly that the lives of Americans living at legally permissible poverty wages have a hard-hitting, universal meaning for anyone, anywhere who believes in fairness and justice.
Roseanne Barr, a great supporter of community organizing, will host a new video each day from her Hollywood production facility, Full High Tide Studios. (Why Roseanne Barr? She's an ACORN member who mobilized voters in Ohio in 2004 and worked with members in New Orleans to rebuild neighborhoods--she's also a proud member of two labor unions, the Screen Actors Guild/SAG and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists/AFTRA).
That's right, THE Roseanne. And apparently she's a blonde now.
Watching these videos is especially important for those of us who vote in Arizona, since Proposition 202 is on the ballot this year and would establish the state's first ever minimum wage seperate from the federal minimum. A yes vote for Prop 202 would make the state minimum wage $6.75/hour and index it to inflation annually, just as federal lawmakers' salaries are. $6.75/hour is still not a living wage, but it's a huge step in the right direction.
And contrary to the pants-wetting of the business community over this proposed raise for working families, businesses with an annual gross income of less than $500,000 a year would be exempt from paying their employees the more reasonable, higher minimum. Good luck competing for quality staff though when you're offering $1.60 less an hour! Walmart won't go out of business because of Prop 202 (damn!) but neither will the Mom and Pop store on the corner.
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I was one of the interviewers for "7 Days...". It really was harrowing for all of us to video these folks. Their stories have been so heartfelt and so sad, and the commonality to them is that none of the people we interviewed is happy about working at minimum wage. They're all trying as hard as they can to get out of it, but circumstances, local job options, lots of things beyond their control--like a local legal minimum wage that adds up to less money than they might receive in a welfare check--keep them down.
When you're asked to find someone and interview them about their life and you end up sobbing behind the camera because of the details of that life that you're hearing about, and the person happens to be your age, in your city, not much different from you...I dunno, it was just pretty devastating for all of us to put this together.
Sure, it's an ACORN/AFLCIO project. But for me the point is too many people debate minimum wage in a starkly statistical manner. It's too easy to forget you're talking about real people, real families, that minimum wage has a real impact (and, let's face it, $6.50 an hour in Illinois is no picnic either). But real people are exactly who you're talking about. I was grateful to be able to help put a face to the debate.
For what it's worth, I interviewed two people from the Chicago area, Erin (from NW Indiana, going live on Tuesday), and Jessica (from Chicago, going live on Thursday). I dare anyone to watch Jessica's story on Thursday and not be moved to tears.
Say what you want about fair wages. I just wish everyone would remember that it's actual human beings who get stuck at the bottom of that ladder. I'll never forget my experience with this project. I invite everyone this week to come take a look.
Peace...
When you're asked to find someone and interview them about their life and you end up sobbing behind the camera because of the details of that life that you're hearing about, and the person happens to be your age, in your city, not much different from you...I dunno, it was just pretty devastating for all of us to put this together.
Sure, it's an ACORN/AFLCIO project. But for me the point is too many people debate minimum wage in a starkly statistical manner. It's too easy to forget you're talking about real people, real families, that minimum wage has a real impact (and, let's face it, $6.50 an hour in Illinois is no picnic either). But real people are exactly who you're talking about. I was grateful to be able to help put a face to the debate.
For what it's worth, I interviewed two people from the Chicago area, Erin (from NW Indiana, going live on Tuesday), and Jessica (from Chicago, going live on Thursday). I dare anyone to watch Jessica's story on Thursday and not be moved to tears.
Say what you want about fair wages. I just wish everyone would remember that it's actual human beings who get stuck at the bottom of that ladder. I'll never forget my experience with this project. I invite everyone this week to come take a look.
Peace...
Thanks again for covering 7 Days at Minimum Wage. With Election Day finally upon us, I wanted to let you know what the project team is up to in support of the six minimum-wage ballot initiatives in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio.
I won't kitchen-sink you with all the details--you can browse the 7 DAYS project website for that, at http://www.sevendaysatminimumwage.org/site/?page_id=23 . But if you do click through, you'll find information about phone banks, door-knocks, prayer vigils, canvassing, election observations, and watch parties sponsored by ACORN and AFL-CIO throughout the six key states. (You can also find a lot of this last-minute info on ACORN's www.raiseswages.org and AFL-CIO's www.americaneedsaraise.org ).
It's obvious why these increases are important: an hour of human labor should cost more than a Starbucks venti latte. That the federal government thinks it's ok to pay you or me or anyone else $5.15 an hour is positively obnoxious--and most of those hours are below full-time and without health insurance.
I know I'm angry about that, and sad for the way the people we interviewed are forced to live because the law says it's ok to keep them earning below the poverty line. I know how deeply that fact affected me through my work on 7 DAYS. If the project touched just one other person out there to go to the polls and help raise their local minimum wage, then I know we've accomplished what we set out to do.
Please remember the folks we interviewed when you consider your state's or your city's minimum wage...or the next time you tip anyone, anywhere, for that matter. Do click through and see how to support minimum-wage increases in your state. And most of all, thanks for watching. Good luck to everyone on November 7!
Peace...
I won't kitchen-sink you with all the details--you can browse the 7 DAYS project website for that, at http://www.sevendaysatminimumwage.org/site/?page_id=23 . But if you do click through, you'll find information about phone banks, door-knocks, prayer vigils, canvassing, election observations, and watch parties sponsored by ACORN and AFL-CIO throughout the six key states. (You can also find a lot of this last-minute info on ACORN's www.raiseswages.org and AFL-CIO's www.americaneedsaraise.org ).
It's obvious why these increases are important: an hour of human labor should cost more than a Starbucks venti latte. That the federal government thinks it's ok to pay you or me or anyone else $5.15 an hour is positively obnoxious--and most of those hours are below full-time and without health insurance.
I know I'm angry about that, and sad for the way the people we interviewed are forced to live because the law says it's ok to keep them earning below the poverty line. I know how deeply that fact affected me through my work on 7 DAYS. If the project touched just one other person out there to go to the polls and help raise their local minimum wage, then I know we've accomplished what we set out to do.
Please remember the folks we interviewed when you consider your state's or your city's minimum wage...or the next time you tip anyone, anywhere, for that matter. Do click through and see how to support minimum-wage increases in your state. And most of all, thanks for watching. Good luck to everyone on November 7!
Peace...
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
# posted by 
: 11/05/2007 4:01 AM
: 11/05/2007 4:01 AM
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
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# posted by : 11/05/2007 9:57 AM
: 11/05/2007 9:57 AM Links to this post:
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