A New Tool in the Fight to Raise the Minimum Wage
Natalie Kramer,
July 14, 2014
In coordination with the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Oxfam America has released an indispensable tool for minimum wage and anti-poverty advocates’ tool box: an interactive map with accompanying scorecards detailing the impact a federal minimum wage increase would have on the workers in each Congressional district. But it is not...
Head Smacker: House Committee Takes Revenue That Could Have Helped the Jobless to Fund Highway Bill
Deborah Weinstein,
July 11, 2014
On Witness Wednesday, advocates for the long-term jobless sweated outside the Capitol and told some of the painful stories out of the 3.3 million so far denied unemployment benefits because Congress let the program expire. The following day, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a bill to replenish the Highway...
Elnora’s Story: A Voice for the Unemployed
Lecia Imbery,
July 11, 2014
“There are a lot of people truly hurting. Many feel they have no voice, or they are ashamed to share their story, and they’re going downhill. This isn’t just affecting individuals, but families, too. It’s taking away your dignity as a grown-up and individual. You go from providing for yourself and...
Fact of the Week: A Quarter of Americans Live in Concentrated Poverty Areas
Lecia Imbery,
July 10, 2014
Over 25% of Americans – more than 77 million people – lived in areas of concentrated poverty in 2010, up from 18.1% in 2000. The percentage of people living in these “poverty areas,” defined in the Census Bureau report released last week as an area where more than 20% of...
Head Smacker: Close to Independence Day, Supreme Court Threatens Independence for People with Disabilities
Deborah Weinstein,
July 3, 2014
The Supreme Court ignored some time-honored rules on Monday when it decided against unionized home care workers. Such as: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and its corollary, “if it’s working, don’t break it.” In Harris v. Quinn, Justice Alito wrote an opinion for the 5-vote majority that qualifies...
