Must Reads...

Hormel to WalMart: Low-wage workers protest, organize

By Peter Rachleff, Labor Historian

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/rachleff/hormel-walmart-low-wage-workers-protest-organize#.UqBrmVVtmqA.email

We Must Redistribute Income
Robert Reich, New York Times, December 4, 2013

"Redistribution" has become a dirty word, conjuring up worthy "makers" forced to hand over hard-earned income to undeserving "takers."

Higher Wages Help Businesses
Catherine Ruetschlin, New York Times, December 4, 2013

Low wages are not just keeping workers in poverty, they are also holding back the economy by weakening consumer demand and keeping employers from realizing the benefits that accompany investments in the work force.

Leader of the minimum-wage pack
Jena McGregor, Washington Post, December 3, 2013

On Thursday, fast food workers are expected to strike in 100 cities to raise the minimum wage, igniting what is likely to be the largest protest ever by employees in that industry.

Fast-food strikes planned for 100 cities

Candice Choi and Sam Hananel, USA Today (AP), December 2, 2013

Fast-food workers in about 100 cities will walk off the job this Thursday, organizers say, which would mark the largest effort yet in their push for higher pay.

Everyday Low Wages at Walmart: Brought to You by Government Policy

Dean Baker, Huffington Post, December 2, 2013

There is a large and growing movement to pressure Walmart to raise its workers' wages. This has taken the form of direct action by workers, efforts to pass higher minimum wage or living wage laws, and implicit threats of consumer boycotts if Walmart does not raise wages and benefits.

$7.25 an hour is not a living wage

By Richard Trumka and Christine Owens,CNN, December 2, 2013

For the first time since the Great Depression, the U.S. Census Bureau tells us, middle-class family incomes have lost ground for more than a decade.