Jobless Worker Gets by on One Meal a Day
Jobless ironworker describes how he survives on one meal a day while taking care of his ill father.
The country of which we are so proud has been ravaged by unemployment and economic inequality. Millions are losing their homes to foreclosure and workers with jobs are seeing their paychecks dwindle. But the nation’s current economic crisis, sparked by the recent recession, is actually an escalation of long-term trends in this country. For the past 40 years, wealth has concentrated among fewer people, wages are not keeping pace with soaring productivity and workers have less say about fundamental issues that affect them on the job.
The declining standard of living for middle- and working-class Americans is no accident. U.S. trade policies depleted our nation’s manufacturing base. Federal tax policies promoted inequality and rewarded wealth over work, leaving us without enough money to fund our public infrastructure or the education and training we need in a global economy. And some employers and lawmakers have made conscious and coordinated efforts to delegitimize government and destroy unions to take away working people’s ability to stand up to corporate excess.
Jobless ironworker describes how he survives on one meal a day while taking care of his ill father.
It’s been four years since low-wage workers got a raise. Sign the petition to tell Congress it’s time to raise the minimum wage.
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