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Related: About this forumOne in four Wisconsin workers earning poverty wages, says report
One in four Wisconsin workers earning poverty wage (0+ / 0-)
Burke needs to quick make an ad for this Report!
One in four Wisconsin workers earning poverty wages says report http://bit.ly/... BUT Walker says NO to minimum wage increase #wiunion
One in four Wisconsin workers earning poverty wages, says report
[link:http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/jessica_vanegeren/one-in-four-wisconsin-workers-earning-poverty-wages-says-report/article_b72e6b98-4f1d-11e4-aa89-eba2dfddb578.html|
3 hours ago By Jessica VanEgeren| The Cap Times
(57) Comments
Poverty-wage work is widespread in Wisconsin, particularly in food, retail, residential and in-home health care sectors, with roughly 700,000 workers earning less than a living wage in 2013, according to a report released Thursday by the Madison-based Center on Wisconsin Strategy and the Economic Policy Institute.
The Raise the Floor report based the number of Wisconsin workers who are not earning enough to support their families on the federal poverty benchmark for a family of four, or $11.36 an hour. Given that figure, 700,000, or one out of four, Wisconsin workers are employed but living in poverty.
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On average, two-thirds of all food service jobs, over half of retail jobs and more than 40 percent of long-term care and home health care jobs pay poverty wages, according to the report.
On average, food service jobs pay $8.40 an hour and employ 123,000 workers in Wisconsin; retail jobs pay $10.87 an hour and employ 125,000 workers in Wisconsin; and residential health care jobs pay $12.35 an hour and employ 34,000 Wisconsin workers, according to the report.
The average age of workers failing to earn a living wage is 30..............
riversedge
(69,721 posts)The man has no soul!
Wed Oct 08, 2014 at 08:02 AM PDT
Scott Walker says $7.25 an hour is a living wage
by Laura ClawsonFollow for Daily Kos Labor
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has treated the idea of raising his state's minimum wage with about the tact and seriousness you'd expect from a man who made his name attacking workers. Walker's administration has rejected the request of a group of low-wage workers to use an unusual Wisconsin law saying that the state's minimum wage has to be a living wage. The reasoning for refusing to raise the minimum wage? They're claiming $7.25 is a living wage:
"The department has determined that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the wages paid to the complainants are not a living wage," Robert Rodriguez, administrator of DWD's Equal Rights Division, wrote in the denial letter.
No. Reasonable. Cause. Remember that $7.25 an hour is below the poverty threshold for a family of two. A minimum wage worker would have to work 81 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Wisconsin. And check out a few of the details submitted by workers petitioning the governor to raise the minimum wage:
Denise Merchant said she makes $7.25 an hour and often puts off buying diabetes test strips because she cant afford them and couldnt afford to fix her car when it broke down two months ago. Danl Scott makes $7.70 an hour and is homeless. Marvin Mayes makes $7.45 an hour sometimes has to go without buying groceries in order to make rent. Even those with higher wages described struggling: Carolyn Jackson makes $12 an hour but risks getting her lights and phone turned off because she has to choose between buying food and paying bills, plus she forgoes medication for her diabetes in order to get her sons medication.
What exactly would it take for Scott Walker's administration to think something was not a living wage? .......................
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)for food, shelter, etc assistance in his state. He wants to fight the minimum wage in order to use tax payer money to supplement those who does not make enough money, really smart, huh. I would think those in position to change the minimum wages would take this into consideration before saying no to an increase. Proves you do not have to be smart to be a Republican just have the ability to say no to middle class workers and yes to the corporations.
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)He's really gotta go. The good news is if he does go, lots of other unethical folks go with him.
riversedge
(69,721 posts)walker does lose --and Burke gets in, I fear she will stymied by the Assembly and Senate and SC--.
rlegro
(338 posts)Not by our fellow DU poster, but by the Cap Times newspaper which linked to a much earlier study. The actual link to the new study is:
http://www.cows.org/_data/documents/1660.pdf