In Seattle The UFCW Highlights Gap Between Worker Income And Living Expenses

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/6114

In Seattle The UFCW Highlights Gap Between Worker Income And Living Expenses

The issue of families caught between low wages and the high cost of living is being moved front and center this weekend during a Seattle Town Hall. Jesse Russell reports.

By Jesse Russell

The discrepancy between wages and the cost of living are hurting families. That’s the main point of discussion at a forum this weekend sponsored by the United Food and Commercial Workers. According to the union 40 percent of its members makes less than 10 dollars per hour and 60 percent of those are part time workers. Jackie O’Ryan is a spokesperson for the union:

: “When you have workers working sick, when you have
them unable to go to a parent-teacher conference or a Little League game
because they can't afford that wage cut - that affects the community. That
affects everyone.”

The union is working on a new campaign called “Share the Weatlh” which asks grocery chains to work harder on improving conditions for workers by sharing more of the profits. Of course, wages are only a small part of the problem, O’Ryan says scheduling practices have a major impact:

: “If you ask any worker, they'll say, 'Hey, more
money always helps.' But what they also need addressed is the amount of time that they can spend with their family.”