Abstract

Working and Poor in the USA

The author calls upon Democratic politicians to advocate the improvement of conditions for the working poor and their families, and presents an example of a working mother who does not earn enough to provide adequately for her family. For generations, Americans shared a tacit understanding that if you worked hard, you could earn a livable income and provide basic security for yourself and your family. More than 30 million Americans--one in four workers--are stuck in low-wage jobs that do not provide the basics for a decent life. Finding ways to make sure that people who work hard can take care of their families would put the Democrats on the offensive instead of their customary defensive position on family values. It would have broad appeal to working Americans, as millions of middle-income jobs take on the characteristics of the low-wage economy--layoffs, outsourcing, unaffordable healthcare and vanishing pension benefits. And it would have great potential to help those suffering in low-wage jobs--workers like Cynthia Porter. Cynthia Porter works full time as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home in Marion, Alabama. Most low-wage workers will never move up the ladder into the middle class. Most of these workers lack basic job benefits. Low-wage workplaces are often physically dangerous and emotionally degrading. Over the past quarter-century, a variety of political, economic and corporate decisions have undercut the bargaining power of workers, especially those at the lower end of the work force.