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Striketober Reveals Record Number Of Workers' Denied Livable Wages - YouTube
Channel: The Ring of Fire
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Workers have been striking for聽
better pay, benefits and conditions,聽聽
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forcing employers to meet some of their demands.聽
Brigida Santos joins me now with the story.聽聽
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Brigida, how have labor strikes聽
and holdouts impacted wages?聽
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Nationwide labor strikes, historic resignations聽
and holdouts on filling job openings have given聽聽
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workers in America the upper hand for the first聽
time in 20 years. Now, between July and September聽聽
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of this year, wages jumped at the highest rate聽
in two decades. The labor department reports聽聽
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that during the third quarter of this year pay聽
increased 1.5% and that's slightly higher than聽聽
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the rate of inflation during that time, which was聽
1.2%. Now, when you zoom out and look at data from聽聽
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the past 12 months, lower wage workers have seen聽
the highest jump in pay with wages for restaurant,聽聽
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bar and hotel workers, rising 8.1% and pay for聽
retail workers increasing about 5.9%, Farron.聽
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So, you know, one thing we see right now,聽
obviously we do have a lot of inflation.聽聽
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Part of that is coming from all these supply聽
shortages. So while it's great that workers聽聽
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are making more, wages are going up. Are these new聽
higher wages enough for workers to make ends meet?聽
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No. Even with pay gains, many workers across the聽
country still are not earning a living wage, which聽聽
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MIT defines as the minimum income standard between聽
the financial independence of the working poor and聽聽
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the need to seek out public assistance or suffer聽
housing and food insecurity. For example, MIT's聽聽
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living wage calculation for California, which is聽
now tied with Nevada for the highest unemployment聽聽
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rate in the country, shows that a single adult聽
with zero children must earn at least $18.66 per聽聽
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hour to support themselves, or at least $40.34聽
per hour to support themselves and one child.聽聽
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California's minimum wage currently stands at just聽
$14 per hour and across the country most states聽聽
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are equally failing to provide sufficient income聽
standards for low wage workers. And we really聽聽
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saw this issue come to a head in August when聽
a record number of US workers, over 4 million,聽聽
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just quit their jobs in search of better ones.
You know, and a lot of it too is, is with these聽聽
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striking workers and again, we're talking tens聽
of thousands of people that are still on strike聽聽
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right now. It's not only about the wages for a聽
lot of these folks. You know, we do have them,聽聽
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some of them simply wanting better conditions聽
at their factory. The John Deere factory,聽聽
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for example, these striking workers that聽
we have across the country for John Deere.聽聽
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This is backbreaking labor for these individuals.聽
They're putting tremendous strain on their bodies.聽聽
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They have back problems. They have knee problems.聽
They have hip problems. These are problems that聽聽
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are gonna persist for their entire lives. So聽
again, it's not only, I know a lot of people聽聽
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see strike, they think, oh, they want better pay.聽
That's a huge, huge part of it. But we also have聽聽
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the physical demands on these people's bodies. The聽
other benefits that they want to be compensated聽聽
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for, paid leave, time off, things like that. So聽
that's another huge part of it. But also, Brigida,聽聽
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we're now seeing bipartisan support for the labor聽
movement. So tell us what these new polls reveal.聽
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Sure. A new poll by data for progress on聽
behalf of the American federation of labor聽聽
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and congress of industrial organizations reveals聽
that the majority of voters support these recent聽聽
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labor strikes, regardless of party affiliation.聽
At least 60% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats聽聽
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approve of the strikes that swept across various聽
industries in October. The labor movement is not聽聽
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stopping. Workers from factories, healthcare,聽
manufacturing, transportation and so on聽聽
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say that they're going to continue standing up for聽
higher pay, health better benefits, and of course,聽聽
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better working conditions, as you just mentioned.
Well, let's hope that these strikes continue. I聽聽
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know there's a lot, a lot of ground that needs聽
to be made up for, for basically, you know, four聽聽
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to five decades of workers being mistreated by聽
corporations. The wealth gap is still absolutely,聽聽
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you know, just atrocious in this country. But none聽
of that changes without these people getting out聽聽
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there doing these strikes. So, so I wholeheartedly聽
support what happened, you know, through the month聽聽
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of October now carrying into November. I hope it聽
continues. I hope these workers get everything聽聽
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they need because the rising tide is going to聽
lift all the ships. Brigida, thank you so much聽聽
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for talking with me today.
Thanks, Farron.
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