Bank executives may be collecting millions in bailout cash, but meanwhile on the other side of town
Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.... In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay.
Low wage workers are getting 15% of their pay stolen, while executives earning hundreds of time as much whine about reduced bonuses and not being able to brag about their private jets. Of course, giving some support to unions might be one way to deal with this, but we don't need unions.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised that no Republicans will vote for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), should it come to the Senate floor. ... In a speech before the business organization Commerce Lexington, McConnell explained that the reason for such uncompromising opposition is that workers don’t actually want to join unions due to the "very enlightened management in this country now, treating employees better and employees have decided they don’t want to pay the dues."
It's too bad all those folks out there getting angry are so distracted by imagined injustice that they don't have time for the real thing.