(Cross posted at
"For Our Future.")
A story in today's New York Times reports that Wal-Mart is trying to save money by enforcing salary caps and relying even more on part-time workers. America's largest employer is already being criticized for failing to provide healthcare and other benefits to their workforce. This latest revelation is another sign that Wal-Mart and their Republican allies plan to screw young people with their pro-corporate policies.
Young people used to be able to find well-paying jobs with just a high school diploma. Manufacturing and other industries provided many people with a comfortable middle-class existence. Now, the only jobs available to someone without a college degree are in the service sector. Companies like Wal-Mart exploit the undereducated by offering them slim benefits and meager pay.
At the same time, the federal government says that higher education costs are spiraling out of control. Many young people are forced to work numerous jobs to afford tuition. Republicans have slashed Pell grants and other forms of financial aid. Rules governing student loans were re-written by the Bush Administration to please the debt industrial complex. Republicans have repeatedly endorsed pro-corporate policies that screw over young people.
As if that weren't enough, Republicans have aggressively blocked any attempt to raise the minimum wage. Currently stuck at $5.15 an hour, minimum wage workers everywhere are rapidly losing buying power. Democrats have repeatedly introduced legislation that would raise the minimum wage by $2.10. Keeping the minimum wage low helps companies like Wal-Mart underpay their workers. Republicans have willfully ignored the needs of low wage workers for the benefit of their corporate paymasters.
Some workers have begun to fight back. Wal-Mart is regularly faced with their greatest nightmare: employees who want to form a union. Tired of crappy wages and little health coverage, workers are demanding a voice at the bargaining table. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration and their Republican allies have made it harder for employees to form unions. They have championed "right to work" legislation that practically makes collective bargaining illegal.
Thankfully, there are solutions to the crisis facing young workers. The entire service industry must be radically changed. We need better job protection, healthcare coverage, and a boost in the minimum wage. All of these policies can be enacted by Congress, but they are too beholden to corporate interests. Young people need to vote out the current elected leadership and take back our country from the extreme right-wing.