The slow walking of the $15 to $18 an hour minimum wage and the free state college up to the bachelor’s level (as what Starbucks wants its new hires to have), but at least corporations in the U.S. is walking very slowly, which just goes to show that it is possible to win higher wages and free higher education. But we need to accelerate the pace before the money people turn public opinion against the movement by giving inch by inch until they see that the momentum is turning toward them. So when we get a little relief in wages the wage slaves should not think of it as a win, but look at it as a stalling tactic to slow down the fight for $15 to $18.
Remember anything less than $15 is a loser for most low wage stand along workers for $8 through $12, probably will reduce or disqualify you from any kind of government assistance, such as food stamps or healthcare. The minimum to help in the inequality has to be at least $15 to $18.
Now, for college tuition, look at where the ever increasing tuition is going and you will find it is it going to administration costs. A case in point is California Polytechnic University. The number of administrators grew from 3,800 to more than 12,183 during the past 30 years, and some are paid six to seven figures or more. The excuse for this increase is that the government has cut funding to colleges, but the fact is government has spent 10 times more on education since 1960. Last year, states and federal government have spent $81 billion and that doesn’t include the $34 billion in Pell Grants.
We must keep fighting for accountability in education and the $15 to $18 an hour minimum wage. The corporations say this is the best they can do at this time, but April 15 is a new time and the right time for the workers and college students. Corporations try to scare you with falsehoods like restaurants will close down and businesses will go bankrupt. One only has to look at Seattle to see through the lies. Seattle is thriving after raising its minimum wage to $15; the reason being is that people are spending more. This ought to convince you that you are not asking for too much, if not, consider the fact that there are 513 billionaires and 7.1 million millionaires in the U.S. alone.
Now don’t you think it’s time to spread the wealth around?
Yes, they are coming for us. Workers need to have one another’s backs because no one else will. Neither the broader labor movement nor the Democratic party are prepared to meet the urgency of this moment. So it’s going to fall upon the rest of us to mount a real resistance against Trump’s authoritarian takeover. We’re going to have to get our hands dirty. I don’t care if you have a good, well-paying union job and you are in the middle class now—if you see a worker being dragged out of his workplace regardless of how skilled the job and potentially taken to another country, you should be ready to be there for that worker. When I.C.E. shows up, gather around and shame them into leaving. It has worked in other places. America is sleep walking into authoritarianism, and if there’s anyone out there who is a member of a labor union that is safe—at this point— and doesn’t think this applies to them. Understand that they just haven’t gotten to you yet. They’re coming for all of us. There are ...
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