I was getting ready for work on the West Coast, when the news broke. I was in disbelief as I continued listening on my way to teach 3rd graders. My role then, as in other unusual events I've experienced as a teacher, was to give the message to my students that they were safe, that they could count on me to stand in the place of their parents while they were at school. My "next door" teacher (Wendy Rosell, 4th grade) and I combined our classes to show New York City on the map, to answer student questions, and to sing patriotic songs. Our message was that we were far away from the danger, but that our hearts were with those who were facing danger, and that as we stood together in unity, our country would be fine. We would rise from the rubble strengthened.
Since that day I've realized that individuals with good hearts and intelligent minds banding together for our common good are our strength. Our American fabric includes people from all nations. There's not just one way to be "American". One of the disturbing aftershocks of 9-11-2011, was the 'profiling' and the suspicion that some of our American citizens have endured. We need our good-hearted, intelligent citizens to stand today for inclusion. America and Utah need the gifts we can find in all who live within our boundaries. The strength and unity America found on 9-11, still exist and needs to come to the forefront to end the current divisiveness.
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Last week we celebrated Memorial Day, a day set aside in the U.S. to remember those who gave their lives in Wars, fighting for our and other’s freedoms. The numbers are staggering: more than 1.3 MILLION people have had their lives cut short. What are we doing with the freedoms that we claim to cherish, that as a nation we continue to secure with the lives of our citizens? Here are some thoughts I’ve had that aren’t grand gestures, but things I can do in my sphere of influence. I can be an includer. I can use my freedom of speech to say, “I’m glad you’re here. You add so much to my life.” I can find places of common ground and seek to understand, thus making the ‘other’ a real person rather than a stereotype or caricature of some supposed group. I can stand up for injustice. Again—freedom of speech to write to local, state, and federal government representatives directing them to act in the interests of freedom, democracy, and justice. I can exercise my right to peaceably assemble by joining rallies for causes that will draw attention to injustice and call for righting unjust treatment of our fellow beings. Of course, I then have to follow up with action – walk the walk -- in addition to talking the talk. I can be a good neighbor, seeking to create a positive climate, even working through differences with win-win proposals. In short, I can be mindful that freedom really ISN’T free, and work to make my contribution toward maintaining our cherished freedoms. About 40% of renting households (roughly 15% of Springville's households) could be considered "rent overburdened", spending more than 30% of their income on rent. At the current minimum wage, they would have to work 90 hours/week just to make rent! For most minimum wage workers, that would mean working 2 or 3 jobs (since most minimum wage employers keep employees under the full-time limit so they don't have to pay benefits). Hard working Utah families shouldn't be rent overburdened nor food insecure. https://streamable.com/umgp5
By Governor Herbert's admission, Utah is in a period of economic boom, and so those employers who are loving Utah should also contribute to her well-being. It would take a minimum wage of $15/hour to allow a minimum wage earner in Utah County to work only 40 hours per week (instead of 90!) to pay only the recommended 30% of their earnings in rent. This past legislative session Rep. Brian S. King (House Minority Leader, D-HD 28) introduced a bill to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $12/hour. His proposal placed the first raise at $10.25/hour, effective July 1, 2018, and then to $12/hour on July 1, 2022. It never made it out of committee. I've currently inquired of him as to what the issues were that killed it, and I will tell you more as I hear from him. I suspect it was some of the numbers, as I discuss in the following paragraphs. Info About Numbers At this moment, my research (largely gleaned from economists' reports nationally, and then more specifically from analyses prior to California passing the $15 minimum wage law) indicates that overall, a raised minimum wage raises people out of poverty! For years, economists have been trying to show that unemployment rises when the minimum wage is raised, but that has never been found. To be clear, some jobs ARE lost to automation, or consolidation. However, those effects are OFFSET by increased productivity by workers receiving a higher minimum wage, and by lowered turnover rates and the accompanying reduction in retraining costs, which both benefit employers. As minimum wage rises to a livable wage, those employees gain more purchasing power, which offsets another argument that has been voiced against a raised minimum wage: that prices will rise to cover the employee costs, which will damage the economy. The economists' projections have been that higher paid minimum wage employees will put more into the economy than the higher prices will take away. What I Currently Propose I would propose to make smaller incremental raises to Utah minimum wage annually for the next 5 years to meet the needs of employers to adjust. At just $1.50/hour each year, by 2023 our low income Utahan's can count on being self-sufficient. After 2023, the minimum wage should be tied to the Consumer Price Index, with an appropriate cap. I would also like to explore the possibility of holding dependent teens (16-19, still dependent on parent/guardian) to the Federal Minimum Wage, which is lower than the proposed increase. Here in Utah teens comprise about 20% of minimum wage workers (estimated from a 2006 U of U Gardner Institute report which had a 17% figure). While we want teens to get experience and learn responsibility, dependent teens are not yet seeking affordable housing nor raising a family. While I can foresee employers wanting to hire these lower-priced workers first, I don't think it would adversely affect the labor pool for those eligible for the higher Utah minimum wage considering Utah's current relatively low unemployment rate. I'm aware that the restaurant and hospitality industries who employ the bulk of minimum wage workers hold a large influence here, but we need to stand up for our citizens who work hard and deserve to be compensated with a livable wage. What do you think? How can we make this work in Utah? Please comment! References: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865683214/Report-94-hour-workweek-required-at-minimum-wage-to-afford-2-bedroom-apartment-in-Utah.html http://irle.berkeley.edu/files/2017/Effects-of-a-15-Minimum-Wage-in-California-and-Fresno.pdf |