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Moore Supports Wage Equality For Families

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Moore Supports Wage Equality For Families

Raising the minimum wage a good start, embraces next step for higher paying jobs

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June 25, 2014 – Democratic State Senate candidate Marilyn Moore issued this policy statement “to reverse the staggering wage inequality on behalf of our families who lack the basic necessities to survive exploited by bloated executive compensation.”

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Governor Dan Malloy and the Connecticut General Assembly should be applauded for jumping Connecticut’s minimum wage to $10.10 in 2017. This will put money into the pockets of Connecticut workers who can spend it to stimulate our struggling economy. There’s a larger picture, however, and a meaningful solution, to reverse the staggering wage inequality on behalf of our families who lack the basic necessities to survive exploited by bloated executive compensation.

 A recent report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition points out that a full time worker must make $23.02 an hour to afford a two bedroom Fair Market apartment in Connecticut. Another report from November 2013 by the Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) found that a family of four with one full time and another half time wage earner each making $10 an hour would be eligible for nearly $30,000 of public assistance due to our high cost of living.

The public debate has centered on these programs rather than unfair rewards to profitable corporations for their low wages.

The debate focus must shift to increase the pay of their workers or help to pay for the programs that they and their employees depend on. Large profitable corporations have the highest number of employees on public programs and many of these companies have been manipulating policies to shift the costs of their workers needs onto public programs. 

A recent report by the Democratic staff of the US House Committee on Education and Workforce illustrates that the low wages paid by Wal-Mart resulted in a public subsidy of between $900,000 and over $1.7 million per each superstore in Wisconsin. This translates into tens of millions of dollars in Connecticut that we are subsidizing.

I support state legislation to give these large, profitable employers a choice to either increase the pay of their workers or to pay a fee to the state to offset their costs. It is a smart and fair policy that I will support in the State Senate.

The state budget will improve by either having fewer people availing themselves of programs or we have a fairer revenue stream to help pay for necessary programs.  In addition, it levels the playing field for small businesses that cannot socialize their costs as these large profitable businesses do.

Connecticut has taken a good step to address inequality, now it is time to take the next – passage of House Bill 5069: AAC Low Wage Employers.

(Marilyn Moore is a candidate for Connecticut’s 22nd State Senate District that covers Trumbull and portions of Bridgeport and Monroe.)

 

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Paid for by Marilyn Moore for State Senate, 2014, Robert Walsh, Treasurer. Approved by Marilyn Moore.


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