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| Hey John, I wanted to touch base with you on what working families are facing here in Iowa. An 85-hour workweek, just to make rent, is more than unsustainable, it's inhumane. Rent isn't the only thing working families are struggling to afford -- it's food, education, clothing, transportation, health care, and child care too. For example, the average cost of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is 40ȼ -- one of the cheapest sandwiches to make. But the current minimum wage is so low that an hour of work only earns you 18 PB&Js. A big reason for these struggles is the fact that our federal minimum wage laws are extremely outdated. Since 1978, the average worker compensation has risen a mere 12% -- and for CEOs? Well, they've seen a 940% increase over the same period. I'll spell it out: We need to increase the federal minimum wage. Not in a few years or when big businesses are willing to. Now. If you agree, sign our petition and tell Congress to increase the federal minimum wage. Let's pay people right for their hard work. Standing Tall For All, J.D. Scholten  ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Team Scholten Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2020 12:57 PM Subject: Minimum wage workers cannot afford rent in Iowa with a 40-hour week, new report says -- Des Moines Register
John, Our friends and neighbors aren't getting paid a fair wage. A new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that Iowans have to work at least 67 hours a week to afford rent for a one-bedroom home. The work week only gets tougher for families. Renting a two-bedroom home forces many to work 85 hours a week (or the equivalent of two full-time minimum wage jobs). This doesn't even account for the skyrocketing costs of health care, child care, education, transportation or food. This isn't a matter of folks not working hard enough or failing to plan financially. It's a matter of failing our workers. No one should be working themselves to the bone just to make ends meet. Hard work should be met with fair wages. If you agree, sign our petition and tell Congress to increase the federal minimum wage. J.D. has heard this story far too many times: hard working, decent folks are putting in the hours to support themselves and their families but are still struggling to pay the bills. The report found that families need to earn $15.46 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment, but the federal minimum wage is only $7.25 an hour. We're failing working people, plain and simple. We don't have to stomach this. Congress has the power to empower families, jumpstart our economy, and pass a long-overdue increase in the minimum wage. We need to stand together and demand it, John. Will you sign your name next to ours and join the fight to pay workers a fair wage? Thank you, Team Scholten |
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