Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 71

CHAPTER 2

A Fair Deal for Workers
Chapter Summary
In families without substantial wealth, income from work is the primary buffer against hunger. Yet increasing
numbers of American jobs pay only poverty-level wages. For most workers, wages are eroding in real value. When
the economy grows, the top earners capture far
more than their share of the gains. Wage rates
are just one of the components of the economy
that is out of balance. The changes in society
over the past half-century—most prominently,
the new norm that most women are in the paid
workforce—have not been accompanied by
government policies that adequately reflect these
realities and ensure that workers have the support
they need to meet their responsibilities. In the
United States today, where the expectation is that
parents work outside the home, government has
a role in protecting the welfare of children, elderly
people, and people with disabilities by setting
standards to ensure that all workers can fulfill
their job and family commitments.

MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS CHAPTER
• The federal government should improve the job
opportunities and conditions for low-wage workers
by actively enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act
and the Civil Rights Act.
• Congress should raise the minimum wage so
that a full-time, year-round worker can support a
family of four above the poverty line, and it should
eliminate exemptions so that no worker is paid a
subminimum wage.
• The president should direct government agencies
to consider employee wages and working
conditions as a factor in awarding federal contracts.
• Make quality child care accessible to every family
in America and guarantee all workers family leave,
paid sick leave, and the right to request flexible
work schedules.

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