The Poverty Wage: "We used to own our slaves. Now we just rent them."

M.I.T. maintains a Living Wage Calculator that allows users to compare the costs of living in locations across the United States with the pay that our friends and family living in those locations earn at minimum-wage jobs.  

Ohio's minimum wage is $7.95/hr ($3.98/hr for workers who earn $30.00 or more per month in tips). The federal minimum wage is just $7.25/hr. 

But a single parent living in Cincinnati, Ohio requires $17.56/hr to live. And to live in Toledo, Ohio, a single parent requires $17.11/hr.

Is there any justification for these deficits?  Then why do we continue to subsidize them?

Walmart's low-wage jobs cost tax payers (including those low-wage workers) an estimated $6.2 billion per year in public assistance. McDonald's low-wage jobs cost tax payers an estimated $1.2 billion per year. $648 million per year goes to the "Yum!" group -- KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut-- $436 million dollars goes to Subway, and so on.

Could you support your family on $14,500 per year (pre-tax) without public assistance? 

Please take a moment today to show some support to the folks in our communities who are fighting to abolish our unsustainable rent-a-slave workforce economy.

Learn more about workplace matters here.