AUSTIN, Texas - The central rallying cry of the so-called "99-percenters" occupying Wall Street, locations in Texas, and spots around the world has been one of economic fairness. While their protests are disparaged by some as "class warfare," research indicates rich and poor alike suffer when the gap between them grows too big.

"The reason a lot of people are getting involved in this movement is that the economic disparity is really affecting practically everyone."

Austin occupier Ihor Gowda points to studies showing economies are consistently healthier when wealth gaps are smaller, as was the case in the U.S. from the 1940s through the '70s. That was before a succession of tax and regulatory reforms increasingly benefited investors and corporations.

The idea behind such "supply-side" economics is that everyone gains from a ballooning economy. But when wealth is distributed mostly upward, the balloon is destined to deflate, according to Clinton-era Labor Secretary Robert Reich, now a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, because consumer demand is essential for a growing economy.

"The only way the vast middle class and working class can keep the economy going and keep spending, is by going deeper and deeper into debt. And of course those debt bubbles eventually explode."

Fiscal conservatives argue that continuing to lower taxes on businesses would help spur job creation. Reich disagrees. He says businesses already have two trillion dollars in the bank they're not willing to spend until consumer demand goes back up.

Wealth inequality also contributes to a host of social ills affecting almost everyone, according to Richard Wilkinson, an epidemiologist at Britain's University of Nottingham Medical School.

"Mental illness is say three times as common. Life expectancy is lower. Teen-age births are much, much higher. Rates of violence measured by homicide are much higher."

As a society becomes less equal, Wilkinson says, the importance of status increases, causing elevated levels of stress and dissatisfaction to kick in, leading to an increase in health problems, substance abuse, obesity, even infant mortality.

The good news, Wilkinson thinks, is that lawmakers have a clear path for improving many of these social conditions simply by enacting policies that promote a return to a more equal distribution of wealth.

"We haven't known what to do about any of these problems, but now I think we have a handle on it. There are things that policymakers can do."

That to be sure would require an about-face from the economic priorities of recent decades in the United States. The nation's income disparity is now greater than that of most other countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, and Iran, according to the CIA, which tracks wealth distribution worldwide.

U.S. Census figures show that among states, Texas ranks third from the bottom on income equality.

The CIA Gini index is at 1.usa.gov/4ETDj8




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Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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A bill vetoed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would have raised the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour starting in 2026.

While the bill moved out of committee and the General Assembly, it did so on party-line votes. Youngkin opposed the bill, saying it could hurt small businesses and some restaurants.

Jay Speer, executive director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said it was disappointing to see the measure vetoed.

"Wages are way too low. People cannot afford housing and food and everything else," Speer pointed out. "It's a disappointment that they can't raise the minimum wage so people can survive. I mean, it's long overdue."

Passing the bill was part of a 2020 minimum-wage increase requiring a reauthorization to bring it up to $15. A state study found a person has to make at least $14.55 an hour to afford the cheapest place to live while only spending one-third of his or her income on housing. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12 an hour, but around 500,000 Virginians make $12 or less.

Youngkin also vetoed a bill ending exemptions from Virginia's minimum-wage requirements for farmworkers or temporary foreign workers.

Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy, said it was not as impactful since most farmworkers make more than the minimum wage. But she said the exemption remains for another reason.

"The only reason farmworkers continue to be exempted in Virginia is racism," Bobo contended. "That's why they're exempted. And, we should just change that, like there's no reason not to. It really does not affect that many workers in Virginia."

Youngkin and other legislators with a farming background said the bill would hinder farmers' ability to turn a profit.

New York restaurant workers need to know their rights to better navigate their workplaces. A new report finds high rates of what it calls "occupational segregation" in the restaurant industry, which can relegate some people to lower-paying jobs.

Workers' rights organizations are counteracting this with training programs. Alima Iskakova, a server for Exquisite Staffing, a catering company, said the CHOW training from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United is helping her.

"Since I completed this training course, I am more confident when it comes to job interviews," she said. "I am more confident - like, when it comes to these types of interviews, plus with all my experience and the knowledge that I got from ROC United, I have a higher income."

She was also trained in safe food handling, OSHA certification and other need-to-know information about the restaurant industry. These courses are available in several cities beyond New York.

The report also notes that, unlike training offered by organizations such as the National Restaurant Association, these courses prioritize developing restaurant workers' power to support individual career development.

The report says racism and sexism abound in the restaurant industry. White men make up a majority of higher-earning positions, such as bartenders.

Although these training courses are helpful, Iskakova noteed that not knowing English can be a disadvantage. She said other cultural differences can make this work challenging.

"In the hospitality industry, even like when people come here as an immigrant, they don't know the rules, they don't know the laws," she said. "And ROC United, they help us to do the cover letter, resume. There are certain things - like, there is a difference."

Another challenge she encountered was the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Iskakova said her work has been interesting, but she's got ambitions outside of food service. Along with photography, she's a communications major at CUNY.


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