Activism Translates To $150B In Raises For Workers

Since 2012, 26 million minimum-wage employees have seen their pay increase by $150 billion. Of those 26 million workers, 12 million were people of color who received $76 million in wage increases. This has been the result of the Fight for $15 movement, which has pushed to increase the minimum wages.

Prior to the movement, lower bracket wages had stagnated and even fallen, when taking inflation into account, for the last several decades.

But the movement for $15 has begun to slowly change that, adding millions of dollars to the pockets of those who often have the lowest incomes and fewest assets, according to a new study by the National Employment Law Project.

What Happened: Between 1978 and 2018, inflation-adjusted incomes for median workers grew by 12% but CEOs' income grew by 940% over the same time period. Between the 1940s and 1970s, real incomes grew alongside a growing economy, but by the late 1970s, that relationship mostly came undone.

Workers, since 2012, in conjunction with unions and movement nonprofits have pushed for more equity and power in the workplace. The result has been 11 states and 45 localities adopting minimum $15 wage laws.

Why It Matters: Strong inequity remains in America’s economy, especially along the lines of gender and race, but when people, particularly low-income individuals, achieve more gains in the economy they are more likely to spend that money, thus expanding local and state budgets and creating a larger economic pie.

Photo: Aviv Rachmadian via Unsplash