A season of inequality

For most Americans, the holiday season is a time to celebrate with friends and family. But the stark reality for many hard-working men and women in retail is quite different. At retailers like Walmart, many workers needlessly struggle in low-wage, part- and full-time jobs. The benefits are poor, the schedules erratic, and the future remains uncertain. In other words, there is little to celebrate. In fact, simply taking time off during the holiday season to spend time with the ones they love could be the difference between putting food on the table for their families and going hungry.

The reality is that many retail workers are hovering just above or living below the poverty line because no matter how hard they try, some irresponsible employers make it all but impossible to move up the economic ladder and into the middle class.

{mosads}We cannot overstate the threat this poses to the better America we want to live in.

According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, the middle class has been shrinking over the past four decades, with wage and benefit increases going to upper- income groups. The shrinking middle class, coupled by the sheer desperation of so many Americans who simply want to work, has enabled many employers to cut wages and hours, misclassify workers as independent contractors or temporary workers, cut or avoid providing benefits, and even threaten or punish some of those brave enough to speak out for a better life.  

To add insult to injury, many of America’s retail workers are subjected to erratic or last minute scheduling that makes the ability to control their lives all but impossible. For example, “just-in-time” scheduling has enabled retailers like Walmart to forecast staffing needs based completely on the company’s needs and not the needs of its employees. Even worse, “just-in-time” scheduling has led to unpredictable and uneven earnings—making it even harder for workers to budget for basic living expenses, such as food, housing and transportation. This scheduling practice makes daily responsibilities, such as arranging for child care, addressing medical needs, learning new job skills or working a second job nearly impossible. 

To date, we have seen some local and state leaders step up to address these issues. They have proposed legislation to raise the minimum wage, curb abusive scheduling practices, implement paid sick leave, and make it easier to hold irresponsible companies accountable for retaliating against workers who want a better life. Unfortunately, Congress has thus far ignored bills that would address these issues on a national level and has yet to schedule a vote on them.

We are all aware of the price many families pay because of this dysfunctional Congress, but we hoped that when it came to valuing families and hard-work, some kind of consensus would emerge. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. 

Instead, Republicans and Democrats in Congress are focusing on helping President Obama push through the Trans-Pacific Partnership—a terrible trade agreement that will lead to lower wages, lost American jobs, and increased income inequality.  

It’s clear that real change will only come from hard-working people, regardless of party or partisanship, when they join together to fight for the better lives our families and retail workers have earned. This holiday season, let’s commit to holding our lawmakers accountable for failing to address the growing gap between the rich and poor and the shrinking middle class. Let’s stick together and demand a better life for the millions of workers who help feed, serve and make this nation work. 

Perrone is the president of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.