Raise the Minimum Wage? There Are Better Options!

It’s six months before the election and the politicians are already banging the minimum wage drum and using the same straw men to argue for raising it – Walmart, greedy corporations, high-paid CEO’s, etc.

It’s true. There are corporations that are greedy and insensitive. Just like there are individuals who are greedy and insensitive. And there are low income workers struggling to make ends meet. Heck, there are middle class families struggling to make ends meet. Problem is, raising the state’s minimum wage won’t help them. It didn’t help the last time we did it here in Connecticut, or the time before that  – look it up. If we could legislate away poverty and human suffering we would have done it by now.

Class warfare rhetoric and political grandstanding offer the illusion of progress. Real progress takes more thought and a lot more effort. Interested in helping the working poor? Here are some ways you can make a difference. (But I warn you in advance, they all require more effort than simply posting on a web site!)

Support Education and Education Reform – Gov. Malloy gets it. If we don’t start educating our kids better they are doomed to a financially perilous lifetime position on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder. In other words, our failing schools are cranking out future low-income workers at an alarming rate. Tell your legislators that we need to overcome the vested interests of a few and move off the status quo. Then volunteer with one of the dozen or more agencies, non-profits and initiatives in town that are working with kids in Manchester. Mentoring, reading assistance, math tutoring, homework assistance, counseling, vocation guidance, coaching, etc. – there are scores of ways to help.

Support the EITC Initiative – The town and Manchester’s business community put this Earned Income Tax Credit program together a few years ago and it’s helped many low income families get nice checks from the Federal Government. Now there’s a CT State EITC, as well. This is money that is rightfully theirs by law, and money that –once received - is spent locally and helps Manchester’s overall economic growth.

Support the Manchester Scholarship Fund – The MSF annually hands out about $200,000 annually to Manchester students to help them complete their education. The fastest growing part of their effort is providing funds for adult learners – low income workers who need additional training so they can qualify for better, higher-paying jobs that can start them moving up the career income ladder and better support their families.

Support MACC Programs – The Manchester Area Conference of Churches runs a food bank and a fuel bank to help low-income families and their current needs are great. They also run other programs that help struggling low-income workers help themselves. You can offer your time, your surplus non-perishable food items, and your cash donations. Many other local non-profits – the Manchester Road Race, the Chamber of Commerce, etc. – offer tie-in programs to help MACC, and you can support those as well.

Support Capital Workforce Partners/CTWorks – Tom Phillips' organization is all over these issues – and they have more good ideas and working programs than they have resources to expand them, on both a State-wide and local basis. Go to their web site and/or drop into their downtown Manchester office to get an idea of all they have to offer.

Shop Local – When you buy on-line instead of from a local business you hurt Manchester’s economy and you hurt the working poor. Local purchases mean local jobs and more opportunities for low-income workers  – it’s that simple. Plus local businesses pay taxes that support services to local residents. And it’s local businesses almost exclusively that support local charities, foundations, and institutions and sponsor extracurricular and sports activities for Manchester youth. (Go to as many Manchester Little League games as you want, you’ll never see a uniform shirt with “Amazon.com” on the back!)

All of the above are things that every Manchester resident can get behind and get involved in. But there are also many more efforts and programs that you might be able to support or participate in. Check with organizations, association, unions, clubs, etc. that you might belong to and see what they’re doing to help the working poor. The town of Manchester has many ongoing programs that they often need volunteer help with. Rebuilding Together offers a once-a-year opportunity to help. If you’re a business person, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has numerous programs in education, entrepreneurship for low-income workers starting their own business, etc. There are organizations that accept donations of used cars that they give to low-income workers who need reliable transportation so that they can get a better job and others that accept used business clothing to help low-income workers build a respectable wardrobe so they can successfully interview for, obtain and hold a better job.

Bottom line: We can point fingers at each other and use phrases like “greed,” pass feel-good legislation that accomplishes little or nothing except give the politicians something to brag about, or rail against. Or we can pitch in and help the folks that are actually trying to make a difference. They might post here themselves, if they weren’t so busy.