If someone needs two jobs just to earn enough to live they do not have time to do things outside of work – daily living tasks, childcare, relaxation, etc. Given this, the fight for fair compensation can’t stop at just creating a living wage. There needs to be further advocacy for wages that will allow access to life beyond work.

The average CEO in the U.S. earns about 398.8 times the average salary of the workers in their firm and workers are expressing their dissatisfaction with this disparity by organizing for better wages and work conditions. 

One of Daily Work’s job seekers, Ahmed, did just that. He was involved in organizing workers at the Minneapolis International Airport. He was motivated to fight for change when he saw his co-workers changing clothes after one 8 hour shift to be ready for another 8 hour shift. Having two jobs just so they could earn enough money to pay rent. Ahmed began advocating for wage increases for workers at the airport. His goal was to inspire others in the airport to fight for change and stand in solidarity. Ahmed used is break time to educate immigrant workers about their rights and to gradually inspire courage to challenge the status quo.

This job seeker’s experiences highlight the importance of having sustainable wages and systems in place that educate people, specifically immigrants, about their rights and how to be safe while organizing and advocating for themselves.

Through increased education about the rights of workers and additional conversation around the right to organize. Worker’s unions, allies, and advocates – YOU - can alter the conversation around meaningful employment and continue to fight for working people to not only have a living wage, but a thriving wage.

At Daily Work we help job seekers try to find jobs that pay a “thriving” wage. As well, we work with job seekers so that they understand their rights and how they can self-advocate for work-life balance.