New Study by National Employment Law Project Documents ALEC’s Attack on Wages

Submitted by PRWatch Editors on

Since the Center for Media and Democracy's launch of ALEC Exposed in July 2011, CMD has known that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its corporate funders are accelerating the race to the bottom in wages and working conditions for America's working families. ALEC has a raft of "model bills" to lower wages and slash benefits for workers, even one to repeal state minimum wage laws.

Now the National Employment Law Project (NELP) has joined in the effort to take a closer look at this ALEC agenda, tallying the bills introduced and pushed in states in the last few years.

In an issue brief called "The Politics of Wage Suppression: Inside ALEC's Legislative Campaign Against Low-Paid Workers," NELP has documented that since January 2011, legislators from 31 states have introduced 105 bills aiming to repeal or weaken core wage standards at the state and local level, and 67 of these 105 bills were directly sponsored or co-sponsored by legislators affiliated with ALEC.

ALEC legislators have worked to weaken wage standards at the state level by repealing state minimum wage laws, reducing minimum wage rates for youth and tipped workers, weakening overtime compensation policies, and preventing the establishment of local living wage and prevailing wage ordinances, says NELP.

"State legislatures have historically served as crucial sources of momentum for passing federal legislation to raise the wages of low-paid workers. ALEC's focus on weakening or repealing critical labor standards at the state level threatens the wages and economic security of workers across the country," said Christine Owens, executive director of NELP.

ALEC's wage suppression agenda targets workers in the low-wage sectors that are forming the core of the U.S. economy: according to a study released in August 2012 by NELP, 60 percent of jobs lost during the recession were middle-wage and high-wage occupations, while 58 percent of jobs gained in the recovery have been low-wage occupations.

Read the new report here and check out NELP's handy chart of bills for a look at what is happening in your state.

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Comments

Anonymous replied on

Time to unionize!! Time to fight!! Time for revolution!!

Anonymous replied on

Absolutely! Does ALEC stand for Association of Lowlife Economic Criminals?

JayHobeSound replied on

ALEC and the Republicans/TeaBaggers have been very successful at demonizing unions and over the past few years, thus paving the way to wage suppression and reducing earned benefits.

Marcia Moody replied on

Unfortunately, ALEC was way too successful last Session in the New Hampshire legislature. They were able to repeal our minimum wage law that we Democrats had worked so hard to pass.

Cindy Walsh replied on

It seems that the most damaging legislation as regards wages will be tied with the Trade agreements being written by ALEC and the democrats......you made no mention of the elephant in the room.

Anonymous replied on

This is an anti-we the people group funded by the extreme wealthy and politicians looking for handouts. It is time for war! These politicians need to be exposed and removed from office. They are criminals of the worst kind. Hopefully Iran or N. Korea can follow through on their threat. It is the only hope for Americans because our Washington and State politicians, like a computer file, have been corrupted. Chavez would have made a better politician in the U.S. than most we have now.