Defining Living Wage Is Key To a Green Economy

In Saturday's post it was pointed out to Mr, Obama that Green Jobs are not exactly at the top of the pay scale, are not the kind of jobs people are going to want to fill...low pay and few if any benefits are not the model for a paradigm shift in the American Work Force to a Green Economy, which is what is needed to fully address Global Warming. If Obama is going to create 3-4 million GREEN JOBS, shouldn't we first define what a living wage should be?

We do not need three to four million poor paying McDonanld's type jobs with poor benefits, we need three to four million jobs that a person can support a family with...where is our Federal Government in their efforts too SAVE OUR ECONOMY, in doing the necessary homework to make sure they are creating the right kind of jobs, rather than simply throwing money at companies and hoping they will do the right thing by Ameriuca's work force.

Doing some thinking on the subject, and based on both adults in the family working full time, I would suggest the following components as part of a living wage:

1. Sick Leave-one day acrued for each month of employment, with a maximum cap of 120 days of accrued sick leave. (These days can be used because the employee is sick, or a member of their family is sick and needs personal care.)

2. Paid Holidays-Christmas, New Year's Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day,Thanksgiving to be combined with four personal holidays for a total of ten days per year.

3. Paid major medical coverage that includes dental, eye care and a reduced prescription plan.

4. Minimum of two weeks paid vacation per year with a guaranteed climb to four weeks paid vacation with five years of seniority with the company.

5. Looking at the various costs incurred by a AVERAGE FAMILY of four including utilities, mortgage and even our taxes at all levels of government, the average family needs to earn $60,000 a year to live a relatively comfortable lifestyle and cover their bases. That comes out to a gross income of $30,000 per year per adult in the family. To make a long storty short, a Minimum Wage on a National Basis of $11.50 per hour could attain this goal of a living wage with a bit of a cushion to spare.

The Federal Government, our elected members of Congress could make this goal a reality passing a Living Wage Bill, a new workers Bill of Rights. The time has come to do right by America's MAjority, the backbone that has built this nation from the ground up, the true creators of all that wealth selfishly held by the UBER RICH.

Great Green Jobs...Are We Sure About That Mr. Obama

We have all heard Obama speaking about millions of new GREEN JOBS as we solve Global Warming through the act of bringing forth into the world a whole new Green Economy with a host of GREAT GREEN JOBS. Question is Mr. Obama, is the reality of those great green jobs you are promising as fabulous as we are being led to believe.

Some examples of the jobs available in this brave new green economy lead one to question where we are going to end up in this green economy of the future. We all should recycle...in fact, in many communities recycling is mandatory. Problem is, the average person working at a recycling center is earning about eight bucks an hour or a poverty level yearly salary of $16,640 dollars with a real good chance that your employer is NOT giving you any major medical coverage with that low pay.

Alternative Energy manufacturing...forget about it, they have a notorious track record of paying stub standard wages compared to other sectors of manufacturing, and many companies are already starting to OUT SOURCE to cheap labor nations much of the manufacturing of parts that go into Alternative Energy systems meant for United States Deployment. Wind and Solar, made in Mexico, or China, anywhere that the hourly wage is around one dollar! In fact, what few segments of the Alternative Energy Manufacturing that remain in America are Non Union with the companies guilty of some serious ANTI UNION TACTICS in keeping employees from forming any kind of a collective bargaining group within the industry...simply stated, Alternative Energy seems to be proudly associated with wage bases that can be compared to slave labor.

Green Construction...again, the hourly wage seems to be BELOW the Federal Poverty Benchmark for a family of four, or less than $10.19 per hour.

So, for all of those GREEN YUPPIES and their pea soup children who are counting on the new Green Economy giving them nice cushy Green Collar jobs in cozy green offices with great green perks and benefits...FORGET ABOUT IT! Unless there are some serious changes, being a part of the Great Green Work force does not PAY ENOUGH to make it worth the bother!

So tell me Mr. Obama...how are you going to convince Americans to BE GREEN when Being Green, Working Green means living below the poverty level for most workers in the Green Work Force.