minimum wage

February 22, 2021 - The eight-year-old Fight for $15 movement is as close as it's ever been to winning the minimum wage law it's seeking, but barriers remain — including opposition from two Senate Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Here's who would benefit from raising the minimum wage to $15, and a look at the strong public support for the move.

January 29, 2021 - Biden has pledged to be the country's "most pro-union president." But will he and congressional Democrats succeed in passing sweeping reforms that could dismantle the barriers to labor organizing in the South?

December 4, 2020 - Victoria Bowden, 25, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, shares her and other young people's difficult experiences trying to get by during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now a graduate student intern with the Southern Economic Advancement Project, she offers practical ideas for fixing the systems that put young Southerners at risk of heavy debt, poverty, homelessness, and mental illness.

November 4, 2020 - Though the South trended red in this year's general election, voters in Southern states approved progressive ballot measures that raise the minimum wage, reject Jim Crow-era election laws and flag symbolism, and relax drug laws. They also turned down measures that would have impeded this kind of direct democracy.

October 28, 2020 - As Election Day approaches, frontline workers and anti-poverty activists are encouraging eligible low-wage voters in the nation's poorest region to take part in this year's election in hopes of electing leaders who will support a living wage and respond to the needs of low-wealth communities.

April 2, 2020 - Many states and local communities in the South have ordered restaurants to move to takeout-only to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus, and business is down even in places where they're still open. That means tough times for low-wage food servers, especially given the stingy unemployment benefits offered in some states.

December 18, 2019 - Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointments have transformed the Florida Supreme Court, which will soon review nine constitutional amendments — including a $15 minimum wage — that were proposed by citizens.