Progressive Action For The Common Good Summit II/Part II
We were hungry for knowledge, we were hungry for a new direction, we
were hungry for action. The atmosphere was wide open with the
charged energy of minds willing to learn and contribute. This
describes the mood of the nearly 250 who attended the PACG Summit II.
Head organizer Cathy Bolkom encouraged all those who ever marched or
stood on a street corner protesting to stand. She asked for all
of those who ever spoke in front of their City Council or Board of
Supervisors to stand, as well as anyone who volunteered their time to
address an envelope for the common good. Eventually all in the
room were on their feet. This helped charge up the group.
It was a day when new faces and regulars came together with a
commitment to change things in their community.
We listened as keynote speaker David Osterberg, executive director of
the IOWA POLICY PROJECT, described how pay inequity has become
detrimental to so many people. The national minimum wage has not
changed in 16 years. Wages have not kept up with inflation.
Too many IOWANS still suffer from low wages. According to IPP's
report, THE STATE OF WORKING IOWA 2005, …”IOWA's nonfarm job base
fell by over 22,000 between 2000 and 2004. Over the same span,
the unemployment rate grew from 2.6 percent to 4.6 percent…
” 'Unemployment' captures only those who are not working, but are
actively looking for work at the time surveyed; it does not capture
those who are working fewer hours than they would prefer, who would
like to work but cannot arrange child care, or who have become
permanently discouraged from looking for a job.”
To fully read the report, go to
www.iowapolicyproject.org
The attendants then chose their favorite workshop. For example,
one group watched George Lakoff's CD about reclaiming the language of
progressivism. We must all learn to use more consistent, precise
terms that are simple to explain. We do not need to spend 5
minutes explaining something that should have taken 30 seconds.
(That goes for windy writers, too.)
So, let's keep it simple: that is what I got out of watching it when I
first saw it. In the meantime, I will be waiting for more reports
coming in from the other workshops.
Don't forget to CPR…CONSERVE/PARTICIPATE/RECYCLE
Blog For Iowa 
The average weekly wage in Iowa has increased by nearly 30% in the last 8 or so years. 97-98:+5.0& 98-99: +3.4% 99-00: +3.9% 00-01: +2.8% 01-02: +3.3% 02-03: +3.5% 03-04: +4.4%.
The only available stats for 05 are 1Q, so we have to wait until 06 to get that info.
The average weekly wage across the state from 2004 equalled $32,084 in annual wages, not including benefits. This is $15.43/hr. and significantly higher than minimum wage. I think we need to recognize that, yes, there are areas in which we need to make significant steps as far as wages (SW and SC Iowa are first in mind), but by and large the average wage indicates we are doing fairly well. Someone needs to recognize this, and I don't think you are.
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Doug: Good point. Where did you source your information? Maybe there might be other stats we could view, as well, that would assist in convincing me that the average wage means there's no problem. Is unemployment low, or nonexistent?
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Iowa Workforce Development is the source of the stats. They can be viewed at: http://www.iowaworkforce.org/lmi/empstat/coveredemp.html
Now, please understand, there is still a problem out there. I understand that though we have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, there are still pockets of poverty that need to be lifted up.
I just don't think that the doom and gloom message that is pushed out sometimes does Iowa any good. In fact, it turns business away when they falsely believe we have so many people in poverty…they relate that to not being educated, which we all know is absolutely incorrect.
In Cedar Rapids we've found companies have no problem paying some of the highest wages in the state because they know they will get quality product in the end.
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