Mark Pocan: “On behalf of the Progressive Caucus, I am here to present a conversation that we would like to share with the American…”

“On behalf of the Progressive Caucus, I am here to present a conversation that we would like to share with the American public, which is the plight of low-wage workers. The Progressive Caucus here in Congress has worked on this issue for many years. This last month, when Members went home and worked in the district for the month, we joined many of these low-wage workers in a day of strike as a way to present their case to the American people. Too many people are paid too little for the work they do. That harms families in this country; that depresses the economy in this country; and that makes more people have to go to government assistance because they're simply not paid enough for the work that they're doing. We all know that economy has had a lot of tough times in the last several years, but things are getting better. The problem is they are only getting better for some. We know that corporate profits have continued to break records, while Americans are working harder and getting paid less. We know that the stock markets are close to all time highs and corporate profits are booming. The $200 billion-a-year fast food industry is doing extremely well in this country, and our workers are more than pulling their weight to help in these successes. Over the past 30 years, the productivity of the American worker has increased 85 percent, however, the salaries that they get paid simply haven't kept up in pace. Mr. Speaker, why is the economy stuck?…”