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Latest News

JE Co-Sponsors Candidates’ Survey! Check out what the candidates say about the living wage issue…

Update October 8, 2008–Just Economics collaborated with Children’s First and other area non-profit organizations to co-sponsor a survey of local political candidates up for election this November. Candidates for the Board of County Commissioners, Board of Education, and State House and Senate weighed in in issues affecting children and families. Be sure the check out the candidates’ responses to question 5, which focuses on the living wage issues and economic opportunities for workers in our community.

Our hope as that voters will use the information provided in the survey to make a more informed decision as they cast their vote this coming election.

Click here to see the Candidates’ Survey, or visit Children’s First website for more information. Thanks to Children’s First for pulling off the survey!

Join VOICES FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE!

Update August 22, 2008–Just Economics is preparing to launch a new leadership development program for low-wage workers and low-income people called Voices for Economic Justice.

Voices is an eight-week popular education, empowerment based workshop series that combines concrete skills training and leadership development with education and analysis around economic issues. Through Voices we hope to connect with workers in the community that will lead us in our joint work for a more just local economy, and also give workers skills and knowledge they can use in their own lives and communities.

For more information, click here. Spread the word, and sign up today, if appropriate.

For those who would like to support Voices, we are looking for groups to prepare dinner for each session, and also monetary donations to cover the cost of materials and childcare.

Please contact Sarah Osmer at 828-301-7291 or sarahosmer(a)justeconomicswnc.org to sign up to help out.

Asheville Citizen-Times article highlights “economic deprivation” of the non-wealthy

Update July 7, 2008–A recent article in the Asheville Citizen-Times, “Economic deprivation of non-wealthy Americans continues” by George Yates, highlights the growing divide between the rich and the rest of us in the U.S. today. Yates’ article, though sobering, serves as an important reminder of the urgent need for living wages and economic fairness, and the necessity of work like ours that seeks to remedy the “economic deprivation” that’s affecting more and more Americans.

Highlights from Yates’ article include:

* The wealthiest 10% of Americans now own 63% of the U.S.’s total family assets, 80% of publicly issued U.S. stock, and they receive 90% of all dividends and capital gains, while the bottom 50% of Americans own about 2% of total family assets and no stock.

* The annual ‘real’ income of American families, compared to what it was eight years ago, has decreased by $1,224.

* 65% of Americans report that they live paycheck to paycheck.

* Following the real estate bubble “burst” in mid-2007, non-wealthy Americans switched to credit cards to obtain necessary cash–Total household debt over the last seven years has about doubled to a record $14 trillion.

Yates perfectly sums up the current state our our economy, and the need for economic justice work like ours, “The massive diversion of income to wealthy Americans during the last 7 years must be reversed to rescue non-wealthy Americans from deeper economic deprivation, and to prevent the United States from moving still closer to a despotism of the rich.”

Click here to see the full article.

Living Wage Certification “picking up steam!”

Update June 24, 2008– Asheville-area employers continue to sign up for Living Wage Certification. Since its launch just three months ago, forty-three businesses and non-profits have been certified, and new applications are submitted almost daily.

Most recently, Highland Brewery, one of Western North Carolina’s favorite beer makers, was certified. Other popular certified employers include–West End Bakery, Laurey’s Catering, and Asheville Wine Market, among many others.

Be sure to look for the “Living Wage Paid Here!” sticker in the store window of the businesses you patronize, and check out our Living Wage Certified Employers page for a full listing of certified employers.

And, if you haven’t seen it already, don’t miss the recent Mountain XPress article on the LW Certification program, “Living wage issue picking up steam.”

The Justice Tour a huge success!

Update April 23, 2008–Thanks to those who came out to support Just Economics and enjoy what was an incredible day of action and concert with Tom Morello and the rest of the Justice Tour gang!

The Justice Tour’s stop in Asheville helped elevate the work of Just Economics.

It also connected us to new folks in our community that care about economic justice and are motivated to make change from the bottom up, the kind of social change Tom Morello talks about in his music.

Almost 400 of you signed the new Living Wage Pledge, and all of the concert proceeds will go to support the work of Just Economics.

Click here for a link to Tom Morello’s blog post about the Asheville stop of the Justice Tour.