Fighting when it’s convenient
In part four of this series, we’re going to take a look at just how hypocritical ACORN is when it comes to providing a living wage. It’s a case of “great for them, but not in my backyard.” Click here if you missed parts ONE, TWO or THREE.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is clearly looking to reform communities other than their own. In fact, the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) goes so far as to say that ACORN may be the “single most hypocritical employer in America.” Their rhetoric in support of a national living wage has mobilized massive amounts of union money to attack the hiring and compensation practices of mega-retailers like Wal-Mart. However, their fight for a living wage stops when it comes to their own employees, who know how payday loans work.
ACORN does not value you
ACORN has actively sought legal exemption that would allow them to do as follows:
- Avoid paying their employees minimum wage
- Avoid paying overtime
- Skip employee wage payments
- Circumvent work environment safety requirements
- Break union attempts to counter the above points
The irony is supreme, in that ACORN is otherwise perhaps America’s most prominent supporter of locally based wage-increase mandates. These mandates effectively force other businesses to pay wages that are over and above the federal or state minimum wage. Yet ACORN does not apply this to themselves; they’ve even dared to admit that it doesn’t make economic sense for their bottom line.
Making it up as they go along
According to the EPI, an ACORN training document suggests that “the appropriate level of a living wage be set at the federal poverty level for a family of four.” However, David Reynolds, one of the co-authors of the document, acknowledges that most employees are not supporting a family of four on a single salary. The economics of it are nearly impossible, particularly during the current depression.
The same ACORN training manual goes on to say this: “Ultimately, the living wage amount is a question of politics and organizing strength, not a technical one. Ideally, campaigns want to push for as high a wage as possible.” Jen Kern, head of ACORN’s Living Wage Resource Center, testified in court that when they set the living-wage amount for Oakland, California, “we just made that number up.”
Poor public policy
ACORN cannot serve the people if it refuses to take care of its own. Furthermore, people should not be taken in by their “for the people” rhetoric. They are inconsistent at best, and the fact that the Center For Responsible Lending and Self-Help Credit Union continues to associate with them shows that they also support selling out families who need fair wages during difficult times. CLICK HERE to see what Wade Rathke himself thinks about the living wage.
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Discussion of ACORN Keeps Living Wage From Employees (Pt. 4)