$2.65 is Peanuts ..."Raise the Wage" in Kansas!

Written by Heidi Zeller. Heidi is an organizer with the Kansas Action Network (KAN), a member of the Let Justice Roll coalition. Through the Wage Justice initiative, UUSC is working closely with Let Justice Roll and KAN to engage faith-based activists in grassroots campaigns, starting with Unitarian Universalists in Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma. (Photo: Heidi Zeller, July 2007)

On Tuesday, July 24, members of Kansas Action Network gathered in front of the State Capitol building in Topeka to “praise the wage,” that is, the increase in the federal minimum wage. Yet we all knew we were there for a far more compelling reason: to demand an increase in the woefully inadequate Kansas minimum wage of $2.65 an hour. That’s right – Kansas has the distinction of being the state with the lowest minimum wage (outside of the five states in the South with no wage floor).

But Kansas is a land of extremes, and this shamefully low minimum tells only one side of the story. I have been working on this campaign for a little over two months, and what’s so striking are the many passionate wage justice advocates I have met during this short time. These are the people who come to mind every time I feel myself slipping into a mood of cynicism. In other words, despite the many reasons to feel frustrated, it is impossible to be of that mindset for more than a nanosecond.

Contrary to what is often portrayed in mainstream news about this symbolic “heartland” state, Kansas progressives not only exist, but they are numerous, strong willed, and motivated to make positive change happen. They are from seemingly different universes – trade and farm unionists, independent living advocates, and organizers from the peace, justice, and faith communities – but they are united under a common goal to fight for wage justice for workers of all persuasions.

So with that goal in mind, representatives from these groups came together this past Tuesday to publicly launch our campaign to “Raise the Wage” in Kansas. Many members of the press were there too, with cameras and pens in hand. KAN’s president, Carla James, pointed out what millions of Americans know all too well: “When the number of working people living in poverty has increased every year for the past five years during a period characterized as a strong economy, the conclusion is unmistakable: our current system is broken and must be fixed.”

Andy Sanchez, executive secretary-treasurer for the Kansas AFL-CIO, spoke of the labor movement’s role in calling for “better pay, better quality of life, better jobs. This is an opportunity for the unions of the Kansas AFL-CIO to help their neighbors, work to change public policies and create a more just economy.”

Finally, I described how we plan to push for a more equitable minimum wage, through relentless petition drives and public education. I stressed that, with the long-overdue federal wage increase finally taking effect, Kansas workers are falling farther and farther behind. My final words: “Let’s bump up our shameful $2.65 minimum, and pump up our state economy in the process. Most importantly, let’s reward hard work with fair pay.”

To drive home the overall point, we handed out little baggies with a label reading: “$2.65 is peanuts!” filled with, well, you get the idea.