Unions led the effort for Medicare, Medicaid, affordable housing, and many other programs that benefit working families. When unions are strong, all working families benefit because unions drive wages up even for non-union workers. In today's global economy, the major American export is our jobs. The function of U.S. trade policy must be to improve the standard of living of the American people. Our trade policies must encourage companies to invest in our own country.
International trade is a vital and important part of the economy.
Workers have a right to make certain, however, that trade works for the benefit of all people and not just the multinational corporations. With today's minimum wage, a full-time worker with one child lives below the official poverty line. The minimum wage has failed to keep pace with inflation, and its purchasing power today is far lower than it used to be. The minimum wage should be set at a rate sufficient to support a family of three above the poverty line. In the long run, Congress should move beyond the concept of a minimum wage to a livable wage.