A Living Wage: How to Make the Economy Work for Everyone

Monday, April 27, 2015
7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Parkville branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library
8815 Tom Watson Parkway, Parkville, MO 64152

To register: http://srp.mcpl.lib.mo.us/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp?df=list&Lib=ALL&...

Most jobs added since the recession have paid low wages, and government programs increasingly fill the gap between what workers are paid and what they need to survive. In a changing global economy, finding the best way to make the economy work for everyone is a challenge. While a majority of Americans want the minimum wage increased, others say that doing so will hurt the most vulnerable, or that raising the minimum does not go far enough. (The discussion guide is attached.)

Join us for a discussion from a community perspective. Work in small groups to share your stories, consider different ways to approach the living wage issue, and find out where there might be common ground for action. Each small group will be led by a trained moderator to keep the conversation on track and lively. A report on the results of the forum will be provided to the public and to local and state officials.

This is one of three public forums on the living wage, the first issue being addressed by the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Local Issues Project. The project is an ongoing effort to identify issues of real concern in the library’s communities and to provide residents with a venue for discussion and problem-solving. For this first year, the library has asked Consensus, the nonprofit public engagement organization, to help identify issues and hold the conversations. For information about Consensus, contact jenwilding@consensuskc.org.