Is $15 Enough? Understanding the Struggles of Low Wage Workers

Attention to the struggles of low wage workers has increased over the last decade. Spurred by the Fight for $15 and other organizing efforts, this attention has produced increases in the minimum wage in numerous places as well as pressure on large employers to raise wages. Nevertheless, questions remain about whether raising wages to$15 an hour is enough for workers to meet their basic needs. Existing data suggest that over 40% of U.S. households are a $400 emergency away from crisis, and many workers experience numerous hardships in their daily lives. Without detracting from efforts to push hourly wages toward$15, it is important to understand the experiences of lower wage workers and whether $15 an hour is sufficient to help them make ends meet

Can Healthcare Workers’ Family Incomes Support Their Families?

Despite living in a country with great wealth, the economy does not work for millions of American workers, leading many to focus on raising the minimum wage. An alternative is offering a living wage, or a wage sufficient to meet basic needs without relying on public benefits. One method to determine such a wage is to use basic needs budgeting to estimate costs for households of different compositions, residing in different geographic areas. This study examines whether a living wage is sufficient to eliminate hardships experienced by lower-wage healthcare workers. We describe the hardships healthcare workers’ households experience and hypothesize that households with incomes at/above the threshold for meeting basic needs, compared to those below it, report fewer hardships

“Without Us the Hospitals Wouldn’t Stay Open”: Essential Contributions of Service Workers

Income inequality in the U.S. is on the rise. Attention to the struggles of low-wage workers has increased over the last decade. Spurred by the Fight for $15 and other organizing efforts, this attention has produced increases in the minimum wage in numerous places as well as pressure on large employers to raise wages. Much research on raising wages has focused on macroeconomic effects. However, it is also important to examine effects on workers’ lives. Data collected to document the effects of increasing wages also reveals the meaning and importance of their work. In illustrating workers’ challenges, as well as their pride in and dedication to their work, this brief enhances understandings of the essential contributions workers make to effective hospitals and healthy communities

Bimodal Mesoporous Titanium Nitride/Carbon Microfibers as Efficient and Stable Electrocatalysts for Li–O_2 Batteries

The rechargeable Li–O_2 battery has been considered as a sustainable chemical power source for electric vehicles and grid energy storage systems due to the high theoretical specific energy (∼3500 Wh/kg). The practical performance of Li–O_2 batteries is, however, still far below expectations. This is mainly attributed to the (1) intrinsic sluggish reaction kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), (2) passivation of the electrodes by electrical isolation and pore blocking, and (3) chemical instability of the organic cell components, i.e., electrolyte, polymer binder, and carbon electrode, in the presence of O_2•– and Li_2O_2. It is crucial to develop highly porous, three-dimensional, conducting cathode catalyst/gas diffusion layer (GDL) architectures possessing superior catalytic activity and stability with respect to the ORR and the OER in order to address these issues. All of these requirements prompted us to examine the catalytic performance of porous framework metal nitride electrodes for Li–O_2 batteries

Exploring Multiple Pathways from Low-Wage Work to Worker Health: A Mixed-Methods Study

Scant research has examined the extent to which both economic and non-economic dimensions of low-wage work determine differential exposures to stress, and the extent to which these stressful experiences pose a threat to worker health. The goal of this dissertation study is to explore multiple mechanisms from working conditions of low-wage work to worker mental health. Informed by a theoretical framework derived from social stress theory, this study utilized concurrent mixed methods to gain a fuller and nuanced understanding of vulnerable low-wage workers. This dissertation study used both quantitative and qualitative data from the Pittsburgh Wage Study. Health care workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania completed online surveys and/or participated in in-depth interviews. Path analysis and thematic content analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Quantitative examination demonstrated the significant role of certain working conditions in worker mental health and confirmed the mediating role of stress in the relationships between life stressors and mental health. Qualitative examination revealed four groups of workers, grouped according to the level and source of work-family conflict. These groups suggest that work-family conflict needs to be understood in light of not only work schedules but also other factors that promote or hinder workers’ ability to balance work and life. The qualitative findings provide a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the lack of relationship between work schedules and work-family conflict as revealed by the quantitative analyses, thus illustrating the advantage of employing a mixed-methods approach. It is essential to see the working conditions of low-wage workers as impacting not only the well-being of low-wage workers, but also the network surrounding these workers. Findings from this study will help inform policymakers and institutions of the need for differential strategies to improve working conditions in support of worker mental health. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to providing a living wage, alleviating material hardship, improving workplace policies, and helping workers balance work and family responsibilities