Together, we can ensure that the conditions of work promote the

health and well-being of workers and communities.

July 2022 Newsletter

Updates from the Center

U-POWER Town Halls Shed Light on Community Priorities

One of U-POWER’s goals is to advance Total Worker Health® through innovative research and outreach, guided by community engagement. We recognize that community stakeholders hold unique knowledge of issues faced by workers, their families, and their communities. On July 13, 2022, U-POWER held two Town Hall meetings to further explore partnerships and priorities.

One of the needs most consistently identified throughout the town hall discussions was training and assistance in applying for grants. Grant funding is a keystone of community engagement and academic research both, but limited funding and high demand mean that grants are highly competitive. Nationally, success rates for new grants (rather than continuations of existing programs) are between 10 – 30%. U-POWER looks forward to partnering with organizations to offer technical assistance, including guides to budgeting, common pitfalls and barriers, and grant writing. If your organization is interested in receiving grant writing support, please contact Camie Schaefer at camie.schaefer@utah.edu.

Town hall attendees also noted that other barriers to achieving TWH include lack of communication between organizations, lack of a central repository for information and services, and lack of knowledge about worker rights and health. In the next year from U-POWER, look for resources that will begin to address these gaps, including summaries of research, training, and, of course, additional town halls to further important partnerships.

U-POWER Deep Dive: The Minimum Wage

Why the Minimum Wage?: A First Step Towards TWH

During town hall discussions, attendees were asked to identify key priorities for U-POWER to tackle through research and outreach, and the question of the minimum wage was consistently ranked as a top concern. In this section of U-POWER’s newsletter, we’ll dive into the history of the minimum wage, why it’s become a key talking point among those seeking to protect workers, and the ongoing fight to achieve not only a minimum but livable wage for all Americans.

The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, but that number doesn't give the whole picture. Below are some facts about the minimum wage:

After inflation, people making the U.S. minimum wage make less than they did 60 years ago.
The minimum wage for tipped workers (i.e., workers who earn more than $30 a month in tips) in most states is $2.13—a number that hasn’t changed in 30 years. Economists and activists have called for tipped workers to receive a regular wage.
Agricultural workers are often paid by piece rate, or the amount that they pick. Although on many farms this must equate to the minimum wage, small farms are not required to supplement piece rate earnings.
Some workers with disabilities are paid a subminimum wage of $3.34 an hour. Although the purpose of this rule is to increase job opportunities, activists have called for change and fair compensation for these workers.

History of the Minimum Wage

Click on the image above or here to view a full size infographic.

Who does the minimum wage affect? If you thought of teenagers earning extra money during the summer, you would be partially right—but did you know that over 50% of minimum wage workers are over the age of 25? Minimum wage earners are more likely to live in poverty, especially in high-cost-of-living areas. Low minimum wages also exacerbate inequities, particularly among Black workers and other workers of color who carry the burdens of racism and related injustices. Women disproportionately make up the low-wage workforce, especially Black women and women of color.

What's the impact on health? Low wages are considered an occupational health hazard that can lead to both poor physical health and loss of self-esteem. When comparing the impact of minimum wage on health among four areas (the US, Canada, UK, and Europe), researchers discovered that increases in the minimum wage were associated with reduced smoking rates and lowered prevalenc e of heart disease. Improved physical and mental health has been associated with an increase in the minimum wage among women.

How about housing? The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that in order to afford a two-bedroom rental home, the average full-time worker needs to earn at least $24.90. In high-cost-of-living areas like Washington D.C., the two-bedroom housing wage is more than $25 an hour. To afford a one-bedroom rental in Utah on the minimum wage, a person would need to work 92 hours per week.

The Fight for $15

It’s been over 13 years since the minimum wage was last raised, and workers, activists, scholars, and others are calling for an increase to $15 an hour. In 2021, the Economic Policy Institute testified to Congress that 21% of the US workforce would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage, and such an increase would reduce the gender and racial pay gaps that have plagued American workers since the founding of the country. Fight for 15, a global coalition of “fast-food workers, home health aides, child care teachers, airport workers, adjunct professors, retail employees – and underpaid workers everywhere” has won minimum wage increases for 26 million people across the country. In fact, most American adults (62%) favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15.

Changes have been made in response across the United States, with federal workers and contractors now earning a $15 per hour minimum wage, while 30 states have instituted higher minimum wages than the federal standard. Labor markets are responding too, with many industries raising wages on their own.

However, the fight for fair wages doesn’t stop now. Pew Research Center found that for most U.S. workers, real wages—or, in other words, the purchasing power of a wage—haven't moved much in over a decade. The Fight for $15 has shifted to a fight for a living wage for all Americans.

What is a living wage? The Global Living Wage Coalition combined over 60 definitions to answer this question.

"The remuneration received for a standard workweek by a worker in a particular place sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family. Elements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing, and other essential needs including provision for unexpected events."

Can you live on your wages?

The living wage in Salt Lake City, Utah is calculated at $17.05 per hour for a single adult without children. Do you make a living wage in Utah? Use the Living Wage Calculator from MIT to find out.

Upcoming Events from U-POWER

Save the Date: August Seminar Series on 8/18

Clear your calendars now! Dr. Paloma Beamer, a professor of public health at the University of Arizona, will join U-POWER on August 18^th (4:00 pm MST) to discuss community engagement. Dr. Beamer’s research focuses on environmental contaminants among vulnerable populations, including children, low-wage immigrant workers, Native Americans, and those in the US-Mexico Border Region. The ultimate goal of her work is to develop more effective interventions and policies for the prevention of avoidable cases of certain diseases such as asthma.

Dr. Beamer will describe her work with promotores de salud, or community health workers who serve Spanish-speaking communities.

Join us at the 3rd International Symposium to Advance Total Worker Health®!

The International Symposium to Advance Total Worker Health® will bring together an audience of safety and health professionals, employers, researchers, policymakers, labor representatives, and members of the academic community. The Symposium, held October 11-14, 2022 at the NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, will examine opportunities to make workplaces safer and improve the health and well-being of the global workforce.

Early bird registration is now open! To register, visit the official conference webpage.

U-POWER Community of Practice

Setting Key Priorities

At the 2022 Spring Community Conference, we asked attendees to help U-POWER determine key priorities for our research and outreach. Below are some key themes that conference attendees identified.

Education and research for employers who want to promote physical and mental health, particularly among essential workers
The link between healthy work and affordable housing
Outreach to specific communities
Outreach to undocumented workers to discuss benefits and worker rights
Research to support advocacy towards increasing the minimum wage as well as paid parental leave, sick leave, self-care leaves, and pathways for career growth
Leadership training on inclusive decision-making among employers
Historical, institutional, and interpersonal barriers
Education to implement equity in workplaces

Want to suggest another priority? E-mail camie.schaefer@utah.edu.

Join U-POWER as an Affiliate Member

"Community-based research is necessary to remove the various social, cultural, and logistical barriers that confound the well-intentioned efforts of many public health programs. . . such research has the simultaneous ability to empower communities worldwide through collaboration and partnership."

U-POWER's Community of Practice

Are you concerned about changing the conditions of work? Would you like to see Total Worker Health advanced? Consider joining U-POWER as an Affiliate Member.

Affiliate Members can be researchers conducting work on occupational safety and health, stakeholders from the community, employers, workers, scholars, students, or anyone interested in exploring issues of power at work.

At U-POWER, we believe in the importance of local, specialized knowledge and community engagement. We want to hear your stories, know your input, and share our resources. As we continue to build our center, we want to hear from members of our community. Please consider joining as an Affiliate Member today.

Affiliate members are asked to participate in at least one Center activity annually.

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Total Worker Health® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Participation by the Utah Center for Promotion of Work Equity Research (U-POWER) does not imply endorsement by HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.