The Ugly Side of Progressive Politics

While I wish I wasn't looking for additional part-time work outside of my current full-time employment, I have been browsing the occasional job site as I ponder this inevitable necessity of additional income in raising a young family. Even in these "economic times," I have tried to maintain the "audacity of hope" of finding something that might be flexible, yet align with my ideals. Needless to say, over the past few months I have come across a range of absurd job expectations along with a host of suspect "phishing-like" employment posts.

There has been one repeated posting for an organization called Grassroots Campaigns Inc that has really raised my ire. This organization claims to have roots in working with the Democratic National Committee in the past and professes to "partner with groups and campaigns to advance good issues, raise money for progressive causes."

What's the big deal?

Well, as a card-carrying, Union member who is not making ends meet, I am scratching my head at this ubiquitous job post wondering where Oregon's 2009 Minimum wage of $8.40 factors in with a written job description that claims it will pay you $24,000 a year for 60-80hrs/wk. Perhaps my math is wrong and my widget calculator has been hacked, but I reckon this breaks down to roughly $7.69/hr or $5.77/hr for a 60 and 80 hour work week, respectively. I recognize there are some complexities with exempt vs non-exempt + overtime being glossed over for dramatic purposes. But as someone who was routinely subjected to 60-100+ hour weeks in a salaried position during Oregon's last recession, I used to joke helplessly that I'd be better off working for less in a menial retail job with good benefits once you weighed my de facto hourly rate with the high out-of-pocket cost of my anemic benefits.

Now it's the next recession and I'm to struggling to keep the flicker of hope aflame when this is the business model for an organization that offers "strategic consulting, fundraising, and field organizing for good causes." I look at who they claim as past and present clients and I start losing a lot of faith really quickly: the Democratic National Committee, MoveOn PAC, Environmental Action, the League of Conservation Voters, the ACLU, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Amnesty International, The Center for American Progress, Working America, Common Cause, Save the Children, and so on. While transparency is a virtue, a written job description that expects to compensate hours worked with less than minimum wage is a poor reflection on all of these organizations when they've hired Grassroots Campaigns to do outreach on their behalf.

It's no wonder people are angry. But instead of just complaining, I shall present a solution as well: I'll start a non-profit called Save the Adults. First order of business, I'll hire Grassroots Campaigns Inc to raise money. After they take their fund-raising fee, I'll then donate to them what's left. Then they can pay their employees "bonuses" to raise their pay to minimum wage for each hour worked. Now that's what I call strategic fund-raising. Madoff and Merill Lynch would be proud!

Comments

[Justin Callaway - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for the comments everyone (Tubby very much included).

Whether union or non-union, the key really is what sjones66 and JimR are saying about the reality of diminishing wages and an increasing cultural expectation of long work hours.

While representation is nice for the over-time, the cost of health-care, school, retirement, etc. have eroded the delicious filling out of the middle of the once savory middle-class existence.

My purpose in sharing my "off the bus" work experiences is to humanize the problem. How can organizations that purport to be progressive, select an organization, like Grassroots Campaigns, that employs a very un-progressive way to achieve their objectives?

"Living wages" are often a part of the progressive political rhetoric. The fact that the DNC and the like have "outsourced" outreach and fund-raising to be conducted in their name by someone expected to work 60-80 hours a week for $24000/yr warrants considerable outrage.

I would very much welcome comments about this point.

Thanks again for your replies to the post.

[sjones66]

tubby,

It's nice that you have that luxury, but most of us don't. Even with a union, you have to work the overtime in mine. They don't give you a choice. And you do it because the money is good.

I don't know where you work, b ut I don't know anyone with a salaried job who doesn't work 10 hour days. that's what the world has become. it's wrong, but this is what "trickle down" economics have wrought. an entire generation of dual income earners who can't afford the down payment on a home because their salaries haven't risen with the cost of living in 30 years.

good times.

[Tubby]

People like you who work more than 40 hours on a salaried job have only yourselves to blame. What, did you forget about the 40-hour work week? And you claim you espouse unionism? I'm salaried and have always maintained the 40 hour work week, except for rare, exceptional occasions. Young punks who spend 9-10 hours or more a day at the office are fools. You made your own nightmare by buying into corporate slavery. At 5pm get up and go home to have dinner with your wife and kids.

Sorry for the rant, but apologists like you just piss me off.

[JimR]

Well, la-di-da for you. But it's not always that simple. Some employers put demands and deadlines on you that are impossible to meet without staying late. Or did you not realize that, oh Great Wise One?

People who think they know everything piss ME off.