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Advocacy

Wildfire is investing in collaborative strategies that ensure both businesses and employees can thrive in our economy. In addition to engaging in policy solutions at the state and local level, Wildfire is working directly with businesses to advance a quality jobs strategy that actively invests in employees to ignite far reaching returns for everyone in Arizona.

Igniting Change

Raise Arizona

Is an initiative working to increase the number of employers in Arizona voluntarily paying a living wage and to provide them exposure to consumers who support their efforts. Learn more about Raise Arizona and how you or your business can get involved at raisearizona.org.

raisearizona.org

The Wildfire Toolkit

Wildfire is directly engaging Arizona’s employers to educate them on strategies to eliminate race, gender, and ability wage gaps. Download Wildfire’s toolkit to learn more about the issue and steps you can take today.

Jobs Matter

 

Slide 1

The US economy is undergoing rapid transformation and as a result, workers and businesses are facing challenges that stand to dramatically shape the future of work and economic well-being. The growth of independent contractors in the workforce, the displacement of workers due to the rise of advancing technologies and automation, the decrease in middle income jobs coupled with the significant rise of low wage work, and the focus on short–term profits over long-term well-being all pose challenges that must be addressed. Additionally, this is occurring at a time when persistent racial and gender inequities, wage stagnation, and income and wealth inequality are already leaving too many American workers behind.

At Wildfire, we believe that together we can adapt to and influence this changing landscape while building an economy that allows all Arizonans to thrive. We must rethink the way we value workers vs. profits, protect the workplace benefits that promote financial security while expanding those benefits to everyone, build inclusive and equitable workplaces, and effectively prepare everyone to participate in an evolving economy.

Key Statistics

White Men Out-earn Black and Hispanic Men and All Groups of Women

Median hourly earnings as a percent of white men’s earnings

Note: Estimate are for all civilian, non-institutionalized, full- or part-time workers ages 16 and older with positive earnings. Self-employed workers are excluded. Hispanics are of any race. Whites, blacks and Asians include only non-Hispanics. Asians include Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. Source: Pew Research Center tabulations of Current Population Survey Data.
50%

receive under $15 an hour

50% of the US workforce is in a job that pays under $15 an hour.

Annually, it is estimated that the U.S. loses $78 to $87 billion due to lost output from people with criminal records. The U.S. incarcerates more of its citizens than any other country on earth. And while African Americans and Hispanics make up 32% of the overall population, they compromise 56% of those incarcerated in the U.S.

Low-Income Workers

When compared to high-income workers, low-income workers are

Low-Income Workers

Wage Stagnation

Middle-class wages are stagnant—Middle-wage workers’ hourly wage is up 6% since 1979, low-wage workers’ wages are down 5%, while those with very high wages saw a 41% increase.

Cumulative change in real hourly wages of all workers, by wage percentile*, 1979-2013

Wage Stagnation

*Low wage is 10th percentile, middle wage is 50th percentile, ver high wage is 95th percentile. Source: EPI analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation group microdata. Reproduced from Figure F in “Why America’s Workers Need Foster Wage Growth—And What We Can Do About It”.

 

we believe we can stop poverty before it starts.

we believe we can ignite lasting change.

we believe we can create an Arizona where all may thrive.

Wildfire
  • 340 E Palm Lane, Suite 315, Phoenix, AZ 85004
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  • F (602) 604.0644
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