Workers and Economic Inequality

“America owes its global economic prowess to the ingenuity and drive of its workforce – not to the select few at the top, but to the hundreds of millions of workers and working families who make this country run. Yet these individuals are too often denied the opportunities they deserve as the ultra-rich continue to rig the game against them. We need bold policy solutions to close the historic economic inequality gap we’re witnessing today. And I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with every working American in that fight.”

– Rep. Adam Schiff

For too long, hundreds of millions of working individuals have been shut out of the American dream, as the rich grow richer and workers and working families struggle to make ends meet. Adam believes that America is only as strong as its middle class – which is why he’s been a long-time advocate for bold policies and programs that will close the cavernous wealth gap and help working individuals thrive.

Raising the Minimum Wage

Adam knows it is long past time to raise the minimum wage – because hardworking people should never struggle to make ends meet. He is an original cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour within five years and index it to median wage growth thereafter – lifting millions of Americans out of poverty, stimulating the economy, and helping working individuals support their families and themselves.

Adam also believes that a universal basic income – providing struggling individuals and families with regular small payments to help make ends meet – deserves serious consideration and supports potential pilot projects around the country. Studies show that providing direct financial relief to those caught in the worst cycles of poverty fosters long-term economic prosperity that echoes across generations.

Ensuring the Wealthy and Corporations Pay Their Fair Share

Adam believes the wealthy and large corporations must pay their fair share in taxes. He supports every effort to strengthen enforcement of the U.S. tax code to recover money the wealthy already owe, as well as eliminating loopholes and unfair exemptions – such as tax preferences for fossil fuels – and minimizing opportunities for U.S. companies to evade taxes by relying on tax havens abroad. Adam also strongly supports repealing the tax cuts for the wealthiest and big corporations passed under the Trump Administration.

Supporting the Right to Organize

Adam will always stand with workers and unions as they pursue better lives for themselves and their families. Adam knows that many of the workplace protections Americans enjoy today – from the 40-hour work week and the minimum wage to employer-sponsored health benefits and the end of child labor – are owed to labor organizers and movements, and as income inequality widens, the need for unions has never been greater. He is an original cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would expand critical labor protections related to workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, better schedules, and safer working conditions, in the face of large corporations who seek to undermine these rights.

Protecting Women in the Workforce

Adam is a fervent supporter of equal pay—and believes it is not only an issue of fairness for women but for all working families. He voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed into law in January 2009, which today helps ensure women earn equal pay for the same work done by their male colleagues. It also makes employers who violate sex-based discrimination prohibitions liable in a civil action for either compensatory or punitive damages.

Adam was also an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 with larger penalties for claims of pay discrimination and new protections for employees. Adam has been a cosponsor of this bill since his first term in Congress. Adam is also a proud cosponsor of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against pregnant workers by requiring reasonable accommodations for employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

Helping Small Businesses through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Small businesses have always been an engine of economic growth and have helped power America. Unfortunately, small businesses today are suffering from an uncertain economic climate given the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Adam was proud to support the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, which provided $377 billion in assistance to small businesses through several different avenues including Paycheck Protection Program loans, tax credits, and grants. He also supported President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Adam will continue to fight for small businesses as they continue to rebuild and recover from the pandemic. Click here to learn more about how you and your business can access this assistance.

Small Business Development Centers

The Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Centers Network is part of the nationwide Small Business Development Centers program. More than 1.3 million businesses take advantage of SBDC management advising, education, and instruction every year. Federal, state and local funding enable SBDCs to provide low-cost and no-cost seminars and workshops on a wide variety of subjects such as business plans, incorporation, capital sourcing, marketing, contracting, procurement, and technology. Additionally, business advisors are available by appointment to meet at your place of business.