Overview
In cities and counties across the country Americans are asserting their right to a job at a living wage. This campaign has been built around the idea that those who work full time are entitled to live above the real poverty line. Professor and public interest lawyer William Quigley, who helped lead the fight to give the workers of New Orleans a raise, presents the moral case for doing so, and argues that Americans should codify the right to a job at a living wage in the Constitution.
Full Product Details
Author: William Quigley
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.
Imprint: Temple University Press,U.S.
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.531kg
ISBN: 9781592130320
ISBN 10: 1592130321
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 18 June 2003
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
""Bill Quigley draws on the common sense of Thomas Paine, the moral inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the political wisdom of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to issue a bold challenge for our society: to guarantee people who want to work the right to a job at a living wage. In a brave and witty book that is both visionary and practical, Quigley reminds us that if once radical ideas like social security and the abolition of slavery can become realities, then the current partnership between poverty and work can be upended too."" --Lani Guinier, Professor of Law and co-author of The Miner's Canary ""Bill Quigley's book makes us believe that America can really change for the better and provide a decent job and a fair wage to hard-working families. This is a very important book. Bill brings a lifetime of knowledge and commitment to this; and he really shows us, step by step, how it can be done."" --Sister Helen Prejean, social activist and author of Dead Man Walking ""Quigley, an active public interest lawyer and law professor, makes a good case for a constitutional amendment that requires a living wage job for everyone. The living wage is currently about double the level of the current minimum wage, and would, with full-time employment, provide enough income for a family's basic needs. The living wage would thereby lift the working poor above the poverty level. Quigley discusses both the present poverty definition and his proposal for revising it to a higher level. While eliminating poverty is a utopian ideal, he believes it is possible. The author thoroughly discusses why his plan is needed and reports on public support for the living wage and for guaranteed employment opportunities. He does not discuss how political opposition to his plans can be overcome, however. While he believes that the US economy can be redirected to produce a maximum number of jobs, this reviewer is skeptical that the political will to implement the plan exists. Liberals will applaud the plan, while conservatives will oppose it because it expands government's role in the economy and reduces the need for personal responsibility. Nevertheless, a timely and interesting topic that makes for good reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended."" --Choice ""While it will not solve America's poverty crisis, Quigley's book stands as a call to arms to the American public to act, to think, and to consider his proposal not just for the sake of charity, but for the sake of the country."" --Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law
Bill Quigley draws on the common sense of Thomas Paine, the moral inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the political wisdom of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to issue a bold challenge for our society: to guarantee people who want to work the right to a job at a living wage. In a brave and witty book that is both visionary and practical, Quigley reminds us that if once radical ideas like social security and the abolition of slavery can become realities, then the current partnership between poverty and work can be upended too. --Lani Guinier, Professor of Law and co-author of The Miner's Canary Bill Quigley's book makes us believe that America can really change for the better and provide a decent job and a fair wage to hard-working families. This is a very important book. Bill brings a lifetime of knowledge and commitment to this; and he really shows us, step by step, how it can be done. --Sister Helen Prejean, social activist and author of Dead Man Walking Quigley, an active public interest lawyer and law professor, makes a good case for a constitutional amendment that requires a living wage job for everyone. The living wage is currently about double the level of the current minimum wage, and would, with full-time employment, provide enough income for a family's basic needs. The living wage would thereby lift the working poor above the poverty level. Quigley discusses both the present poverty definition and his proposal for revising it to a higher level. While eliminating poverty is a utopian ideal, he believes it is possible. The author thoroughly discusses why his plan is needed and reports on public support for the living wage and for guaranteed employment opportunities. He does not discuss how political opposition to his plans can be overcome, however. While he believes that the US economy can be redirected to produce a maximum number of jobs, this reviewer is skeptical that the political will to implement the plan exists. Liberals will applaud the plan, while conservatives will oppose it because it expands government's role in the economy and reduces the need for personal responsibility. Nevertheless, a timely and interesting topic that makes for good reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. --Choice While it will not solve America's poverty crisis, Quigley's book stands as a call to arms to the American public to act, to think, and to consider his proposal not just for the sake of charity, but for the sake of the country. --Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law
Author Information
William P. Quigley is a Professor of Law and Director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University, New Orleans. He has been an active public interest lawyer for over 20 years, and served as counsel for a wide range of public interest organizations on issues including public housing, voting rights, death penalty, living wage, civil liberties, educational reform and constitutional rights. Quigley has litigated numerous cases with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., and has been General Counsel for the ACLU of Louisiana since 1985. He has served as Chair of the Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and with many other local, state, and national legal and civil rights organizations. Well known in Louisiana, this winter he helped push through a measure that raised the income of many New Orleans residents by one dollar an hour.
