Wages shouldn’t fall behind the cost of living.

Yet that’s the reality for millions of working people across the United States. Inflation has driven the price of rent, groceries, transportation, and healthcare through the roof, while wages have largely remained stagnant. For labor workers, the people who power our cities, systems, and supply chains, the consequences are devastating.

But here’s the truth: it’s labor’s job to raise the bar. We’re the ones who fought for the 8-hour workday. We pioneered the 5-day workweek. We demanded weekends, workplace safety, and better pay. The standards we all benefit from today exist because labor refused to settle for less.

Inflation Recovery is a continuation of that tradition. It’s not just an idea—it’s a responsibility. At its core is a belief that all unions should ensure that every labor worker is paid a living wage.

This ensures not just survival, but stability and dignity.

A STANDARD WE SET

Starting Pay: All entry-level labor positions should pay at least 10% above the cost of living in the region they’re based in. This prevents new workers from immediately falling into economic insecurity due to rising prices.

Top Pay: Maximum salaries should be designed so that housing costs never exceed ~30% of take-home pay.. a national benchmark for affordability. In a city like NYC, for example, where the average rent for a modest one-bedroom is around $3,200/month, top labor salaries should be no less than $116,000/year to maintain that standard of living.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Housing Insecurity Is a Labor Issue: Across the country, workers are spending more than half their income on rent. In major cities like NYC, that number can reach 60% or more. The standard should be 30%. Labor must demand pay structures that reverse this imbalance.

Groceries and Essentials Are Draining Families: From 2022 to 2023, food prices rose nearly 10% in metro areas like New York, but similar spikes hit workers in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago. For working families, that means nearly double the grocery bill compared to just a few years ago.

Transportation Costs Keep Rising: Gas, insurance, tolls, and car maintenance have all gone up. And while public transit workers may ride for free in some cities, that doesn’t apply across the board, and it certainly doesn’t shield their households from broader inflationary impacts.

BIGGER PICTURE

Stronger Local Economies: When labor gets paid fairly, that money doesn’t sit in offshore accounts, it gets spent locally. From grocery stores to barbershops, workers fuel small business growth and local development.

Better Retention, Better Morale: When workers feel valued and secure, they stay. They engage. They deliver. Fair wages aren’t just good policy.. they’re good business.

THE PHILOSOPHY FOR IT

We have to stop treating inflation like an inconvenience and start addressing it like the structural threat it is to working-class stability. If we ignore it, we normalize falling further behind. If we confront it, we set the next generation of labor up to thrive.

Inflation Recovery is a labor agenda rooted in fairness, foresight & our historical duty to lead, not follow, on worker standards.

This isn’t a handout.
It’s a correction.
It’s not radical.
It’s responsible.
And it’s not optional.
It’s overdue.

Let’s redefine what fair compensation means in an age of rising costs, and let’s make sure labor is always ahead of inflation, not behind it.