Anatomy of Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign

Abstract

Vermont's Livable Wage Campaign stands out for the way in which it combined winnable goals, such as raising the state's minimum wage, with a long-term strategy to raise awareness and activism about the increasing wage gap between family needs and available jobs. Key participant Ellen Kahler describes how the campaign moved from building public recognition of the issue, to labor-community action, to activism among the state's small business community.