Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is not able to fulfill his promise of a fifteen dollar minimum wage to his campaign workers.
A certain irony is demonstrated when Bernie Sanders is forced to reduce hours for his employees in order to pay his campaign workers $15 an hour. Senator Sanders will likely take a dip in the polls as a $15 minimum wage is a vital part of his campaign.
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, the workers union for Sanders’ campaign, expressed their discontent with field workers “making poverty wages” and many workers are not paid a living wage, according to the Washington Post. Field workers in his campaign are only making $13 an hour, a wage below what Sanders is campaigning for. To bring the wage of his workers up to the $15 an hour, Sanders will have to cut hours down from sixty to around forty-three.
In addition, the union rejected Sanders’ offer to raise their wage up to fifteen dollars an hour because then they would be responsible for paying more of their healthcare cost. Those working for Sanders only get 85% of their healthcare premium covered if they make over $36,000 annually. This will affect Sanders’ presidential bid as a big part of his campaign is the promise of free healthcare for all.
Bernie Sanders responded by cutting the hours of workers from 60 to around 43, allowing him to pay workers $15 an hour without actually paying them more money. Later on, Sanders finally gave in and agreed to pay workers $42,000 in salary, limit hours to 50 per week, and pay their full health premium.
Sanders defended his treatment of employees by making the claim that his campaign offers wages and benefits competitive with other campaigns. While this may be true, Sanders has demanded higher pay for McDonald’s and Walmart employees, both of which offer wages competitive with other fast-food chains and department stores. As a result, Sanders is showing his hypocrisy.
Sanders and many socialist Americans are being hit with a reality check after seeing that this campaign is only a small sample size of what would happen if America were to become a socialist nation. Other Democratic candidates like Elizabeth Warren need to take note of what the socialist reality truly is.
Socialism does not make everyone equally wealthy; it makes everyone equally poor. As Winston Churchill said, “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 has helped Americans see the reality that is socialism. Nothing in this world will actually be free. There will be no free healthcare and no free college, as many Democratic candidates are promising during their campaigns. Whether the person who needs the service is paying for it or a wealthy person is paying for someone else’s needs, somebody has to pay for it.
Cover Photo via citadelpoliticss.com