The historic levels of wealth inequality in our country are an urgent and unsustainable moral crisis with corrosive impacts on our democracy.
Drawing on the long and proud Jewish history of fighting for economic justice, Bend the Arc works to create an economy with liveable wages, paid family leave, and other basic economic rights for the 21st century.
We advocate for a country where the wealthiest pay their fair share, where everyone has a path to a decent life with dignity, and where all are cared for by a stable, robust social safety net.
Current Focus: Protecting the Safety Net and Affordable Housing in LA
Bend the Arc leaders in Southern California took on housing and homelessness work in 2015, because we know that LA’s housing crisis is one of our city’s most pressing local economic and racial justice issues. Rents, evictions, and consequently homelessness are rising with low-income neighborhoods and communities of color being disproportionately burdened.
After helping to pass ballot measures in the spring of 2017, Bend the Arc leaders are working with a progressive citywide coalition to pass a Linkage Fee, which would create a permanent source of affordable housing in LA, as well as other state policies to protect vulnerable tenants and incentivize affordable housing.
Nationally, Bend the Arc continues to advocate for increased minimim wages for federal contractors, as well as to protect the safety net — social security, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act — from harmful cuts.
Making Progress: Key Wins for Economic Justice
In partnership and in coalition with our allies, Bend the Arc's campaign teams and volunteer leaders have won several victories for economic justice in their communities, including:
- Helped pass a historic ballot measure in LA with the potential to end homelessness in the city within the next 10-15 years.
- Won a $15 an hour minimum wage in New York and California in 2016.
- Passed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in California in 2013, extending basic labor protection of overtime pay to 200,000 domestic workers in the state.
- Built support for Department of Labor regulations extending basic labor protections to homecare workers in 2013.
- Passed Proposition 30 in California in 2012, saving the state from drastic cuts to education and social services by increasing the share of taxes paid by the wealthiest.