HarmonyVote

Initiative Title: Universal Living Wage Guarantee Act

Description:

1. Definition of Living Wage:
   Adopt internationally accepted living wage benchmarks based on cost-of-living assessments that include food, housing, healthcare, transportation, education, and modest savings. Regional and national variations will be accounted for.

2. National Living Wage Frameworks:
   Require all countries to adopt and regularly update national living wage policies through independent commissions, involving labor unions, economists, and civil society representatives.

3. Binding Legislation and Enforcement:
   Replace or supplement statutory minimum wages with binding living wage laws across all sectors. Employers must comply, and governments must fund labor inspection and enforcement agencies.

4. Global Treaty on Living Wages:
   Establish a UN-backed treaty obligating signatory states to uphold living wage principles, with peer reviews, compliance monitoring, and progress indicators tied to SDG and ILO benchmarks.

5. Support for Low-Income Countries:
   Create a global fund to support countries with weaker economies in implementing living wages, preventing job loss or inflationary shocks. Assistance includes wage subsidies, technical support, and transition financing.

6. Living Wage Requirement in Trade and Procurement:
   Mandate that companies benefiting from public contracts, international aid, or global trade privileges pay living wages throughout their operations and supply chains.

7. Public Transparency Portal:
   Launch a global digital platform listing living wage benchmarks, compliance data, and company disclosures. Consumers and workers can access this data freely.

8. Worker Empowerment and Whistleblower Protections:
   Establish secure channels for workers to report wage violations anonymously, with legal protections against retaliation and public accountability for violators.

Possible Outcomes and Implications:

• Poverty Reduction at Scale: Ensures no one working full time lives in poverty—shifting millions out of extreme deprivation.
• Stronger Economic Growth: Increases consumer demand, local productivity, and economic resilience through fair compensation.
• Improved Health and Education Outcomes: Families earning a living wage can invest in healthcare, schooling, and long-term well-being.
• Global Labor Standards Alignment: Reduces the race to the bottom and levels the playing field across countries.
• Increased Worker Dignity and Equity: Recognizes all labor as worthy of fair compensation and human dignity.

Votes: