(Photo Courtesy of The New York Times) “Former president Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania McDonalds”
Conor Moyer
Connector Staff
As the Presidential election nears, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump continue their fight for a crucial voting group: low-wage, working-class voters. Both candidates have been ramping up messaging and pitching new policies recently, aiming to boost their support in the crucial voting block. Harris’s approach focuses on minimum wage increases and paid leave, while Trump’s strategy alleges economic growth through corporate tax cuts, general deregulation, and no taxes on tips. These competing visions could have significant implications for the many UMass Lowell students who work.
Kamala Harris now advocates for a federal minimum wage increase to $15 an hour, a familiar slogan from the 2020 election cycle. The Vice President hopes this policy could reduce growing nationwide inequality, lifting the wages of the lowest-paid workers in America without increasing unemployment. For students struggling to balance school and finances, this proposal could mean fewer hours at work and more time for studies. Isaac Stormont, a sophomore at UMass Lowell, is in favor: “It’s wild to me that the federal minimum’s still only seven dollars and change. Fifteen still isn’t exactly a ‘living wage,’ but it’s a step in the right direction.”
For fellow student and minimum wage worker Kieran Collins, the sentiment is similar: “I’m a college student living under 15 dollars an hour. if that was the pay for my full-time job, i couldn’t live under that. It seems unsustainable.” Harris also supports expanding paid family and medical leave, proposing it could offer crucial stability for working-class families and students facing emergencies. Stormont notes, “Folks can get trapped in a vicious cycle with medical debt,” underscoring the importance of having a safety net for health emergencies.
In contrast, Trump emphasizes concepts of tax cuts and deregulation, aiming to boost the economy in ways he says will eventually benefit workers through job creation. These proposed policies could be pivotal in tightening the swing state polls in the former president’s favor. His recent roleplay as a McDonald’s fry cook in Pennsylvania highlighted this focus. However, some students doubt this supply-side approach will translate to better wages or working conditions. Stormont expresses skepticism: “Deregulation and tax cuts… I fail to see how that sentiment’s any different than trickle-down economics.”
The election’s outcome seemingly hangs on which policies working-class voters believe in more: Harris’s push for a higher minimum wage and expanded benefits or Trump’s emphasis on deregulation and tax cuts. Ultimately, working-class voters and students alike have a choice at the ballot box, a choice that’ll affect both their economic future and the path that America will take in the 21st century. In just a week, it’ll be seen which of these policies resonated with workers the most, and what path the republic will take.
