“We have to come up with affordable daycare”
Richmond News
April 15, 2009

….[Sue] Wallis, who has served on the executive of the Hospital Employees Union, recently retired and is now taking classes part-time with the aim of earning a medical office assistant certificate.

Low wages, unaffordable housing and a lack of affordable daycare all make it almost impossible for many working families to get by, Wallis said.

She added some employers are taking advantage of the current recession to lay people off, or cut wages or benefits, or both.

The more people have their wages cut or lose their jobs, the worse it becomes for the economy.

"It is just a vicious circle," she said.

Wallis wants to see minimum wages increased.

"We have to come up with affordable housing," she adds. "We have to come up with affordable daycare."…