Making the American Dream Attainable for Everyone

ReShonda Young is being honored as a Working Family Champion of Change

It was a great surprise to receive a phone call from the White House, notifying me that I had been chosen as a Working Families Champion of Change. As I go about my business, doing what I believe to be the right thing to do for our employees, I really never thought I was doing anything special. My goal has always been to make sure that our workers have a fair shot at living the American Dream. The "American Dream" should be something that is attainable for everyone who chooses to work hard and play by the rules. 

When I started fighting for health care reform in 2009, I did so because the failed system that was in place made health insurance unaffordable for my dad's small business to provide health insurance for our employees. The policies we were shown also denied health benefits for several of our employees due to pre-existing medical conditions, or for being overweight. Knowing that most of our employees had no health insurance in place, and had no way of paying for it on their own, was a huge concern for us. We knew that an illness or an accident could put our employees in a situation where they had to choose between getting the medical care that they need, and paying their rent/mortgage, utilities, or buying food. Those aren't choices anyone should have to make. Working with the Iowa Citizens Action Network and the Main Street Alliance allowed me to have a voice. Being able to testify before Congress about the need for health care reform in 2009 attracted enough attention for us to be able to get better options presented to us, and a health insurance plan in place for our employees that did not exclude their pre-existing conditions.

Another area that has been a huge issue for me in trying to make sure that not just our workers, but workers in general, have a fair shot at attaining the American Dream is bringing attention to the need for an increase in the minimum wage. Although we do not pay our employees minimum wage, we are directly affected by the minimum wage. Minimum wage jobs put us at a disadvantage when we are bidding for jobs against employers who pay minimum wage. It also affects my retail business. A lot of minimum wage workers don't have the disposable income to be able to patronize my business. We often are asked if we accept food stamps, which shows there is interest in our product. Unfortunately, we do not meet the guidelines to be able to accept food stamps.

Finally, there is a great need for things to change for women. When a woman is working the same job as a man, with the same education and qualifications as a man, and is only earning $0.77 to $0.78 to every $1 the man is earning, we have an issue that is not only a woman's issue, but a family issue, and an economic issue. I have fought to make sure women at our companies are paid the same as our male counterparts. That has not always been the case, but awareness is key, which is why I believe the Paycheck Fairness Act is critically important.

I will continue to fight for these issues, and others. As long as equality is not a reality, none of us are truly able to live the lives we are meant to live.

ReShonda Young is the Operations Manager and Corporate VP for her dad's businesses, Alpha Express Inc. and Alpha Services Inc., based out of Waterloo, IA. She is also the founder and owner of Popcorn Heaven, a gourmet popcorn store with headquarters in Waterloo, IA.