The Atlantic: more tales of Vermont workers

Alana Semuels documented the struggles of low-wage Vermont workers in an article earlier this week in The Atlantic. Now she has painted another, more hopeful picture. “A New Business Strategy: Treating Employees Well” focuses on employees at King Arthur Flour in Norwich. What Semuels describes will seem like a flashback to people of a certain age who remember a time when companies were expected to offer things like pensions and health insurance and Christmas bonuses.

King Arthur Flour is also an employee-owned company, which is one way to combat the growing problem of income inequality. More enlightened tax policies and a higher minimum wage also have to be part of the mix. But the goal needs to be to move more people to a livable wage that will enable them to support themselves and their families.