Economic Opportunity
Growing up in a working family and immigrant household, Qasim learned about the importance of hard work at a young age. He got his first job at a union Dominick’s at just 15 years old, while a student at Glenbard South. And he’s been working ever since. Qasim grew up in Section 8 housing, and public welfare programs provided him the foothold he needed to take his first steps into his eventual legal career. Since then, prices have gone up on everything from education to food to housing, but wages remain stagnant and it’s harder than ever for working families to get a leg up. Under our current system, wealth and income inequality is worse now than it was during Qasim’s childhood. Qasim is a firm believer in economic justice and that everyone should have a strong foundation to build their lives on. Qasim will:
Invest in career building and small businesses:
- Fight for debt free college and trade schools so that people can get the training they need to build their careers.
- Break up monopolies and anti-competitive industries to spur competition, innovation, and lower prices.
- Crack down on companies who have been price gouging working families on everything from food to cars.
Protect workers rights:
- Pass the PRO act to support working people’s right to unionize and advocate for fair wages and benefits.
- Support a $17 federal minimum and tipped wage.
- Deliver federally mandated paid sick and parental leave.
- Crack down on union busting.
Hold Billionaire corporations accountable:
- Get corporate money out of politics to restore political power to working people.
- Penalize big companies like Walmart that pay their workers poverty wages and rely on corporate welfare to subsidize their payroll.
- Stop stock buybacks so that companies invest in their workers and infrastructure.