Survey Shows Downtown San Diego Workers are Being Left Behind

[Judi Lynn]

Survey Shows Downtown San Diego Workers are Being Left Behind


Russell Lewis

KPBS (2004-12-08) A new survey out Wednesday shows a growing number of downtown San Diego workers are being left behind...despite the booming growth in the region. KPBS Reporter Russell Lewis has the story.

The non-profit think-tank Center on Policy Initiatives' released the study. The advocacy organization spoke with three hundred low-wage workers. Officials found 42-percent don't have health insurance, two-thirds don't receive paid sick days and more than half don't get paid vacation. Paul Karr is with the CPI.

Karr: "We've known anecdotally that people struggle with some of the jobs that are available downtown. But this helps kind of measure the ways in which they struggle. And that's really important to understand when we're talking about policy solutions. How do we make sure that San Diegans aren't left behind when as taxpayers, we're investing so much money in revitalizing downtown."
(snip/...)

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kpbs/news/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=715816

[JI7]

1. San Diego has been tradionally Republican, but have had problems

in recent years. does anyone know how they voted in this presidential election ?

[BlueEyedSon]

3. They almost elected a WRITE-IN democratic mayor....

:) :) :)

[LongTomH]

2. We should be concerned

Obviously, we should be concerned for the welfare of all workers, just from a humanitarian standpoint. But, they're also the "canaries in the coal mine" - they're going to be affected before we do. Everything that's happening to the low-wage workers - loss of health benefits, less time off, etc. - will work its way up the pay scales. A lot of middle class people already don't have health care.