Asheville, N.C., City Workers Get Living Wage

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/05/23/asheville-nc-city-workers-get-living-wage/

Asheville, N.C., City Workers Get Living Wage

by James Parks, May 23, 2007

Asheville prides itself on being a tourist and fine arts center in the mountains of western North Carolina. Now the city that includes the largest and most extravagant private residence in the country—the Biltmore House—also can take pride in paying its employees a living wage.

The Asheville City Council voted 5–2 on May 22 to pay all full-time and part-time city employees a minimum of $10.86 an hour or $9.50 with benefits. The council also voted to make payment of the living wage a factor in selecting city contractors.

Council member Brownie Newman told the Asheville Citizen-Times a living wage is good for the city:

There are people who the wages they make working full-time are really not enough to support a family.

A coalition of religious organizations, charities, unions and other groups led the effort to get Asheville’s living wage approved.

A living wage helps to ensure low-wage workers and their families can live above the poverty level. Since 1994, more than 140 communities have enacted living wage laws, which cover a wide range of workers—municipal employees, those working for the city and county contractors, health care workers and college and university employees.

FULL story at link.

[patricia92243]

1. We now have a Democratic City Council. See what a difference having Democrats at EVERY department o

of Government makes!! I'm proud of us!

thanks for the post.