Urban Communities Seek Lift Through Living Wage

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from In These Times:



Urban Communities Seek Lift Through Living Wage

Tuesday
December 22

12:03 pm

By Michelle Chen


Economic indicators may be bouncing back this holiday season, but the working poor aren't so lucky. As they're forced to work harder for less pay and bills pile up, the floor seems to be falling out from under them.

But one thing that's rising is a grassroots movement for living wages. Recent actions in New York City and Los Angeles show that a combination of equitable social policy and local pressure can "raise the floor" for struggling workers.

Today, 14 states and the District of Columbia have set a wage floor higher than the federal minimum, which, according to the Economic Policy Institute, has steadily eroded in value since the 1960s. Still, even those standards often fall well below what's needed to sustain a household. (The statewide minimum wage of $8 per hour in Massachusetts, according to the Living Wage Project, is merely one-quarter of the income needed to support a two-adult, two-child family.

To help narrow the gap between low wages and human needs, a grassroots movement has pushed for living wage ordinances, which typically set a pay standard for employers contracted in government-sponsored projects. Nationwide, scores of cities have lifted up the wage floor to help ensure that taxpayer investments don't condemn working people to poverty. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5352/urban_communities_want_a_lift_through_a_living_wage/