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Absender : meisenscher@igc.apc.org (Michael Eisenscher) Org.-Empf. : LABNEWS@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU Weiterleiter owner-labnews@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU Antwort an : LABNEWS@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU Betreff : Oakland Adopts "Living Wage" Policy Datum : Do 26.03.98, 15:38 (erhalten: 29.03.98) Groesse : 9310 Bytes ----------------------------------------------------------------------
`Living Wage' Effort May Sprout Wings Organizers flush with Oakland success Thaai Walker, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, March 26, 1998 C'998 San Francisco Chronicle
Now that Oakland has passed a law requiring companies doing business with the city to pay a ``living wage,'' organizers are figuring out where to take their campaign next. The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt the Jobs and Living Wage Ordinance -- a mandate that businesses receiving service contracts or subsidies from the city pay their workers at least $8 an hour with benefits, or $9.25 without. Oakland became the 17th city nationwide to enact such a law and the first in the Bay Area. Organizers of the campaign -- a coalition of labor and community groups and churches -- say the idea is sure to spread.
``Every time one of these passes, the buzz moves across the country and it becomes an inspiration to other cities,'' said Jen Kern, a spokeswoman with the national office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which spearheaded the movement.
In the Bay Area, organizers haven't yet figured out which city they will turn to next. Among the possibilities are San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Fremont and Hayward.
``It's an idea that's really starting to roll,'' said Owen Marron, executive secretary of the Central Labor Council of Alameda County. ``I even got a call from the Detroit labor council today asking us to send them information about Oakland's ordinance.'' Organizers in San Francisco have been discussing drafting a living wage proposal for the past few months, said Josie Mooney, executive director of the Service Employees International Union Local 790.
``There's definitely a commitment to make San Francisco a living wage city, too,'' Mooney said.
In Contra Costa County, a new coalition of churches and labor organizations will meet for the first time today, and one of the top goals will be bringing the living wage campaign to that region, said John Dalrymple, executive secretary of the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council.
``This is a county with one of the highest median incomes in the state, yet there is a lot of poverty,'' Dalrymple said.
Oakland's ordinance is considered one of the strongest in the nation. It requires companies doing more than $25,000 a year in business with the city or receiving more than $100,000 in subsidies to pay workers substantially above the state minimum wage of $5.75 an hour. It is expected to benefit as many as 400 workers.
The law will go into effect July 1.
Businesses with fewer than five employees and nonprofit organizations are exempt. The requirement also does not apply to businesses in the private sector.
Business groups were unenthusiastic about Oakland's move, pointing out that the City Council approved the living wage without knowing how much it will cost to monitor the program or what the fiscal effects will be for the city and businesses. ``At this point, without a thorough fiscal analysis, it would be inappropriate to move forward on this -- it could have a significant impact,'' said Michael Prosio, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association.
C'998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A21
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