[Livingwage] Fwd: Universal Living Wage

Mon Dec 22 14:33:07 CST 2003

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>Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 14:59:40 -0500
>Subject: Universal Living Wage
>Reply-To: portside at yahoogroups.com
>
>Universal Living Wage - Building Economy with Higher
>Wages
>
>By Richard R. Troxell
>
>It is time to end homelessness. The problem can be
>broken down into three major categories: affordable
>housing, health care, and livable incomes.
>
>Part of the livable income picture includes 42% of
>America's homeless population that the federal
>government says is working. The problem is that the
>federal minimum wage is $5.15 per hour. According to
>the last several U.S. Conference of Mayors' reports,
>$5.15 per hour or $10,300 per year, is an insufficient
>wage for anyone to get and keep housing throughout the
>United States. While some employers are paying $6.00,
>$7.00 or even $8.00 per hour, the wage is still not
>enough to get or keep most folks in housing.
>
>Senator Ted Kennedy has a bill to raise the federal
>minimum wage by $1.50 over the next two years. The
>problem is that the day that bill gets passed, not one
>minimum wage worker can then work themselves off the
>streets in the very city where it is passed.
>
>Others wonder about the approach of paying a flat
>national minimum wage of say $10.00 per hour. Again,
>that would not afford any minimum wage worker an
>efficiency apartment in cities such as Washington D.C.
>or Santa Cruz, California. However, at the same time,
>that flat wage would swamp small businesses all across
>America in cities like Biloxi, Mississippi or
>Harlingen, Texas. In fact, this is Congress's biggest
>problem; one wage size no longer fits all.
>
>It is recognized that the single most expensive item in
>an individuals budget is housing. Amazingly, families
>consisting of one wage earner, a spouse and two
>children, are after forced to live on the minimum wage.
>In response, we've devised a single national formula
>that relates to the local cost of housing across the
>U.S. The Universal Living Wage Formula (ULW) ensures
>that anyone working a 40 hour week will be able to
>afford basic rental housing (i.e. an efficiency
>apartment) wherever that work is done throughout the
>U.S. Using a single formula, each city and Fair Market
>Rent (FMR) designated area has a wage relative to the
>local cost of living based on housing.
>
>The formula is based on existing government guidelines:
>
>o spend no more than 30% of income on housing,
>
>o use HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR),
>
>o work a 40 hour week.
>
>The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
>under its Section 8 housing rental program, annually
>determines what one can reasonably expect to spend on
>rental housing across the U.S. for an efficiency, one,
>two, three, and four bedroom apartment. They are
>referred to as Fair Market Rents(FMR).
>
>Over the past ten years, due to the Herculean efforts
>of local initiatives, the concept of a "living wage"
>has swept across America. However, even with 90 local
>campaigns, less than 100,000 workers are represented.
>Between monied opposition and unorganized rural
>America, this won't bring wage equity for all 10.1
>million minimum wage workers for about 3000 years (if
>then). In 1938, the federal government answered this
>question by creating the Federal Minimum Wage. Our goal
>today is to fix it... to everyone's benefit.
>
>The Universal Living Wage Formula is based on the moral
>premise that anyone working 40 hours should be able to
>afford basic rental housing. To this end, we have
>launched a national campaign that has garnered wide
>spread support across the United States. One aspect of
>the campaign has captured the imagination of unions
>(i.e. the Communication Workers of America
>International boasting 650,000 members) and businesses
>like American Apparel and HSR Construction. It is the
>idea that enactment will create a true Economic
>Stimulus Package as the local construction industry all
>across America responds to the millions of minimum wage
>workers' new ability to rent non-existing efficiency
>apartments.
>
>Based on federal government statistics, it is
>conservatively estimated that, with implementation,
>over one million homeless people will be able to work
>themselves off the streets of America while offering
>businesses stable workers. . . thus avoiding costly
>turnover, repetitive retraining costs, high
>absenteeism, and internal theft.
>
>Finally, the plan will prevent economic based
>homelessness for all 10.1 million minimum wage workers.
>That's true Homeland Security. Voice4Change has
>endorsed this courageous initiative. We encourage you
>to visit the website www.UniversalLivingWage.org and
>have your local organization endorse online.
>
>Richard R. Troxell Universal Living Wage Campaign
>National Chairman National Coalition for the Homeless
>Board Member P.O. Box 2312 Austin, TX 78768 (512)
>796-4366 rrtroxell at aol.com
>
>Forward this as widely as possible:
>http://www.voice4change.org/stories/send2friends.asp?id
>=031219~tnulw.asp
>
>__________________________________________________________________
>
>
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