[Livingwage] Re: Living Wage, CCNH

[Belden Fields]

Hello All,

	I have been doing some research on the Living Wage and the use of  
St. Louis and Milwaukee to justify paying Nursing Home Employees less  
than what a family of four needs to remain just at the poverty line.

First, I want to point out that the Living Wage ordinances in both  
cities apply only to private businesses that receive money from  
taxpayer-funded contracts or that are getting publicly funded  
assistance.  I will have to do more research, but I doubt that any  
employees of the cities themselves are getting less than a living  
wage set at a family of four.  In our county, we are talking about  
public employees.  It seems to me that public bodies ought to be  
setting the example for private employers, not to be paying Walmart  
wages.

Second, while it is true that St. Louis sets the level at a family of  
three, they also set the percentage of it at 130%.  So, in St. Louis,  
the living wage for a worker in 2006 would be $22,133 ($16,600 for a  
family of three, plus $5,533 for the additional 30%).  That is MORE  
than the $20,000 for a family of 4.

It is true that St. Louis offers the lowest Living Wage of any city  
that has adopted it.  But remember, we are talking about public  
employees, while Milwaukee is applying it only to the private sector  
that contracts with the city or gets public subsidies.

Belden


On Sep 12, 2006, at 7:55 AM, Jenny Putman wrote:

> Mike, Belden,
> i erred in assuming the LW discussion would return to the agenda of  
> the Finance Comm for its Sept 14 meeting. (I simply did not  
> communicate well with commitee chair Brendan McGinty.
>
> I can ask him to place the matter on the agenda for the Oct mtg.
>
> Meanwhile, CCNH Administrator Andrew Buffengarger will be the guest  
> of the League of Women Voters for its Thurs, 9/14 mtg at the Urbana  
> Free Library, noon.
>
> Pls stay in touch,
> Jenny
>
>
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