Living Wage Campaigns in the strongEconomic Policystrong Arena Four Case.pdf

Living Wage Campaigns in the Economic Policy Arena: Four Case Studies from California A Report by Carol Zabin and Isaac Martin, Center for Labor Research and Education, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley for The Phoenix Fund for Workers and Communities, The New World Foundation June 1999 Introduction Since Baltimore passed the first living wage ordinance in 1994, the living wage movement has become a national phenomenon. Over twenty-five cities and counties have passed living wage ordinances which require private firms who hold contracts with or receive subsidies from local governments to pay wages substantially higher than the federal minimum wage. Surprising both advocates and opponents, living wage ordinances have passed in over 25 cities and counties, and campaigns are underway in at least 50 other localities. The campaigns focus attention on the impact of public expenditures on the labor market, uniting behind the principle that taxpayers’ money should not be used to pay poverty wages. By spotlighting the plight of the working poor and providing a mechanism for concrete gains, living wage campaigns have been able to draw diverse constituencies into powerful coalitions and have successfully moved local elected officials to action. This paper examines two major elements of the living wage movement: the effectiveness of the living wage movement as an economic strategy to reverse the growing polarization of wages and income in the United States. 1 the effectiveness of the living wage movement as a political strategy to galvanize community and labor organizations into durable coalitions that can reshape urban politics. …th