Media Advisory: Monday, September 8th 10 am Press Conference on Proposed Living Wage Ordinance for the County of Sonoma
Marty Bennett
North Bay Jobs with Justice:
Media Advisory Contact: Marty Bennett, 707-510-1420
For Monday, September 8, 2014 mben...@vom.com
Sonoma County Coalition to Unveil Countywide Living Wage Ordinance and Related Fiscal Responsibility Report
Proposal Calls for $15 an Hour and Would Affect Up to 5,000 Low-Wage Workers
A Sonoma County coalition of labor, faith, environmental and community organizations will publicly unveil on Monday, September 8th the living wage ordinance it plans to propose to the county’s Board of Supervisors this fall. The event will also include the release of an independent study of the costs and benefits of the proposed ordinance and testimony by policy experts, home-care providers, county workers and elected officials from Sebastopol, Petaluma, and Sonoma – Sonoma County cities that have implemented Living Wage Ordinances.
Among other provisions, the proposed county legislation will mandate an hourly wage of $15 for all workers employed by the county, county contractors, and private employers receiving public subsidies or leasing property from the county. The ordinance will likely cover as many as 5,000 low-wage workers, such as park aids, animal care assistants, janitors, security guards, and home care providers.
With the proposed law, the County of Sonoma could join a growing nationwide movement to raise the wage floor for all workers. Across the country, 140 cities and counties have already implemented similar living wage ordinances.
WHAT: Release of Sonoma County living wage ordinance proposal and related fiscal impact report.
WHEN: Monday, September 8, 2014 from 10 am to 11:15 a.m
WHERE: The Glaser Center, Unitarian Universalist Congregation,
547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401.
WHO: David Glass, City of Petaluma mayor.
Sarah Gurney, City of Sebastopol councilmember.
Ken Brown, City of Sonoma councilmember.
Jeannette Wicks-Lim, assistant research professor at University of Massachusetts,
Amherst, and co-author of the fiscal impact report.
Representatives from Sonoma County Conservation Action, Sierra Club, North Bay Jobs with Justice, North Bay Labor Council, SEIU 1021, and clergy from local congregations
Impacted home-care providers and county workers.
To RSVP, press must contact Marty Bennett, 707-510-1420 or mben...@vom.com