slides Santa Clara Living Wage campaign
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Marty Bennett
Aug 31, 2014, 11:51:42 AM8/31/14
to Living Wage Coalition Google
North Bay Jobs with Justice list:
As requested by many who attended the living wage forum on August 23rd in Santa Rosa, I will send separately the slides from the presentation by Elly Matsumura, from Working Partnerships USA, about the living wage campaign for the County of Santa Clara. The Santa Clara Board of Supervisors passed a resolution that includes the main provisions of the ordinance. This and other links to the campaign are below. There are many similarities with our campaign in Sonoma.
M.Bennett
Co-chair
San Jose Mercury News
May 20, 2014
Santa Clara County Takes Step Towards "Cutting Edge" Living Wage Ordinance
by Eric Kurhi
SAN JOSE -- With an eye toward giving a leg up to low-paid employees in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County took the first step Tuesday toward creating a living wage ordinance that would go far beyond dictating minimum pay for those who do county-related work.
The ordinance would affect county workers and those employed by companies contracted by the county, and put health care, job security and other quality-of-life requirements in the mix of guaranteed benefits."We know there are a lot of people out there who are underpaid," said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who co-wrote the proposal with Supervisor Dave Cortese. "Despite strong economic growth, the income equality has never been worse."
In unanimously approving the the proposal, the board directed staff to begin a potentially arduous process of finding out the best way to carry out what the staff report calls a "cutting-edge" ordinance, "the most comprehensive and effective" in the nation.
"It is a daunting task," said County Executive Jeff Smith, who explained that there will be various complications, such as union represented contractors and the sheer magnitude of companies the county is involved with. He said staff will explore the issue and return in June, with a goal of approving a specific plan by the end of summer.
"We will focus on the areas that will get the biggest bang for the buck," he said, "without creating a whole new department in the county to monitor the issues." While an ordinance wouldn't have any affect on businesses not involved with the county, co-writer Cortese said a program would be put into effect to reward those that abide by the rules in the form of a "Family Friendly Business" placard, similar to the green designation issued to companies that meet environmental guidelines.
The plan was applauded by labor groups, who had a contingent at the board meeting to hold signs aloft and speak in its favor. Nobody spoke against it, although members of the business community have opposed wage ordinances in the past. "The Family Friendly Business proposes to use the power of those folks who want to do the right thing," Cortese said. "Some businesses say, 'We are already doing that.' We'd reward them for that so they can lead their peers."
The Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, which was opposed to San Jose's 2012 minimum wage ordinance, did not have a representative available for comment on Tuesday.
The proposal's authors said they want numerous updates from staff as the process moves along to keep abreast of plans.Supervisor Joe Simitian agreed.
"We need to take time to do it right, not fast," Simitian said. "This is no small order. ... These are all admirable goals but none are easy to achieve or we would have by now."
Simitian said he carries the cause close to his heart, because he grew up with a divorced single mom who worked as a schoolteacher and wasn't offered the same wages as her male peers. He also said that as a boy growing up in Palo Alto, there was an old-time sense of community fostered by a more economically diverse populace, something that resonates in the proposed ordinance.
"This is thought of as a very progressive agenda," he said, "but in many ways it's the most old-fashioned Norman Rockwell vision of community that you could conjure up."
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