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Living Wage Campaign and Is on the Steering Committee of the Washtenaw Coalition for a Living Wage

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Living Wage Campaign and Is on the Steering Committee of the Washtenaw Coalition for a Living Wage About the Authors David Reynolds teaches and conducts research for the Labor Studies Center at Wayne State University in Detroit. He worked as a consultant to the Metro Detroit Living Wage Campaign and is on the steering committee of the Washtenaw Coalition for a Living Wage. He headed a research team which conducted two studies on the impact of Detroit's living wage law. Reynolds has a Ph.D. from Cornell University and has worked as a union organizer, a writer for the UAW's national publication Solidarity, and a lecturer in Political Science. He is the author of Taking the High Road: Communities Organize for Economic Change (M.E. Sharpe, 2002). Jen Kern directs the ACORN Living Wage Resource Center. Since 1993, she has worked in ACORN’s National Office in Washington, D.C., providing research support for local ACORN organizers nationwide on issues from insurance and banking discrimination to affordable housing and minimum wage. For the last six years, Jen has worked almost exclusively on the living wage issue — providing campaign materials, research and training to over a dozen ACORN living wage campaigns and providing organizing strategy and material support to the labor, religious, community coalitions that emerge and continue to build the living wage movement. Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the financial support we received from the Max and Anna Levinsen Founda- tion, the New World Foundation, and the French American Charitable Trust. The following people gave gener- ously of their time during interviews and follow up feedback for material related to this guide: Stephanie Luce, UMass, Political Economy Research Linda Wambaugh, Alliance for Progressive Action/ Institute Western PA Living Wage Campaign Kerry Miciotto, Solidarity Sponsoring Committee- Greg LeRoy, Good Jobs First BUILD Cynthia Ward, Citizen for Economic Opportunity, Jeff Ordower, St. Louis ACORN (Formerly Houston) Northeast Action Jim Niland, Minneapolis City Councilor (former) Louise Simmons, University of Connecticut Gyula Nagy, Northern Virginia Living Wage Cam- Tim Costello, Massachussets Contingent Worker paign, Tenants and Workers Support Committee Campaign Jim DuPont, HERE 2850, Oakland Laura Younger, Massachussets Contingent Worker Madeline Janis-Aparicio, LA Alliance for a New Campaign Economy John Leopold, Working Partnerships USA Eddy Inny, SEIU 1877, Los Angeles-LAX Bill Dempsey, Campaign for a Sustainable Milwaukee Reverend Dick Gillette, CLUE, Los Angeles Dee Reynolds, Campaign for a Sustainable Milwaukee Linda Lotz, formerly of CLUE, Los Angeles Muleka Aljuwani, Community Assets (Milwaukee) Bruce Nissen, Florida International University Don Richards, Alderman Milwaukee Ann Sink, Durham Living Wage Campaign Joel Rogers, Center on Wisconsin Strategy Madeline Talbott, Illinios ACORN Laura Dresser, Center on Wisconsin Strategy Lisa Clauson, Massachussets ACORN Rhandi Berth, Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Monica Halas, Greater Boston Legal Services Bruce Colburn, ALF-CIO (Milwaukee, now AFL-CIO John Speier, Kalamazoo Living Wage Campaign Filed Mobilization) Lisa Donner, ACORN National Campaign Director Tammy Johnson, formerly of Progressive Milwaukee (Brooklyn) Dan Cantor, Working Families Party, formerly director Steve Cagan, Cleveland Jobs With Justice of the New Party, NY Charles Murray, Cleveland Catholic Diocese Also thanks to the organizers and participants at the two National Living Wage Campaign Training Conferences held in Boston May, 1998 and Baltimore, November 2000 sponsored by ACORN. The two weekends were not only informative, but a wonderful time. 1 Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................... 4 Part One: The Living Wage Context I. The Basic Issues .............................................................................................................. 7 * Declining Wages and Falling Living Standards * American Business Takes the Low Road * Urban Economic Policy Funds the Low Road * Living Wage Campaigns Start Communities Along the High Road II. Living Wage Campaigns: Case Studies of Seven Cities ................................................. 11 * Milwaukee — Organizing Over the Long Haul * Boston — Organizing Council Support * Chicago — Taking on the Machine * St. Paul — Losing a Battle, Winning the War * Los Angeles — Living Wage and Union Organizing * Pittsburgh — Long-range Movement-Building * St. Louis Ballot Victory Part Two: The Nuts and Bolts III. Strategic Planning .......................................................................................................... 22 * Passing a Law vs. Building a Movement * Ballot or Legislative Pen? * Resources IV. Formulating the Living Wage Ordinance ........................................................................ 30 * Living Wage Laws as of November 2002 * Who Is Covered? * Setting Thresholds * What is a Living Wage? * Beyond Wages — Other Requirements * Enforcement Mechanisms V. Building the Coalition ....................................................................................................... 47 * Why Join? — Different Motivations for Different Groups * Contributions from Different Sources * Getting Started — Tips for Coalition Building * Establishing the Three Legs * Business People for a Living Wage * Coalition Structure * Popular Economics VI. Doing Research ............................................................................................................ 64 * How Much Research Do You Need? * Where to Go, What to Ask For * Finding Wage Information and Impact on Workers * Estimating Overall Impact * A Simple Survey of Non-Profits * Basic Family Budgets VII. Countering the Opposition ............................................................................................ 73 * The Opposition’s Claims * "Know Thy Enemy" -- The Employment Policies Institute * Enter Reality — Responses to the Opposition * The Best Defense is a Good Offense * Two New Opposition Tactics * Opposition from the Left 2 Part Three: Beyond Passing a Living Wage Law VIII. Implementing and Enforcing the Living Wage ............................................................. 92 * Implementation Rules * Organizing for Enforcement IX. From Local Living Wage to an Economic Democracy Movement ................................. 99 * Grassroots Organizing Projects: Baltimore’s Solidarity Sponsoring Committee Union Organizing in Los Angeles ACORN-Labor Partnerships * Making Job Subsidies Accountable * Tackling Contingent Work * Community Economics: Sustainable Milwaukee Working Partnerships USA * Electoral Politics X. From Local Activism to State and Federal Campaigns .................................................. 114 * Vermont Livable Wage Campaign * Minnesota’s Campaign for Corporate Welfare Reform * Corporate Responsibility in Connecticut * Washington State's Minimum Wage Campaign * State and Federal Living Wage Campaigns Part Four: Where to Go for Help and More Information Helpful Contacts .................................................................................................................. 120 * Direct Technical Help * Progressive Think Tanks * Other Notable Groups Written Material.................................................................................................................... 122 * Living Wage Materials * The Economic and Policy Context Living Wage List Serves ...................................................................................................... 125 Appendix: Documents from Living Wage Campaigns Detailed Appendix Table of Contents ................................................................................................. 126 Ordinance Nuts and Bolts .................................................................................................... 127 Organizing Aids ................................................................................................................... 148 Research ............................................................................................................................. 156 Public Relations ................................................................................................................... 175 The Opposition .................................................................................................................... 204 3 Introduction Seeds of an Economic Democracy Movement Sweep the Nation In December 1994, Baltimore’s mayor signed into yers Guild /Sugar law Center have provided invaluable law Council Bill 716 requiring city contractors to pay legal support in some campaigns. And increasingly or- service workers at least $6.10 an hour. The first of its ganizations like local peace and justice groups, the Gray kind in the nation, the new Living Wage ordinance fol- Panthers, homeless advocacy groups, religious leaders, lowed a year long broad-based grassroots campaign or- tax justice organizations, etc. are stepping up to take lead- ganized by the American Federation of State, County and ership roles. Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and a group of 50 multi-denominational churches called Baltimoreans In the few years since the Baltimore campaign, Liv- United in Leadership Development ing Wage coalitions have won local ordi- (BUILD). The victory’s impact spread nances in eighty-one jurisdictions includ- far and wide. Before the win, Charles ing Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Los Angles, Riggs, a 32-year-old who cleaned Ori- Duluth, New Haven,
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