Winter 2006 Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE MOBILIZER ISSUE NO. 9 A newsletter serving San Francisco Winter, 2006 “Jobs for All at a Living Wage” Help Raise Wages for 15,000 Workers More than 15,000 homecare The key amendments are – the welfare-to-work transition to workers, non-profit workers, airport 1. Parity for home care and non- $10.77 per hour. workers and CalWORKs parents profit workers with workers at for- For recipients of the county would receive significant wage profit companies that contract with the General Assistance grant and Personal increases from proposed City. Assisted Employment Services improvements to San Francisco’s Under current law, home care stipend, the number of hours required living wage law. workers and non-profit workers are to maintain eligibility would be based On November 22, Supervisors only required to be paid $9 per hour on the amount in the living wage law. Tom Ammiano and Jake McGoldrick instead of the $10.77 per hour required 3. Annual cost-of-living increases introduced the amendments to the for workers at for-profit businesses. based on the Bay Area Consumer Minimum Compensation Ordinance. 2. Inclusion of CalWORKs Price Index to keep up with inflation. The Budget/Finance Committee mothers and other workfare workers in Previous cost-of-living increases will hold a public hearing on the the Living Wage law. in the living wage law stopped after Ammiano/McGoldrick amendments CalWORKs grants are diverted to three years. on Wednesday, March 1, at 1 p.m., in private employers that pay them out as With this year’s Consumer Price City Hall room 263. wages at the San Francisco minimum Index increase of 2.31 percent, the rate A rally will take place beforehand wage of $8.82 per hour. in the living wage law would rise to at 12 noon on the Civic Center-side Employers would be required to $11.02 per hour. steps of City Hall. add on to the wage to bring parents in Continued on page 4 Living Wage Coalition 522 Valencia St. #1 San Francisco, CA 94110 page 2 Winter, 2006 THE MOBILIZER Winter, 2006 Homeless shelter workers fight for a living wage Robert Bustamonte and Ricardo Ammiano/McGoldrick amendments Moran work at the City’s biggest passed. homeless shelter. “Five or six of the Multi-Service Robert has worked for the Multi- Center’s workers went to the recent Service Center South (MSC-South) December 1 rally at City Hall. These for three years as a program aide. He workers lobbied the Supervisors’ is a Monitor, directing clients to the offices, not just by themselves, but as various services such as health care part of a large Living Wage Coalition and counseling. delegation. Our union representative Ricardo has worked on the was at the rally and she spoke, and the janitorial staff for over a year at MSC- workers have been getting support South. There are more than 60 people from their union at the workplace,” on the staff. The kitchen and janitorial Robert said. staff are members of the Office and “Workers are being urged to call Professional Employees International their Supervisors, and the union is Union (OPEIU) Local 3. working with us on that. There is an The non-profit agency St. Vincent in-house flyer on the union bulletin DePaul Society is funded by the City board at the workstation. Almost to run the shelter. everyone there has signed a petition. Ricardo makes $10.30 per hour, Management has to respect that. As a although other janitors at MSC-South group, the employees are supportive make as little as $10.10 per hour. l – Robert Bustamonte, r- Ricardo Moran, of the amendments,” Robert said. They have only had only one wage photo credit: Alice Rogoff How do they manage to live in increase in the past three years. San Francisco on their current wages? Robert and Ricardo are go up to $10.77 and, with a cost of Robert lives in a rent-controlled supporting actively the living increase, to $11.02,” Robert apartment, otherwise, he said smiling, Ammiano/McGoldrick amendments to said. he’d have to live with his mother. the living wage law. Ricardo added that “The work is Ricardo shares rent with three other “Under the Ammiano / not easy, and the wages should go up. roommates, as well as working part- McGoldrick amendments, the City Our own boss recognizes that it is a time at another job. would do away with the ‘non-profit difficult job.” loophole’ as I call it. The wage would Robert and Ricardo have been - Alice Rogoff active in the campaign to get the Living Wage Coalition phone/fax 415-863-5543, [email protected] _____Add my name endorsing the Living Wage campaign (indicate if organization for ID only) _____Enclosed is a donation of $_______. (Make out check to San Francisco Living Wage Coalition. For a tax deductible donation of $50 or more, make out check to SF Living Wage Coalition/Agape Foundation. We also accept tax deductible vehicle donations.) _____I want to get involved. Please contact me. _____I would like to become a member - $25 for individuals, $100 per year for organizations (includes a mail subscription to the Mobilizer ). Name_________________________________ Title & Organization_____________________________ Address_________________________________ City__________________________ Zip___________ Phone___________________(day) _____________________(eve) Email_________________________ page 3 Winter, 2006 THE MOBILIZER Winter, 2006 The San Francisco Living Wage Coalition Support Gulf Coast residents Who We Are Months after Hurricance Katrina large corporations such as Halliburton The Living Wage Coalition is a struck, we are still hearing about the and Bechtel. grassroots movement of low -wage devastating results of an unresponsive Of the more than 300,000 Latino workers and their allies fighting for government upon workers and immigrant workers in the area, few economic justice. We believe that dwellers of the Gulf Coast. were able to apply for FEMA aid and everyone who works full time should After relentless outcries from the many were threatened with be able to survive on what they earn, affected area and the nation, the deportation. without relying on public as sistance Davis-Bacon Act which requires The majority of farmers, or charity to support their families. federal contractors to pay the average farmworkers and rural folks in What We Do prevailing wage in the region was Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana restored. are demanding aid to restore their We educate, organize and mobilize to However, the U.S. Labor communities. demand that our tax dollars and use Department suspended requirements They are asking people to email of public property do not go to that contractors submit affirmative the government to support their businesses that pay poverty wages. action plans for the hiring of demands. More information can be History minorities, women and the disabled. found on the Poor People’s Economic In addition, federal rules requiring Human Rights Campaign website – The Living Wage Coalition was competitive bidding on federal www.economichumanrights.org, and initiated in 1998 by labor unions, contracts have been suspended in the www.commongroundrelief.org community organizations and hurricane ravaged area. Contracts religious congregations to develop a worth hundreds of millions have been - Yolanda Catzalco movement led and democratically run granted by FEMA on a no bid basis to by low-wage workers. As a result of a grass -roots campaign, San Francisco’s living wage laws – called the Minimum Compensation Immigrant workers are targeted Ordinance and the Health Care Accountability Ordinance – require The working community, Where do that businesses with a service contract constitutional rights and living wage they go when with the City or property lease at the issues are under attack by the same they get sick? Airport must pay workers at least people who work against organized Labor $10.77 per hour, provide 12 paid days labor in support of the union busters. produces the off per year and provide health care The labor movement needs to wealth of this coverage. I n addition, businesses fight back on the real issues of health, nation. leasing other property from the City education, housing and living wages. As labor, must provide health care coverage as Immigrants need free English immigrants a condition of their lease. By the language classes. deserve full City’s estimates, more than 30,000 An immigrant renter pays more protection of workers have benefited. than $1000 per month for a single the room, and is forced to live with four or Constitution When We Meet five others in the room to be able to without nd We meet the 2 Wednesday of the pay the rent. discrimination month, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at 2940 The housing lacks working based on th – 16 Street, room 204 (between toilets, showers and heating. The immigration Mission St. and South Van Ness units are full of cockroaches, mice, status. Ave.). Everyone is welcome. mosquitos, urine and feces. The Where are the Department of abusive power Coordinating Committee Public Health inspectors? art by Rini of Larry Lattimore, Campaign Co - There is at least one restaurant in Templeton immigration director; Karl Kramer, Campaign Co - the Mission that pays its workers only authorities is director; Alice Rogoff, Recording $4 per hour. Even McDonald’s pays denying immigrants their rights and is Secretary; Bruce A llison, Treasurer; $8.82 per hour, the City’s minimum dividing families. Robert Bustamonte, Yolanda wage. Catzalco, Manuel Chaffo, Mark Many of these immigrant workers - Manuel Chaffo and Gruberg, Guillermo Ponce de Leon, do not have fringe benefits or health Alice Rogoff Phil Tryon, David Williams insurance. page 4 Winter, 2006 THE MOBILIZER Winter, 2006 Improvements to living wage law to benefit 15,000 Continued from page 1 The inclusion of single adults in so that they can raise wages without $20 million annually.