THE MOBILIZER

ISSUE NO. 12 A newsletter serving Summer, 2007

“Jobs for All at a Living Wage” Living Wage Amendments Would Benefit 15,000 Workers At the June 19 Board of Supervisors Jake McGoldrick first introduced amend- ted to vote in favor of the amendments. meeting, Supervisor Tom Ammiano rein- ments to the living wage law on November Last year, two members of the Budget troduced living wage amendments that 22, 2005, low-wage workers and their and Finance Committee, Board President would significantly raise wages for more allies have worked for passage of the Aaron Peskin and Supervisor Bevan Dufty, than 15,000 homecare workers, non-profit amendments by the San Francisco Board stalled the living wage amendments in the workers and CalWORKs parents in the of Supervisors. Budget and Finance Committee. On June welfare-to-work transition. While the majority of the Board of 29, 2006, Supervisors Peskin and Dufty “It still rings true that anyone who works Supervisors support raising wages for voted to table the amendments. full time should be able to survive on what more than 15,000 low-wage workers, the Low-wage workers and their allies are they earn,” Supervisor Ammiano said. Board’s Budget and Finance Committee organizing to budge Supervisors Peskin “Sadly, that is not the case today for many did not send the enabling legislation to the and Dufty and move these amendments out people working on City contracts or at full Board for a vote. of committee. They also are asking City-owned facilities. The people who Besides the authors of the legislation - Supervisors Sophie Maxwell and Gerardo clean our buildings, take care of our elder- Supervisors Ammiano and McGoldrick - Sandoval to sign on as cosponsors of the ly, provide security at our airport should Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Chris amendments. not have to rely on charity, or the taxpayers Daly are co-sponsors of the amendments to to make it through the month. They the Minimum Compensation Ordinance, See ‘Amending Living Wage’ on page 4 deserve a Living Wage.” also known as the living wage law. Since Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval has commit-

Living Wage Coalition 2940 16th St. #205 San Francisco, CA 94103 Page 2 THE MOBILIZER Summer, 2007

Higher Minimum Wages Fall Short of Living Wage Congress has passed the first hike in the have the purchasing power it did in 1968, A May 2006 study by the Public Policy federal minimum wage in ten years. The it would have to be raised to $8.82 an hour. Institute of calculates the pover- higher minimum -- along with $4.8 billion California's minimum wage went up from ty rate in San Francisco at 19 percent when in business tax breaks -- was attached to a $6.75 to $7.50 per hour on January 1 under adjusted for rental costs, placing it among “no-strings-attached” version of an Iraq legislation passed last year. Another the highest-poverty counties in the nation. War spending bill that the President says increase to $8 is scheduled for January 1, The San Francisco Food Bank considers he will sign. But the prospective increase 2008. 150 percent of the poverty level, or would leave the minimum well below a At $8 an hour, a full-time worker earns $30,000 a year, to be the hunger threshold living wage. $16,640 a year. A 2002 report of the for a family of four in San Francisco. Under the legislation passed May 25, the National Priorities Project concluded that a According to the Food Bank, by that meas- minimum would go up from $5.15 an hour living wage for a family of three in ure, 150,000 San Franciscans - almost one to $7.25 within two years. That works out California was $17.60 an hour, or over in four live with the threat of hunger every to about $15,000 a year, far less than the $36,000 a year. day. 2005 federal poverty threshold of about San Francisco's minimum wage increased For a full-time worker, the city's mini- $20,000 for a family of four. According to from $8.82 to $9.14 on Jan. 1 under a pro- mum wage comes to about $19,000 a year. Let Justice Roll, a coalition of faith-and vision requiring annual cost-of-living To earn $30,000 a year, a worker's hourly community-based organizations working adjustments. Neither the California nor the wage would have to be $14.42. to increase federal and state minimum federal minimum wage law allows for such wages, in order for the federal minimum to adjustments. - Mark Gruberg Raise in State Minimum Wage May Help Homecare Workers While the state minimum wage is less With the increase of the state minimum The state share of IHSS is 32.5 percent, than the San Francisco minimum wage of wage to $7.50 per hour on January 1, 2007, paying the City 32.5 cents per each hour $9.14 per hour, the increase in the state the federal cap increases to $15 per hour. worked by home care workers. minimum wage still helps San Francisco The federal government will pick up 50 With the proposed level of 18,720,000 workers by increasing the federal share of percent of the costs of increases up to hours annually worked by around 13,000 the costs for In-Home Supportive Services $1.50 per hour for home care workers. homecare workers, this would be an addi- home health care aides. The state uses a different formula that is tional $6 million in state cost share in the The current federal cap in cost-sharing is not based on the minimum wage for its next fiscal year. 200 percent of the state minimum wage - share of the cost of home care workers. The additional federal dollars, and possi- the current cap is $13.50 per hour. With If the state Director of Finance certifies in bly state dollars, which would match City $10.65 per hour in wages, and the costs for the May Revision forecast that the state funds, will make it easier for the City to payroll taxes, health benefits and adminis- General Fund revenues exceed by at least 5 raise the wages of homecare workers. trative costs included, home care workers percent the previous estimate, the state cap in San Francisco are already at the cap. increases from $11.10 to $12.10 per hour. - Karl Kramer Living Wage Coalition 2940 16th St. #205 San Francisco, CA 94103 phone (415) 863-1225, fax (415) 863-1927, [email protected]

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2006: The Year in Review This past year, the Living Wage We trained speakers to present testimo- The San Francisco Coalition has achieved many successes ny at supervisors’ hearings and organized Living Wage Coalition but there is still much work to do. delegations of workers and supporters to Among our legislative victories, we supervisors’ offices. Who We Are were able to get the Supervisors to pass Members were interviewed on KPFA The Living Wage Coalition is a grass- legislation that for the first time included radio and wrote articles for the Bay View roots movement of low-wage workers workfare workers in the living wage law. National Black Newspaper and the Street and their allies fighting for economic This reduced the number of hours of Sheet. justice. We believe that everyone who work required of workfare workers in In the struggle to expand health care works full time should be able to survive GA and PAES to qualify for their month- coverage, we met for more than a year on what they earn, without relying on public assistance or charity to support ly grant from 32 hours per month to 30 with representatives from the their families. hours per month. Department of Public Health and the San Because of annual cost-of-living Francisco Health Plan, and showed them What We Do increases in the city Minimum Wage that a city-administered health program We educate, organize and mobilize to demand that our tax dollars and use of public property do not go to businesses that pay poverty wages.

History The Living Wage Coalition was initiated in 1998 by labor unions, community organizations and religious congrega- tions to develop a movement led and democratically run by low-wage workers. As a result of a grass-roots campaign, San Francisco’s living wage laws - called the Minimum Compensation Ordinance and the Health Care Accountability Ordinance - require that businesses with a service contract with the City or prop- erty lease at the Airport must pay workers Una Flor, Un Canto y Una Poesía charm the audience at the Living Wage End of Year Celebration - December 2, 2006. at least $10.77 per hour, provide 12 paid Ordinance which we campaigned for in was feasible. We contributed to pressur- days off per year and provide health care 2004, the minimum wage in San ing the Department of Public Health coverage. In addition, businesses leasing Francisco went up to $9.14 an hour on Director Mitch Katz to support the con- other property from the City must pro- vide health care coverage as a condition January 1 for all workers. cept of a city-administered health pro- of their lease. By the City’s estimates, We are continuing to campaign to get gram and contributed to the historic pas- more than 30,000 workers have benefit - that same kind of annual cost-of-living sage of the San Francisco Health Access ed. increase in the Minimum Compensation Program, which is serving as a model to Ordinance to bring up the wages of pri- the rest of the nation on how to cover When We Meet vate sector for-profit and non-profit people without health insurance. We meet the 3rd Wednesday of the workers who provide services to city res- Our members contributed to getting the month, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at 2940 idents. Department of Public Health to complete 16th Street, room 204 (between Mission St. and South Van Ness Ave.). Everyone In the campaign to raise wages for non- a funding study for a health care plan for is welcome. profit workers, home care workers and San Francisco’s 5,000-plus taxi drivers, workfare workers, we outreached to GA and during contract negotiations between Coordinating Committee and PAES workfare workers, SEIU and the Mayor’s Office, getting the Robert Bustamonte, Campaign Co-direc- CalWORKs parents, non-profit workers, City to commit $4.5 million over the next tor; Karl Kramer, Campaign Co-direc- and churches, and collected more than three years so that 1,200 part-time city tor; Tom Ladd, Recording Secretary; 800 signed petitions and generated hun- workers such as library aides, custodians Phil Tryon, Treasurer; Nicky Trasviña, Volunteer Coordinator; David Frias, dreds of letters, emails and phone calls to and health workers will receive health Mark Gruberg, Larry Lattimore, Louis supervisors. benefits. Parrilla, Guillermo Ponce de Leon, Alice We built a strong alliance with Church Rogof f, Sarah Shaker, David Williams Women United and workers from the -Karl Kramer Multi-Service Center South, the City’s largest homeless shelter. Page 4 THE MOBILIZER Summer, 2007

Amending Living Wage Continued from page 1 Guild, La Raza Centro Legal, Coalition on Please make phone calls and send letters, Homelessness, South of Market faxes and emails to : In addition, low-wage workers and their Community Action Network, Harvey Milk allies are campaigning to make sure that Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Mayor Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the amend- Democratic Club, San Francisco People’s City Hall, room 200 ments into law after the Board passes Organization, People Organized to Win Phone 554-6141 Employment Rights (POWER), and St. them. Fax 554-6160 Boniface Neighborhood Center. With eight votes, however, the amend- Email: [email protected] ments would have a veto-proof majority. You will find the contact information for Supporters of the amendments include the each Supervisor and the Mayor printed on and this page. Thank those Supervisors spon- San Francisco Labor Council, Office and Supervisors: Professional Employees Local 3, Service soring the amendments for their leadership on the issue, and help get Supervisors Employees International Union Local District 1 - Jake McGoldrick, 1021, United Healthcare Workers West Dufty and Peskin, and the Mayor, off the (Sponsor!), 554-7410, 554-7415 (fax), SEIU, UNITE HERE Local 2, fence. Assemblymember , United - Robert Bustamonte [email protected] Taxicab Workers, Pride at Work/AFL-CIO, District 2 - Michela Alioto-Pier, 554- Labor Council for Latin American 7752, 554-7843 (fax), Michela.Alioto- Advancement AFL-CIO, Church Women Help Low-wage Workers by [email protected] United, Archdiocese of San Francisco Donating Goods to the... Office of Public Policy, Religious Witness District 3 - Aaron Peskin, 554-7450, with Homeless People, National Lawyers 554-7454 (fax), Community Thrift Store [email protected] 623 Valencia (between 17th & 18th Sts.) District 4 - Ed Jew, 554-7460, 554- 7432 (fax), [email protected] donation door - south side of District 5 - Ross Mirkarimi building on Sycamore Alley (one- (Sponsor!), 554-7630, 554-7634 (fax), way from Mission to Valencia) [email protected] District 6 - Chris Daly (Sponsor!), Donate in the name of the San 554-7970, 554-7974 (fax), Francisco Living Wage Coalition [email protected] number 56 District 7 - Sean Elsbernd, 554-6516, (on master list on door) art by Rini Templeton 554-6546 (fax), Open Every Day [email protected] 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Mobilizer is a publication of the receipts for tax deductions District 8 - Bevan Dufty, 554-6968, San Francisco Living Wage Coalition. 554-6909 (fax), “No Repair/Ready to Wear” [email protected] Send articles and announcements for call 861-4910 with any questions the next issue to the attention of the District 9 - Tom Ammiano (Sponsor!), on acceptable donations or to Mobilizer: 554-5144, 554-6255 (fax), schedule donation pick up [email protected] Living Wage Coalition District 10 - Sophie Maxwell, 554- 2940 16th St. #205 Living Wage Coalition TV Show 7670, 554-7674 (fax), San Francisco, CA 94103 [email protected] “It’s Time for a Living Wage” phone (415) 863-1225 3rd Sunday of each month District 11 - Gerardo Sandoval, 554- fax (415) 863-1927 6975, 554-6979 (fax), or email [email protected] 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. [email protected] Cable Channel 29