Another California Living Wage Bill

June 10th, 2007 Posted by Mark

While we are on the topic of the new federal minimum wage, it is interesting to also consider another form of wage and hour bill that has been nearly as popular lately on the local level—the living wage. The largest entity recently to pass such a bill was the entire state of Maryland if you remember. But most of time, it is a city or county government that is passing some form of living wage bill.

This time, it is the city of San Leandro in the San Francisco Bay region of California. The living wage bill has not yet passed, though my sources are saying that the right number of city law makers, union organizers and employers are now on board to basically make the deal a reality in the town.

The issue at hand last I checked was that there were two competing versions of the living wage bill in the city. There was one that the city law makers took from a nearby city, called Emeryville, which recently passed a living wage bill within its borders. That city ordinance would increase the town living wage to $12.40 per hour, but there is some concern that this version of the bill has loop holes in it that could be exploited by some less scrupulous contractors and such.

So don’t expect any action on this bill, according to my sources, until at least this July, in a few weeks. That is the next time that the city chamber is going to get together to discuss the living wage law and all of the other items on their plate in San Leandro.

Remember, the difference between, say, the federal minimum wage bill and the living wage bill is that a living wage is set at an hourly pay rate that would put an employee at or above the federal poverty level.

Last 10 posts by Mark

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Posted in California, Employment Laws, Minimum Wage, Wage and Hour

  1. Posted by: Baltimore Workers Threaten Hunger Strike - Labor Law Center Blog

    [...] Under the Maryland Living Wage law, which goes into effect on October 1, 2007, state government contractors must pay $11.30 per hour in the Baltimore-Washington metro area, and $8.50 in other parts of the state. This is just one of many metro living wage laws in the U.S.  In order to qualify for this rate, workers must work for 13 consecutive weeks over the life of the contract. Because of the many away games, the contract cleaners are often idle for a week or more, which disqualifies them under the law.   [...]

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