Thanks to CPI's dedicated supporters, our campaign to strengthen San Diego's Living Wage Ordinance soared over the first hurdle this week. The City Council budget committee voted unanimously to send CPI's proposals on to the full council.
The Council vote is expected in October.
Under the law, contractors doing business with the city are required to
pay their workers a living wage indexed to inflation, now $12.70 an
hour or $10.58 plus health benefits. At least two city contractors,
Prudential Uniform Supply and Jani-King, have been caught paying
workers less
CPI and our allies have uncovered cases of city contractors paying less than the required wage and/or failing to provide health coverage or sick/vacation days. Many workers are scared to speak up about violations at the risk of getting fired.
It's time to strengthen enforcement of the Living Wage. We need:
A level playing field for responsible employers, closing loopholes that allow some to pay poverty wages.
A fair, open process for investigating complaints, with protections for workers who speak up.
Penalties strong enough to deter contractors from skirting the law with poverty wages!
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David Parkes, Security Guard
"This Living Wage Ordinance is an important step for people who have been struggling to get by."
The living wage ordinance enacted in San Diego in 2005 hasn't made David Parkes wealthy, but it saved him from bankruptcy and possibly medical disaster.
Working for a private security company at a major San Diego water plant, Parkes was making $8.85 an hour, with no health insurance. He relied on county clinics and hospital emergency rooms to control his kidney disease, and racked up huge medical bills.
Since the city required contractors to pay a "living wage," the 62-year-old guard now makes $10 an hour plus health care benefits. With more regular medical care, he stays healthier and is slowly paying off his bills.
"It definitely helps to have health benefits," Parkes said. "There's no way I could afford to purchase my own insurance on my wages."
