The matter of the living wage recently arose again in Sonoma, this time in regard to an agreement between the North Bay Labor Council and Kenwood Investments, LLC, which is proposing a 59-room hotel adjacent the Plaza. As reported in the Index-Tribune, (5-23-2013, Labor group backs hotel plan) “… all employees would be paid a living wage with health care...” and other labor union provisions. It’s been speculated that the developers cut this deal in order to get NCLB’s support for their project, but that’s not the important issue.
What is important and relevant is the matter of the living wage itself. In 2004 proponents and supporters for a living wage petitioned the Sonoma City Council to pass an ordinance that would pay a living wage to City employees and to organizations that receive funding or financial assistance from the City including companies contracting with it. As of 2012, the living wage in the City of Sonoma is $15.15 per hour.
But the main point is this: In the real world here in Sonoma, any wage earner knows that a real living wage is $20.00 per hour. Fifteen dollars an hour is barely a subsistence wage for a single person, and not remotely one for a person supporting a family.
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Most telling is a study done in 2010 by the California Budget Project titled Making Ends Meet: How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Family in California? This exhaustive study encompasses every county in the state, and takes into account all the necessities of expenses we must all incur. Here is the breakdown for a Basic Family Wage:
Single Adult $14.24
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Single Parent Family $32.98
Two Parent Family (One Working) $26.63
Two Working Parent Family $19.11
At the time the living wage proposal came before the city council the Chamber of Commerce vigorously opposed it, accompanied by howls of protest from some in the business community, saying it would kill jobs and drive businesses out of the City and arguing it would bankrupt Sonoma. None of these dire economic predictions came to pass. Not even close.
In point of fact the same arguments opposing mandatory wage hikes always come up from business leaders whenever it’s proposed despite numerous studies that show opponent’s arguments are invalid. Paying a fair and reasonable wage has multiple economic benefits not only to the individual receiver but also to the financial health of the community at large because it spreads the wealth locally in terms of the purchase of goods and services. This should be obvious on its face, is backed up by studies, and yet the same arguments in support have to be made over and over again. When employees are paid barely subsistence wages they have to depend on subsidies from government agencies, – local, state and national – for things like food, housing, health care, insurance, transportation, and other necessities. The costs simply get transferred from the employer, the businesses, to the taxpayers, i.e., everyone else.
The Sonoma City Council has recently passed resolutions addressing a variety of issues ranging from oyster farms to the Keystone Pipe Line. Paying a living wage in the City of Sonoma for ALL that work here should be the next order of business. As well as an economic issue this is a moral issue, and those in positions of leadership should be at the front of it.
