Where There Is A Will There Will Be A Living Wage

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Uploaded on Feb 27, 2007

Throughout history, women and men in the labor movement have struggled to gain power in an economy that often seems to work against them, placing profit over people. For the past hundred years, the United States has seen great strides in workers’ rights, from the formation of unions, the eight-hour workday, child labor laws, and the creation of a minimum wage. Despite these gains, there exists a growing population of working poor, people who work full-time jobs, yet are unable to meet their most basic needs, including housing, food, child care, health care, and transportation. As traditional tactics and union influence become less effective, workers and advocates of workers’ rights are creating new and innovative strategies, which are being implemented in movements for a living wage.

Robot Fear – Momentum Machines – Robot Burger Maker – I Call BS

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mnemonic  here:  http://urlet.com/renamed.negative

This morning the conservative blogosphere is wetting themselves over Momentum Machines supposed fast food robot burger maker.  It also made ZeroHedge  http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-01-12/meet-smart-restaurant-minimum-wage-crushing-burger-flipping-robot

They are calling it the minimum wage worker crusher.   I call BS.

Here’s the website:

http://momentummachines.com/#product

They are claiming throughput of 360 to 400 gourmet burgers per hour!

Think about it, that’s one burger every 10 seconds.   I have actually worked in factories around machines and I thinks this is fantasy.

That could only be accomplished with microwave cooking.

Plus can a burger stand actually sell a burger every 10 seconds?

So far all we have seen of this “technology” are a few pictures of some unsliced tomatoes, unshredded lettuce and a burnt hamburger.

This is redolent of what we were seeing ca. 2000 at the height of the Internet Bubble.  It is vaporware-at least until we see a working prototype.

Maybe we are in a bubble again.

In the meantime, sure no matter what you do to make a living, there is a robot competitor in your future.   But it won’t be fast food for a while.   This is BS.

Rasmussen Poll: 54% Favor Raising Minimum Wage to $9 An Hour

“Most voters don’t think the minimum wage is enough to live on and support President Obama’s proposal to raise it from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour. They’re more narrowly divided, however, when asked if hiking the minimum wage will be good for the economy.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters favor raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour. Thirty-four percent (34%) are opposed, while 12% are not sure.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 14-15, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.”

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/jobs_employment/february_2013/54_favor_raising_minimum_wage_to_9_an_hour

George Clark & Linda Atkins 2008 Campaign Statement on the Need to Raise the Minimum Wage in Eureka

FRANK JAGER: Job killer

October 6, 2008 Heraldo  Leave a comment Go to comments

http://humboldtherald.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/frank-jager-job-killer/

From the Clark/Atkins campaign:

GEORGE CLARK AND LINDA ATKINS REBUT JÄGER AND ENDERT ON RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE

“Yesterday’s Eureka Reporter article: “Two Candidates Suggest Raising Minimum Wage,” discussed George Clark and Linda Atkins proposal to raise Eureka’s minimum wage from $8 to $9 per hour.

Concerned about the fact that Eureka’s workers’ median income level is only 51% of the statewide average, Clark and Atkins feel that raising the minimum wage is a necessary first step, as part of a comprehensive effort to get Eureka’s economy back on track.

The article also featured the reaction of Linda and George’s opponents in their race for Eureka City Council: Polly Endert and Frank Jäger respectively. “It’s totally the wrong approach,” according to Polly Endert and Frank Jäger added, “It’s a great idea, but it’s a job killer.”  The evidence shows minimum wage initiatives are neither “totally wrong” nor “job killers.” They are, however, often resisted by entrenched moneyed interests whose influence in this campaign once again threatens the future of Eureka’s working families. When it comes to raising the minimum wage, Linda Atkins and George Clark feel the facts should speak for themselves.

Over the past 12 years around 140 States and Municipalities have enacted living wage measures and 29 states and the District of Columbia all operate with minimum wages above the Federal standard. There is now a rich body of evidence in this area, none of which supports Jäger or Endert’s claims. In 1995 and in a subsequent study in 2000, David Card and Alan Krueger, “consistently found that changes in the minimum wage have not tended to raise unemployment by any discernible amount (and indeed have tended to be associated with slight increases in low-wage employment.”

In 1998 a survey of professional economists at forty leading research universities in the field of labor and public economics published by Victor Fuchs of Stanford and Alan Krueger and James Poterba of MIT conclude that, “the general professional view is, again, that there were no strong negative employment effects, if any, from raising the minimum wage by relatively modest amounts.”

Three more recent studies examining the impact of living wage laws in San Francisco and Los Angeles done in 2005 all agree: “None of these studies finds evidence of significant reductions associated with the implementation of living wages laws.”

A particularly interesting study was done from 2001 to 2005 comparing employment growth between 11 states that operated with minimum wage levels higher than the Federal standard and 33 others that did not. The states operating with the higher minimum wage experienced overall job growth of 0.57 %, while those that maintained the lower Federal minimum wage had a 0.52% growth rate. In other words employment growth was actually slightly faster in those states which paid minimum wages greater than the Federal level.

Given the enormous amount of evidence that contradicts Frank and Polly’s “sky is falling” reaction to the idea of raising the minimum wage for Eureka’s working families, are we to conclude that they simply don’t get it or is this what having “no agenda” means to them?

George Clark and Linda Atkins believe in building our economy from the ground up.  Raising wages in Eureka, which are so far below the state average, is the right and fair thing to do for Eureka’s working families. When the spending power of working families goes up, so does morale, which leads to productivity boosts, lowers job turnover, all in an ongoing “virtuous cycle,” and everyone benefits.  Furthermore, increased spending by Eureka’s workers creates more demand for products, helping businesses while creating more jobs in the process.” —

Defending the Community

$12.00 An Hour Minimum Wage for Large Employers

http://fairwages.org

http://eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com

info@fairwages.org

Fair Wage Folks Turn in Signatures at Eureka City Hall for $12 Minimum Wage Ordinance

Fair Wage Folks Turn in Signatures at Eureka City Hall for $12 Minimum Wage Ordinance

http://eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/fair-wage-folks-turn-in-signatures-at-eureka-city-hall-for-12-minimum-wage-ordinance/

Media Contact: James Decker (707) 761-5247 info@fairwages.org

Eureka, CA: On Thursday afternoon, February 7th, the “Fair Wage folks” submitted about 2,700 petition signatures to qualify the Eureka Fair Wage Act (aka Minimum Wage Ordinance) for the city ballot. This people’s initiative, if passed by voters, would raise the minimum wage from $8 to $12 for large employers to pay their workers in the city limits.

The Fair Wage folks thank the people of Eureka and throughout the county for their warm support and look forward to winning a fairer wage this year.

The Eureka City Clerk and the Humboldt County Elections Office have up to 30 days to report as to the sufficiency of the petitions. Once certified, the Eureka City Council can choose to pass the Fair Wage Act as written or to set an election for a vote of the people.

“I used to work at McDonald’s making minimum wage. You know what that means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss was trying to say? It’s like “Hey if I could pay you less, I would, but it’s against the law.”

– Chris Rock

Full Text of Fair Wage Act

http://eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com/text-of-the-eureka-fair-wage-act/

Every Signature Counts! 7 Days Left to Sign the Initiative and Gain Ballot Access!

If you have not signed yet but think this is worthy of a vote, please contact us at info@fairwages.org or 707-442-7465 and we will do our best to get your signature.  EVERY SIGNATURE COUNTS!  The Eureka Fair Wage Act is a People’s Initiative to raise the minimum wage to $12.00 an hour for large employers in the city of Eureka.

If you can volunteer in some way or assist in some way in this final week of the signature drive please contact us.  Assuming that we make the ballot we will have several more months of intense campaigning ahead of us.  WE COULD USE YOUR SUPPORT.

Thank you!

have a peaceful day,

Bill

~please forward to Eureka voters!~

Minimum Wage Factoids

62% of all Minimum Wage Workers are Women

“In 2011 more than 62 percent of minimum-wage workers were women compared to just 38 percent of male minimum-wage workers. Slightly more than 2.5 million women earn the minimum wage or less, while approximately 1.5 million men do. This imbalance is even more drastic once you consider that women were just 46.9 percent of all employed workers in 2011.”

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2012/06/women_minimumwage.html

2 of 3 Minimum Wage Employees Work for Large Profitable Corporations:

Two out of three low wage workers are employed by large corporations with more than 100 employees:

http://www.nelp.org/blog/entry/dol_issues_over_248000_in_penalties_to_walmart_supplier/

Raising the Minimum Wage is a Job Booster,  Not a “Job Killer”

“A significant body of academic research has found that raising the minimum wage does not result in job losses even during hard economic times.

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2012/06/minimum_wage.html

$12.00 An Hour Will Raise A Worker Out of Poverty

A $12.00 an hour wage, while not a “living wage,” will lift a worker working 34 hours a week  over the Federal poverty level for an individual in Humboldt County.

http://fairwages.org

The Gasoline Index 1968-2012

In 1968 an hour’s pay at minimum wage ( $1.60) would buy almost 5 gallons of gasoline (@ $0.33/ gal.) but today in Eureka an hour’s minimum wage ($8.00) will buy a little less than 2 gallons of gasoline (@ $4.37 per gallon.)

If the minimum wage had been increased at the same rate as the price of gas, the minimum wage would be over $21.00 per hour today.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774473.html

Today’s Minimum Wage Worker is $7,000 Poorer Than a 1968 Worker

At $7.25 an hour, today’s full-time minimum wage retail worker, security guard, child care worker or health aide makes just $15,080 a year. Last century’s 1968 minimum wage worker made $21,944 a year, adjusted for inflation.

http://letjusticeroll.org/news/001216-raise-minimum-wage-raise-america

Worker Productivity Grew, Worker’s Wages Shrank

Worker productivity grew 80 percent from 1973 to 2011. The average worker wage fell 7 percent, adjusted for inflation.

http://letjusticeroll.org/news/001216-raise-minimum-wage-raise-america

The Reduction of Minimum Wage Value Has Cratered the Middle Class

In 2010, our nation’s economy was growing, but most Americans didn’t feel it because 93 percent of the income growth went to the richest 1 percent. The bottom 90 percent of Americans got none. It sure wasn’t always like that. Between 1938, when the federal minimum wage was first enacted, and 1968, when it peaked in value, the bottom 90 percent of households shared 69 percent of the nation’s income growth. The middle class was able to grow.

http://letjusticeroll.org/news/001216-raise-minimum-wage-raise-america

California Has the Lowest Minimum Wage on the West Coast

California $8.00 Oregon $8.80 Washington $9.04 Nevada $8.25

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._minimum_wages

Raising the Minimum Wage is Overwhelmi​ngly Supported by the Public

This June, a Zogby Analytics survey of likely voters found seven out of 10 supporting a raise above $10 an hour (including 54 percent of Republicans). Notably, 71 percent of young people (18 to 23 years old) favored it. Likewise, last November’s “American Values Survey” by the Public Religion Research Institute showed two-thirds of Americans in favor of a $10-per-hour minimum.

Jim Hightower  http://www.nationalmemo.com/our-disgraceful-minimum-wage/

Defending the Community

$12.00 Minimum Wage for Large Employers

http://fairwages.org

http://eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com

email: info@fairwages.org

Get Involved, Your Skillset is Needed!

10 Days Left to Sign the Eureka Fair Wage Act!

more information:

http://eurekafairwageact.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/do-you-want-to-sign-the-eureka-fair-wage-act-petition-or-register-to-vote-2/

Benefit / Fundraiser for the Eureka Fair Wage Act!

featuring wild & local honky-tonk band

Rooster McClintock

Saturday, January 19th at the Arcata Veteran’s Memorial Building (Vet’s Hall)

Music begins at 7:00pm

Brews from Mad River Brewing and Six Rivers Brewery

The Vet’s Hall is at 1425 J Street in Arcata Tickets are $12 at the door.

Must be 21 or older to attend.

If you live in Eureka or Manila, a shuttle bus will leave the show at 11pm to return people home

A night of music and brews to raise the minimum wage!

The Fair Wage Graphics Contest winners will be announced during the January 19th benefit concert.  Need not be present to win.

Raise a glass. Raise the roof.  Raise the minimum wage!

Saturday, January 19th at the Arcata Vet’s Hall.

The Eureka Fair Wage folks have proudly partnered with the Ink People to put on this event.

for more information check out http://fairwages.org or call 707-442-7465

Looking for Signature Gatherers – Daily Cash Pay- Raise Wages!

We are looking for 3 or 4 people who want to make a few dollars while helping working people and improving the local economy.

This is work that can be done on your own schedule, but must be completed by Sunday, Jan. 27.

We are looking for people who support the idea of raising wages for workers to circulate an initiative petition and gather signatures to raise the minimum wage in Eureka (the Eureka Fair Wage Act, an initiative drafted by and for the people of Eureka) and we will pay cash daily for the next several weeks until we achieve our goal of several hundred more signatures by Jan. 27.   You must be a legally registered voter in Eureka to gather signatures for this initiative.  If you are not registered but are qualified to register to vote in Eureka we can get you registered.

Interested people call PARC at 442-7465 or email info@fairwages.org   This is a casual labor situation it is not an offer of permanent employment either full time or part time.  You must complete a 45 min. training session before starting.

Thank you!

1,000 Songs, 1,000 Sigs

I will sing 1,000 songs.   I want 1,000 sigs. 

If you want me to sing you a song email me @ humboldt.organizer@gmail.com and put “sing me a song” in the subject.  Throughout the next several months, weather permitting, I will do a concert in an outdoor public venue in Eureka.  Most likely this will be Clarke Plaza but it could be anywhere in Eureka.  If you want a song I will add you to my music list and I will try to give you 24 hour notice of my next show.

While you are listening I will invite you to support the Eureka Fair Wage Act.  Everything I make playing music in the next several months I will devote to raising wages in Eureka.   If you support my music (which you can for free just by showing up) you will be doing your part in raising wages for Eureka’s hardest working people.

I am also available for musical appearances, acoustic/eclectic folk, rock, roots rock, americana, country with a bit of humor and pop.

This is my/our work with Jimmie Mandich:

http://www.myspace.com/twosmoothstones

I am available for Arts Alive Eureka Saturday Jan. 5.  I will  give you a professional level show email me humboldt.organizer@gmail.com

You can hire me also to sing you a song.  I can be hired to sing you a $1.00 song, a $10.00 song or a $100.00 song.  I promise that the free song will be just as good as the $1.00 song and  the $10.00 song and the $100.00 song, they are just more expensive.  If you want to hire me to sing a song email me humboldt.organizer@gmail.com and put “sing me a song” in the subject just like you would for a free song but in the body of the message offer to pay me 1, 10 or 100 dollars.  I’ll add you to my music list like above and keep you notified of my upcoming shows and you can come to one of them and hear me sing your song and you can pay me.

I expect that there will be six or seven nice days in January alone so you will have multiple chances to hear songs.

have a peaceful day,

Bill

~please forward~