Those Who Work Should Not Face Lives of Poverty

The Ventura County Living Wage Coalition is a broad-based, grass-roots organization that has created a movement for economic justice, including advocating for living wage ordinances in Ventura County and its cities.

This movement to enhance the quality of life for affected workers and for all county residents is based on the simple yet profound principle that anyone who works for a living should not have to raise a family in poverty.

The fact that the living wage question is even being raised demonstrates how out of whack our national economic policies are and how far they have strayed from supporting family values. The national minimum wage during the late 1960s was approximately equal to the poverty threshold for a four-person family with one minimum-wage earner, one homemaker and two children. Today that same family earns $10,300, 40% below the national poverty threshold of $16,307 for a four-person family.

The proposed ordinances provide wages of $8 per hour with benefits or $10 per hour without. Either standard hardly places this family in the lap of luxury, particularly in a high-cost area as Ventura County.

It is important to understand the distinction between a minimum wage and the proposed living wage. The coalition is not addressing the state or national minimum wage policy. The coalition is working to raise the local consciousness of the need for a living wage and its benefits. The coalition asserts that companies benefiting from government subsidies, contracts and leases should pay employees a living wage. Both the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and the Oxnard City Council listened to coalition chair Marcos Vargas and others describe the merits of a living wage. Each body then demonstrated leadership by taking initial steps toward implementing a living wage ordinance.

Most obviously, the affected workers would benefit from these ordinances. But so too would the affected employers and you, the taxpayer. Some business leaders have forecast doom and gloom for the business community and for local governments should living wage ordinances be implemented. They say businesses would leave the county and governments would pay more for contract services. However, studies of living wage ordinances implemented in cities and counties across the nation yield surprisingly positive results. Affected employers have learned that a living wage creates a motivated, more productive and stable work force, which enhances a company’s ability to compete.

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A family that can actually earn a living wage above the poverty level is less dependent upon public services. I like the possibility of reducing taxes based upon a lower demand for public services. But won’t taxes increase in cities or counties that insist that their contractors pay a living wage? Higher wages do not necessarily mean higher costs. “The total dollar amount for city contracts that were renewed in the first year after Baltimore implemented its living wage ordinance actually fell slightly relative to their pre-living wage levels,” says “The Living Wage,” a book by Robert Pollin and Stephanie Luce.

A living wage makes economic sense. More importantly, it is the right thing to do from a values-based and moral perspective. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops addressed economic questions in its pastoral letter, “Economic Justice for All.” The bishops urge that all economic policies be evaluated in light of their impact on the life and stability of the family.

All members of society have a special obligation to the poor and vulnerable. The justice of a society (our community) is tested by the treatment of the poor. Society as a whole, acting through public and private institutions, has the moral responsibility to enhance human dignity and protect human rights.

In a democracy, government is a means by which we can act together to protect what is important to us and to promote our common values. Our enviable quality of life should not be built upon the backs of the working poor. There will always be many nuances to any major public policy issue. Many valid questions from business interests and local government have been raised. These questions deserve and will receive thorough study and thoughtful response. The Living Wage Coalition of Ventura County believes the ultimate and deserved response is a living wage ordinance in every city and the county of Ventura.

Bernardo M. Perez is a Moorpark resident.