Goldberg Urges Raise for Service Employees
City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg on Friday called on her colleagues to require that private firms with city ties boost the pay and benefits of their bottom-rung service employees from $8.76 an hour to $10 an hour.
“The current struggle by janitors throughout the city is evidence that the gap between rich and poor continues to grow in the city,” Goldberg said. “This disparity has enormous effects upon those most economically disfranchised--the working poor, workers who work eight hours but still cannot rise above the poverty line.”
Under an ordinance adopted several years ago, Los Angeles requires that all its service contractors pay their employees a “living wage,” an amount determined by the council.
Goldberg’s proposal is expected to be reviewed next week by the Personnel Committee, which the councilwoman heads. City lawmakers could act on the matter later this month.
After his State of the City address on Thursday, Mayor Richard Riordan told reporters that he thought workers should be earning $10 an hour.
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