Sunday, July 29, 2007

City Must Support Living Wage Law

By Jimmie Martinez
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    Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "I am convinced that the psychological moment has come when a concentrated drive against injustice can bring great tangible gains. We must not let the present strategic opportunity pass." Today, the Santa Fe City Council and Mayor David Coss must not let the opportunity pass to fight the injustice of low wages in a city with an extremely high cost of living. They must continue to support the living wage ordinance.
    Giving working residents of Santa Fe a chance to survive in our community was the original goal for the ordinance. We must continue to work toward that noble goal. To the critics of the living wage, who appear to be more concerned about their profits, I say this:

· You have yet to prove that the living wage has hurt the community. Instead, it has allowed people to pay more of their bills and given them hope.

· None of your concerns (over the effects of the wage ordinance) have proved valid.

· Kids dropping out of school to go to work (for higher wages) has not occurred. Most kids who do work do so because they have to— not because they want to.

· The living wage has not caused businesses to close their doors. However, poor management, continued rising costs for gasoline and other products as well as the high cost of rent in Santa Fe have.

· You were sure that the latest University of New Mexico report about the effects of the living wage would support your position. It did not. It was not negative. (If it had been, we would still be hearing about it.)
    Today, there appears to be a movement to start taking small bites out of the living wage law or water it down. If that happens, it will just be a matter of time before it is totally changed. A good example is what has happened to people belonging to unions and how much they have lost in the last 15 years.
    The extra $1 raise that was supposed to go into effect next year scares many of us, especially those of us on fixed incomes. The increase seems large because when we entered the work force, we earned 75 cents per hour. However, the cost of living at that time let us afford going to the movies, the drive-in, camping and even eating "chicken in a basket" at Ingram's Drive-in.
    In reality, there are many businesses in Santa Fe that are successful and pay a lot more than $10.50 per hour. Maybe we should take the time to find out why these businesses are celebrating that kind of success.
    The poor working people of Santa Fe waiting for the $10.50 salary increases are not afforded the luxury of walking into the grocery store and buying what they "need." They struggle to put food on their tables. They cannot afford a full tank of gas or clothes, cannot afford medical treatment— in short, they cannot afford to live in their hometown of Santa Fe.
    We dare not forget it is the living wage employees that are going to be caring for us in our old age. That might include bathing us, keeping us clean and, in most instances, changing our diapers. All of us need to demonstrate that we value all of our citizens— even the working class. For that reason, a $10.50-per-hour wage is a good deal.
    To quote from Pope Leo XII's Encyclical on the Condition of Labor, from 1891: "A very few rich men and exceedingly rich men have laid a yoke almost of slavery on the unnumbered mass of non-owning workers." That has meaning today in Santa Fe.
    I urge the citizens of Santa Fe, the City Council and Mayor Coss to continue supporting the living wage. Don't consider chipping away at the planned $10.50-per-hour raise. Your only consideration should be to strengthen the living wage law and give local Santa Fe people a chance to live with dignity.

Martinez served on the Santa Fe City Council from 1999-2002.