Workshops
New Frontiers for the Living Wage: School Districts, Universities, Big Box Stores, and Others
Many Living Wage ordinances are relatively narrow in scope, affecting only a certain class of employers who contract with the city. Activists in different parts of the country have tried a number of avenues to reach more workers.
Examples include the Ithaca schools Living Wage campaign and the attempt in Chicago to pass a "Wal-Mart" wage and health benefit ordinance. Los Angeles is currently expanding its living wage law to cover 12 hotels located near its airport. Four cities (San Francisco, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Washington D.C.) have expanded their living wage laws to cover all employers, but this strategy is illegal, or politically impossible, in some locales.
What success have these efforts had and what lessons can be learned? What legal and political barriers have they faced? Where should Living Wage activists focus their efforts once they have succeeded in passing a city ordinance? How can advocates best use the momentum gained by the movement's success so far?
Moderator: Allison Duwe, Coalition for Economic Justice
Paul Sonn, NYU Brennan Center for Justice
James Thindwa, Chicago Jobs with Justice
Jen Kern, ACORN Living Wage Resource Center
Debbie Minnick, NYSUT/NEA
