Mike Hansen recently attacked the Santa Monica living wage in
these pages (Viewpoint, Oct. 29). But having watched this issue
closely for more than three years, I am confident that Measure JJ
is a fair way to lift thousands of workers out of poverty, relieve
taxpayers of a welfare burden, and maintain Santa Monica’s
prosperity.
The living wage is a grassroots movement that has succeeded in
more than 80 localities across the nation in addressing the problem
of poverty, which government too often prefers to ignore. Behind
the walls of UCLA, it is easy to forget that many people earning
low wages must work more than one job to make ends meet.
It is also hard to imagine that in the lucrative tourism
industry in prosperous Santa Monica, many low-wage workers must
choose between rent and medical care. But these facts are at
the heart of Measure JJ, which offers a practical solution to a
pressing problem.
Measure JJ will raise the minimum wage to $10.50 per hour (plus
health benefits) in enterprises that can afford to absorb the
increase, located within a carefully defined coastal district. By
raising wages to this level, the demand for millions of dollars in
taxpayer-financed anti-poverty subsidies will be significantly
reduced.
There’s a real human need for Measure JJ. More than 75
percent of low-wage workers in the affluent “city by the
sea” fall below the California Budget Project’s Basic
Needs threshold, which establishes a modest standard of living for
such essentials as rent, food, and childcare. That is why so many
of these hard-working women and men hold down multiple jobs and are
forced to forgo medical insurance.
Before enacting the living wage law, the Santa Monica City
Council commissioned an evaluation of the impact of the proposal on
the local economy. The study, conducted by Professor Robert
Pollin of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is the only
report based on such data as confidential business tax revenue
information and interviews with low-wage workers.
Pollin found that the majority of workers affected by the living
wage law are poor or near poor and affected hotels can readily
afford to pay them a living wage. His work was peer-reviewed by
Professor Richard Freeman of Harvard University and the London
School of Economics, a leading labor economist, who affirmed
Pollin’s conclusions, calling the study as “a fine piece of
applied economic analysis” and “a well-done empirical
investigation.”
If that’s not enough, 120 economists from major
universities across the country have now endorsed both
Pollin’s research and Measure JJ. “As
economists,” they wrote, “we believe that living wage
legislation is an important tool for improving the living standards
of working Americans.” “We note that the study by
Professor Pollin and colleagues offers strong evidence of the
law’s overall merits.”
Living wages don’t threaten or hurt workers. That argument
was used when the minimum wage was introduced years ago. It was a
scare-tactic then and it’s just as wrong today. Professor
Pollin estimated that job loss would be minimal and gains for
workers would reduce poverty.
There’s an old saying that power never gives up anything
without a fight. The powerful and wealthy business interests
in Santa Monica and outside do not want to give up a penny of their
profits. But the truth ““ and a more just society ““ are
worth fighting for. So review the facts and vote yes on
Measure JJ.