Jon Wegienek
As this edition of the newsletter goes to press, the
living wage bill draws closer to approval by the county Board of Legislators.
As a member of the Living Wage Coalition, Westchester NOW applauds this
legislation that will lift many working families out of poverty.
The living wage legislation currently under
consideration requires that companies providing the county with home
health-care workers and building service workers pay their employees at least
$10 an hour if health benefits are provided and $11.50 per hour if such
benefits are not offered, effective Jan. 1, 2004. Employees would also be
offered at least 12 paid days annual leave. Companies that conduct at least
$50,000 worth of business with the county each year and employ at least 15
full-time workers would be affected.
The total number of workers involved is estimated to
be low – less than 3,000 people. Federal and state Medicaid dollars will
actually pay for the increases in home health-care workers, while landlord
rents will absorb those for custodians and security officers. As for the
initially considered day-care workers, a task force would be established to
study the feasibility of including them under this improved wage scale.
It is time that Westchester County joins the 80-plus communities and other entities across the country that have passed living-wage legislation. While the total number of workers impacted totally is small, this bill represents a start in the right direction. Raising the minimum wage state-wide is the ideal and logical next step. Stay tuned!
