Atlanta City Council adopts 'living wage' ordinance

<p>The Atlanta City Council has adopted a "living wage" ordinance that would give preference to companies bidding for city work if they pay their workers at least $10.50 an hour.</p><p>The ordinance, which was passed Monday, is a weaker version of one introduced in March 2003. The earlier version would have mandated that any company doing business with city government pay workers at least a minimum amount.</p><p>If Mayor Shirley Franklin allows the vote to stand, Atlanta will join about 130 cities and counties that have some form of living wage requirement, including Boston, Chicago and St. Louis, said Cindia Cameron, co-chairman of the Atlanta Living Wage Coalition.</p><p>Cameron noted, however, that seven states have banned such laws. The Georgia Legislature made mandatory living wage laws illegal last year, which is one reason Atlanta opted for voluntary compliance.</p><p>The ordinance gives bidding preference to companies that pay at least $10.50 an hour if they also offer health benefits, said Councilwoman Debi Starnes, chairwoman of the council's Finance Committee. Companies that pay at least $12 an hour are not required to pay benefits to get the preference, Starnes said.</p><p>But the ordinance applies only to companies offering services, such as cleaning and security. Many janitors and guards at City Hall earn about $7.50 an hour, Cameron said. The council's living wage is more than double the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.</p><p>Most contractors at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which the city owns, are exempt.</p><p>Councilwoman Anne Fauver criticized the measure, saying it would not affect pay at many companies and organizations.</p><p>"The people I can see who will benefit from this are the businesses that are already paying a living wage," Fauver said. "It won't be any problem for them to sign up and say, 'Yes, we are paying a living wage.'"</p><p>Despite her opposition, Fauver was among the 13 who voted for the ordinance. Only Howard Shook voted against it.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x286657c)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/1/154184