Backers of a $10.19 hourly wage in the City of Providence plan
to make a show of strength during a public hearing at City Hall slated for
Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. Unless a subsequent hearing is scheduled, the joint
meeting of the city council's ordinance and finance committees will represent
the last opportunity for public input on the proposal.
Officials with the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce have staunchly
opposed the living wage measure, saying it represents a threat to the city's
economy. But during a March 5 meeting, Mimi Turchinetz, Boston's living wage
administrator, told the council that a $10.25 living wage in that city has had
a positive effect.
"Many of the concerns that have been raised here in Providence were also
raised in Boston," Turchinetz testified. "Was the LWO [living wage ordinance]
bad for business? Would vendors flee upon passage of the law? Could the city
afford it? With three years of the law being in place, Boston can answer all of
those questions with a resounding `No.' "
Employers with fewer than 25 employees would be exempted from the proposed
living wage ordinance. The Providence concept, which was lowered from an
earlier proposed hourly wage of $12.30, has been supported by more than 100
small businesses, 45 members of the clergy, and almost 3000 people who signed
cards as part of a door-to-door campaign throughout the city, says Matthew
Jerzyk of Rhode Island Jobs With Justice, a leading proponent of the measure.
"We expect this will come out of committee with a positive recommendation,"
Jerzyk says. "Ultimately, what we want after three years of working on this, we
want the city council and this administration to decide if they want a living
wage. The issue has been fully scoured, exhumed, and examined, and it's time
for our elected officials to make up their minds, and we hope they do the right
thing."
Living wage backers plan to gather on the steps of City Hall an hour before
the April 15 meeting to rally support. A committee vote on the proposal is
expected in the coming weeks. And then, says Jerzyk, "We're hoping we can have
the full council vote on this in May."
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis[a]phx.com.
Issue Date: April 12 - 18, 2002
