State representative
In 2005 the U.S. Census Bureau released a list of the top ten counties in the nation with the highest poverty rate. St. Louis was on this list, with 21.6 percent of its residents falling below the established poverty line. Almost one-fourth of our neighbors will struggle to pay this month’s rent, provide food for their family, and collect money for necessary transportation.
However, only those below the established poverty line were noted in this survey. Many of our neighbors work full-time, earning a wage at or slightly above the minimum wage, and still cannot afford necessities such as adequate health care coverage.
Every year the federal government establishes a poverty line based on the minimum amount of money needed to provide food, shelter, clothing, health care and transportation. The current minimum wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997, and it has been demonstrated that, in 2005, the minimum wage bought less than it had in 49 of the previous 50 years. In short, minimum wage is not enough to provide the necessities.
One solution to this problem is a living wage. A living wage ordinance requires employers to pay wages that are above federal or state minimum wage levels. This applies to a specific set of workers who are typically employed by a business under contract with the government. It allows the wage for a full-time worker to support a family at a level above the federal poverty line.
Many in Missouri earn minimum wage and, because the minimum wage is not sufficient to provide certain necessities, the government has traditionally provided necessary safety nets, such as Medicaid. However, massive cuts to benefits such as Medicaid have led to the disqualification of many people from the safety net – namely, many full-time, hard-working people making the minimum wage or slightly above.
On this first anniversary of an effort to enforce a living wage, we are reminded of the 65 students and professors from Washington University in St. Louis who staged a sit-in to provide the workers at their school with a living wage. The students’ participation in the 2005 hunger strikes and rallies concluded with a victory rally on April 22, 19 days after the rally had began.
I took this as an opportunity to step outside the walls of the State Capitol and actively participate in their efforts in solidarity. Joining the Student Worker Alliance, I experienced their courageousness by fasting with protestors for 32 hours. Not only did we endure sleeping on floors and in tents, but also many of the students were threatened with legal sanctions throughout this campaign.
While threats may have been an obstacle throughout this protest, they were the least of worries for University of California-Riverside students. After participating in a peaceful civil disobedience, ten students were arrested last week at midnight. Efforts to release the students and drop the charges are underway. However, their rights to protest and voice their opinion concerning living wages were clearly silenced.
I refuse to allow this issue to go unnoticed in Missouri.
Through legislation we can assure decent living standards for all hardworking Missourians. This year I co-sponsored House Bill 1433 regarding the minimum wage. This bill requires that every employee in Missouri be paid at least a living wage. The legislation further states that beginning in 2008 the minimum wage amounts will be adjusted annually based on rates of inflation, becoming effective on March 1 of each year.
We all have something to learn and gain through the students and professors who took time away from their studies and work to fight for basic necessities for everyday life. I appreciate your support in this issue and of HB1433. Through collective action we can hope to change the lives of low-wage earners one step at a time.
For more information, visit www.epinet.org or www.os.dhhs.gov.