You can’t throw a stick on campus these days without hitting a Living Wage activist engaged in some kind of attempt to get Georgetown workers enough money to eat. But Georgetown isn’t the only bureaucratic institution considering a living wage for its contracted workers-so is the District of Columbia government.
Spearheading this movement is Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large), who has introduced a variety of related legislation, from a successful raise of the minimum wage to $7 to continuing efforts to provide a living wage to city contractors. His latest effort was the Jan. 18 introduction of “The Living Wage Establishment Amendment Act of 2005,” which would mandate a $10.25 wage to all contracted workers.
Catania, who is a Georgetown graduate and probably the most visible alumnus in the city, has seen his bill passed along to the Government Operations committee, where Chairman Vincent Orange (D-Ward 5) has yet to give it a hearing.
“We’re trying to ramp up support and get a hearing,” Catania spokesperson Ross Weber said. “We’re talking to labor unions, civic action groups and the community to push for it.”
The council is divided fairly evenly over the issue of the living wage, with six members co-sponsoring Catania’s bill. Prominent opponents will most likely include business-friendly council members like Orange and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who famously cursed out Catania during a council debate on the proposed living wage amendment to the Nationals’ Stadium Construction bill. Evans later apologized for his remarks.
The oft-repeated social justice basis for the idea of living wage has led jurisdictions surrounding Washington, including Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and Virginia’s Arlington and Alexandria counties, to adopt living wage laws, as well as many major cities such as Boston and New York. Baltimore recently came within three votes of the first ever statewide living wage provision after it was vetoed by Maryland Governor Bob Erlich®.
However, Catania and other living wage supporters have a long way to go to convince their opponents that the living wage is economically sound. Catania’s proposal expects contractors to absorb the additional costs of paying their workers increased wages, but many predict that the city will need to pay contractors more to cover the new wages. Catania currently has no plan to pull money from other parts of the budget to fund the idea, possibly because the current surplus could provide funding.
Nonetheless, Catania’s efforts show the challenge of passing a living wage statute, be it for a city or a university. Hopefully, living wage proponents on campus will spend more time working out the specifics of their own proposals so they don’t suffer the fate both they and Catania are familiar with: death by committee.
