The Living Wage

We Are Wisconsin ConveningSeptember 22 & 23, 2012

Building the Movement for Economic Justice, Community by Community Across Wisconsin

A baseline on “living wage”

• What brought you to this session?

• What questions do you want answered?

• What does the term “living wage” mean to you?

• What do you think “living wage” means to the average Wisconsinite?

Analysis: How did we get here?

• Fight everywhere, with urgency

• Make “good jobs” real

• Issue that stands in for whole

• Environment change

• Role of government

• Community standard

• A struggle to build around

• Connect issues to elections

• Governance

• Movements need wins

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

Wait...where have

I heard that

before?

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

What is a “good job”

Hint: A “living wage” is more than just wages...

Living Wage Standards

•Minimum wages set above poverty level

•Quality, affordable health insurance

•Paid sick days

•Index to inflation

•Right to dignity, respect, voice on the job

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

Public Money•Contracts

•TIF

•Grants

•Loans

Shouldn’t public money support good jobs, not subsidize poverty, and drag down standards for all

workers?

Units of Government

•Municipal (e.g. city, village, town)

•County

•School Board

i.e. “Where can we move this policy?”

Attach the standards through policy at all levels

More Standards

•“Responsible contractor” provision

•“Bad apple” ban

•Active disclosure

•Community enforcement

i.e. “We want this to work!”

Note: Not A Magical Economic Justice Elixir

•Chapter 104

•Act 32

•7th Circuit

•“Supremacy”

Hot Tip

To impress all of the members of the opposite sex at an upcoming party, just say things like:

“In Wisconsin, based upon statute and appellate court precedent, local units of government may act as market participants, but not as market regulators.”

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

Gotta have a Plan To Win

What will it take to win?

•Majority of elected officials in each unit of government voting for policy

•Inside-outside approach

•Organized public demand built from a strong base

•Forcing a public discussion

•Flashpoints that create public pressure on elected officials to decide & act

•Champions, and the right people in office

Inside-outside approach

•Living wage will not be won on idea alone, will not happen because of relationships, or beat the opposition without a fight

•Coordination between “inside” of elected officials in government, lobbying, & relationships and “outside” of grassroots campaign

Ultimately, it takes a plan that includes...

•A strategy that gets to winning•Tactics that build out the strategy•Commitment of players at the table•Resources, organizations, leaders

Campaign Assessment

•Need

•Opportunity

•Challenge

Living Wage, DefinedLiving wage: [noun]1. A level of compensation for work on which a person can provide for the welfare of a family and live in dignity. 2. A government policy, usually at a local level, attaching standards to public money. 3. A campaign run by unions, community organizations and progressive leaders, fighting for economic justice in a local area. 4. The movement for good jobs & economic fairness and against inequality, built upon local campaigns.

What’s Going On Now

•Milwaukee

•Racine

•Your neck of the woods?

A story of the future...

...How the living wage movement galvanized the masses, built powerful organizations, won real victories for working folks, and changed Wisconsin politics.

Building the movement where you

live...