Are We Creating Enough Living Wage Jobs? NO!

By Sam Adams

The Northwest Federation of Community Organizations recently released their 2005 Northwest Job Gap study. According to this study, Oregon has not created enough living wage jobs for those who are seeking employment.

What is a living wage? According to this study, it is based on what amount of money is needed to meet a person's basic needs and provide them with the ability to deal with emergencies and plan ahead.

So, what is the bottom line? In Oregon, a single person needs to make $10.77 per hour and a single person with two children needs to make $22.37 per hour. Unfortunately, 38% of job openings pay less than this hourly rate for a single person while 85% of job openings pay less than the $22.37 rate for a single person with two children. As a result, individuals and families are forced to make difficult choices between healthcare, nutrition and keeping up with paying the bills.

Individual and family properity is getting more difficult for Portlanders. This is why I continue to work the most common, lowest paying jobs in Portland. I want to continue to shine the spotlight on this issue.

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Posted Fri, 11/25/2005 - 12:13pm.

re: Are We Creating Enough Living Wage Jobs? NO!

Submitted by meghan on Wed, 11/30/2005 - 7:54pm.

What an insightful and progressive article you have written! Why then, did you not speak up at today's council meeting when all the discussion over living wage was going on? Your comments would have been helpful.

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re: Are We Creating Enough Living Wage Jobs? NO!

Submitted by Sam Adams on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 4:44pm.

Because I am on record supporting it and putting energy into it and I am voting 'no' on the PGE Park ordinance.

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re: Are We Creating Enough Living Wage Jobs? NO!

Submitted by Laura on Tue, 12/06/2005 - 1:07pm.

I'm a 54 year old grandmother taking care of my preschool age granddaughter. I work at two part time jobs...and one of the jobs I got as a result of a college internship. I still earn less than 30% of the median wage for this area. I feel many businesses prosper on the backs of low wage workers even when they could afford to pay them more or provide benefits in some way. The cost of childcare is a huge barrier to full employment for low wage workers. Low wage workers can't aford market rate housing either!
Low wage work is a drag on our economic recovery and must be addressed.

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Ask for a darn raise, the!

Submitted by How to Ask for a raise on Sun, 12/10/2006 - 9:15pm.

this is all pretty good info, but instead of complaining, you know that successfully negotiating a pay raise with your employer is the most profitable way you can spend a few minutes.

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