Media Advisory
Sept. 9, 2014
Contact: Khanh Weinberg
(408) 921-0098
San Mateo County’s living wage gap cannot be ignored
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – County workers will join residents today to call on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to address widening income inequality by passing a living wage ordinance in the county.
While the economy is rebounding for higher-income residents and businesses in Silicon Valley, according to the most recent Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, the U.S. economic recovery has not resulted in higher incomes for anyone other than those who were already doing well. In fact, large groups of Americans have experienced falling incomes, and minorities and women are among the most affected.
Many low-wage earners in San Mateo County cannot afford to live where they work. In 2011, more than 40% of the workers who commuted into San Mateo County from elsewhere made less than $40,000 per year. A living wage would allow fulltime workers to earn enough to meet sufficiency standards, potentially saving millions in taxpayer dollars.
WHAT: Several hundred residents, workers, community advocates to attend Board of Supervisors meeting
WHEN: 9 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 9
WHERE: Board Chambers, 400 County Center, Redwood City
# # #
The Service Employees International Union is an organization of 2.1 million members united by the belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers and their families and creating a more just and humane society. For more information, visit www.seiu521.org
