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Council shoots down living wage again The Medford leaders decide not to hold a public hearing on the proposal By MELISSA MARTIN Hoping a third time would be a charm, living-wage proponents asked the Medford City Council for a law that would require the city and its contractors to pay workers a minimum $10.75 an hour in wages and benefits. But council members said no. "People are looking for less government restrictions, not more," said Councilman Bob Strosser. The City Council voted 5-3 against holding a public hearing after about 15 living-wage supporters attended Thursday evening's council meeting. Councilman Bill Moore made a motion to schedule a public hearing and gained support from Jim Key and Claudette Moore. Voting against the public hearing were Strosser, John Michaels, Ed Chun, Sal Esquivel and Skip Knight. "This ordinance would only affect contracts and grants between $15,000 to $25,000 - anything below that amount the ordinance excludes and anything above is covered by the Davis-Bacon Act, which mandates much higher wages than the living wage," Strosser said. "We shouldn't pass an ordinance that has so little functional capacity." A city staff report showed that four new city employees made below $10.75 an hour in wages and benefits, but as soon as they had worked 600 hours, their compensation would increase to $11.50 an hour. Also, two agencies that contract with the city pay their employees less than $10.75 an hour and the city would either spend $13,000 more for the contracts or pass on the increase to Community Health Center and Community Works, the report showed. "What's $13,000? We spend that much on junkets," Bill Moore said. But Esquivel and Chun disagreed, saying the ordinance would increase the cost of government and create more bureaucracy. Several living-wage advocates spoke during the public comment portion of Thursday's meeting, while three Medford police officers stood guard outside the council chamber's double doors. But the only trouble came when the audience applauded the speakers, prompting Medford Mayor Lindsay Berryman to pound her gavel and demand silence. "I won't have people intimidated during a council meeting," Berryman scolded. "Everyone should have an equal chance to speak their opinions." For Councilwoman Claudette Moore, the living-wage group's persistence caused her to change her mind. In January, she rejected the ordinance because she said the economy, not government, should dictate wages. "The living-wage proponents keep coming before the council, and I think we should let them have a public hearing," Claudette Moore said. The proposed ordinance would not apply to every business in the city and would not increase the minimum wage, which is $6.50 an hour. Backed by Portland-based Oregon Action, living-wage proponents said they will hold public meetings April 17 and April 25 in Medford. They have also established www.livingwage.org on the Web. The group's lobbying efforts have resulted in 77 cities adopting living-wage ordinances, including Ashland. Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.