"Fifteen Forty-Eight"

A Living Wage

    Fifteen forty-eight ($15.48), 40 hours per week, is the wage that a small family living in Marion County, Indiana in 2004 would need to cover the basic needs of everyday life.  It is a "living wage."  The federal Minimum Wage, originally intended to give employees the security of a living wage, is now $5.15.

    The "working poor" are those employees (and their families) who make less than a living wage.  Many thousands of workers in Marion County, including many city employees and many employees of major contractors of the city, are working poor.  To survive, the working poor must rely on welfare, public or private.  Many workers also work multiple jobs for long hours, making it difficult for them to meet family responsibilities.

    Living wage legislation, bypassing federal law, has now been adopted by over 100 cities and other local governments in the U.S.  Included are Chicago, Gary, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Detroit.  Over 90 local community, faith and labor organizations have endorsed a living wage for Indianapolis.

   The Living Wage Campaign for Indianapolis was formed in 2000.  It advocates legislation requiring a minimum wage, for city and for city contractors; employees, of $10 an hour in the first year, rising by $1 annually until a living wage is attained, and by the increased cost of living each year thereafter.  The City Council has yet to act on this proposal.