Title
Dept/ Agency: Office of the Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Urging/Supporting Legislation
Purpose: Resolution Supporting Adoption of Legislation for a Living Minimum Wage ($15.00 per hour)
Additional Information:
Sponsor: Council Member Eddie Osborne
body
WHEREAS, inequalities continue to grow with the top 1% now taking 95 percent of all new income; and
WHEREAS, President Barack Obama has called income inequality the "defining issue of our time;" and
WHEREAS, the Fight for $15 Movement began in 2012 with the walk-out of fast food workers in New York City, but has since grown to include the demand for a real living wage for all and has taken root in communities across New Jersey and the United States; and
WHEREAS, the movement to raise pay for workers, boost their purchasing power in the community, and strengthen the economy has inspired a renewed wave of union organizing among low wage workers; and
WHEREAS, the New Jersey minimum wage of $8.38 an hour is a poverty wage for a single adult. Yet, three-fourths of those working at the current minimum wage are over 20 years old and the majority are the sole providers for their families; and
WHEREAS, many workers and their families cannot fully participate in our State's dynamic civic life or pursue the myriad educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities that constitute a flourishing life because many struggle to meet their households' most basic needs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, IN THE COUNTY OF ESSEX, STATE OF NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council of the City of Newark hereby supports a minimum hourly wage of $15.00 and the right of workers to organize, and calls upon the New Jersey State Legislature and the Governor of the State of New Jersey to immediately implement legislation aimed at...
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