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Only Tiny Increase to Minimum Wage in Google's Backyard
Rents are expensive in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, California, home to Google and LinkedIn. For people working for minimum wage there is no money left for food, clothes, health care, transportation or education, after paying monthly rent. Often they share apartments with strangers, while others live in their cars. Despite this, on October 9 the city's council voted against all proposals for increases to the minimum wage except one allowing the tiniest of increases. "We cannot be the city to take the lead on this," said one of the council members. Protesters accused council members of having decided ahead of the open meeting on their position. One shouted as she marched out, "You are all just full of fear".
Rents are expensive in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, California. For people working for minimum wage there is no money left for food, clothes, health care, transportation or education, after paying monthly rent. Often they share apartments with strangers, while others live in their cars. Despite this, on October 9 the city's council voted against all proposals except one allowing the tiniest of wage increases.
"We cannot be the city to take the lead on this," said one of the council members. Protesters accused council members of having decided ahead of the open meeting on their position, one shouting as she marched out, "You are all just full of fear".
Vice-Mayor John McAlister is the owner of a franchise Baskin Robbins in Mountain View. He spoke out against increases to the minimum wage, citing his own problems in making a profit. "You all know teenagers, they've got other things on their mind when they come to work..." he said. He strongly implied that because teens are less than reliable he doesn't want to pay them more than minimum wage. "Never mind that some of those very teens are contributing to family income with their work", pointed out a member of the public as she left the meeting.
Margaret Abe-Koga, former mayor and now a council woman, pushed hard for the passage of a scheduled increase which would take the Mountain View minimum wage to $15/hour. But the council only would agree to just over $10 an hour.
"We cannot be the city to take the lead on this," said one of the council members. Protesters accused council members of having decided ahead of the open meeting on their position, one shouting as she marched out, "You are all just full of fear".
Vice-Mayor John McAlister is the owner of a franchise Baskin Robbins in Mountain View. He spoke out against increases to the minimum wage, citing his own problems in making a profit. "You all know teenagers, they've got other things on their mind when they come to work..." he said. He strongly implied that because teens are less than reliable he doesn't want to pay them more than minimum wage. "Never mind that some of those very teens are contributing to family income with their work", pointed out a member of the public as she left the meeting.
Margaret Abe-Koga, former mayor and now a council woman, pushed hard for the passage of a scheduled increase which would take the Mountain View minimum wage to $15/hour. But the council only would agree to just over $10 an hour.
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holes
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 4:07PM
$15 minimum for anyone who shows up to work
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 2:19PM
Hard times.
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 9:59AM
Corporate parasites are in office today everywhere you look
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 1:44AM
Mountain View city council is not fit to represent the heroic people of Mountain Viw
Fri, Oct 10, 2014 11:46AM
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