On September 2, the people of Sacramento gathered for the final Task Force meeting ordered by City Council to draft a proposal for the city’s minimum wage. With the deck firmly stacked against those seeking a fair wage, the Task Force brought forth a predictably low suggestion of $12.50 by 2020. In addition to this low wage presented as a solution to income inequality in the city, there were a number of “carve-outs” or groups of people to whom the raised wage would not apply. This included tipped workers, the disabled, those receiving training, and those who are under 18. Most took this as a slap in the face and nothing more than a power grab by the well represented Restaurant Association.
After hearing this, those fighting for $15 got up and chanted forcefully “What do we want? 15!” as they walked out of the meeting. One single mother, a fast food worker named Shelby, stayed behind to give the Task Force a piece of her mind and to tell them why it is both inhumane and unjust to keep the wage below a livable level. A few members of the community, including members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, stayed with her to make sure there were no arrests made. As the Task Force threatened to close the entire meeting and have people arrested, the final group left and joined an energetic crowd of workers, organizers and activists outside for a rally outside of City Hall.
From the beginning, this Minimum Wage Task Force reflected the pro-business bias of the Sacramento City Council. During the time Kevin Johnson has been Mayor, the Council has overseen such anti-people policies such as the gentrification of Oak Park, anti-camping ordinances, reduction of affordable housing, allowing law enforcement to militarize, and now, an insultingly low minimum wage for the city. City Council has consistently sided with business interests at the cost of working class people in the city of Sacramento.
The only chance of a fair and livable wage coming to Sacramento is if the people of the city are organized and conscious of the fact that not even $15 is enough. By the time a $15 dollar minimum wage is passed, the workers will need $20. The reality of the situation is that it is the worker that produces the billions of dollars of profit that corporations get fat from. While the producers of wealth struggle to pay rent, bills, and taxes while feeding their families, corporate executives own mansions and get tax subsidies thanks to the hard work of people like Shelby. The only solution to this is a revolutionary redistribution of wealth and power from the 1 percent to the 99 percent, and this is only possible through the militant struggle of the working class.
