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League of Women Voters of California

Proposition 210 --Yes

Minimum Wage Increase. Increases the current state minimum wage of $4.25 per hour to $5.00 on March 1, 1997 and to $5.75 on March 1, 1998.
LWVC Nonpartisan Analysis of Proposition 210

WHY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF CALIFORNIA RECOMMENDS YES ON PROPOSITION 210

Under our national Meeting Basic Human Needs position: the League believes that one of the goals of social policy should be to promote self-sufficiency for individuals and families and that the most effective social programs are those designed to prevent or reduce poverty. Our national Social Policy overarching statement says: Promote social and economic justice, secure equal rights for all and combat discrimination and poverty.

The growing gap in income has been of concern for some years. As much as one-third of this inequality over the 1980s and 1990s is due to the declining value of the minimum wage.

80% of low wage workers are adults, not teenagers. 18% of working women and 14 1/2% of working men earn below $5.75/hour. They are mainly in retail trade, along with agriculture, health care, hotels, restaurants, and personal services.

An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report finds that, in contrast to some arguments against the minimum wage, "There's no real connection between low wages and low unemployment, especially among low-skilled workers. Some high-wage countries have high unemployment; others don't. Other factors like worker training, for instance may be much more important."

A living wage that enables families to become self-sufficient is one of the best social policies we have. Keeping the minimum wage artificially deflated is a de facto tax subsidy to business, since thousands of full time workers require food stamps or use county health facilities to provide for their families.

It seems somewhat contradictory to pass a welfare reform act that requires work within two years, but not increase the minimum wage to a point where those leaving the welfare rolls can provide sufficiently for themselves and their families.

The recent Federal increase in the minimum wage still leaves low-paid workers behind.


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Last updated: October 20, 1996
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