From: "emily" To: Subject: [peace_center] Call In for Living Wages! Date: Friday, May 16, 2003 4:17 PM Please share widely. We need your help, please Join the Coalition for Economic Justice in the Campaign for a Living Wage! We have scheduled a Call-in Day on three Mondays: May 19, June 2, and June 16 and need you to call each of the 13 Common Council Members to let him/her know that YOU support the new Living Wage legislation. The first of those call-in days is this Monday, the 19th. Whether you are or are not a city resident, we want to let the Council members know that this is a popular issue in Western New York. If you don't get to speak with the Council Member directly, give your simple message to the legislative aide. Here are the talking points: *I'm calling because I want you/ Council Member _______ to VOTE YES on the new and improved Living Wage legislation, which calls for an all-volunteer Living Wage Commission. *Also, I urge you/ the Council Member to assist CEJ in their efforts to get court-ordered documents disclosing the contractors expected to comply with the Living Wage. Thank you for your/his/her support. Dominic Bonifacio, Niagara District 851-5125 Marc Coppola, Delaware District 851-5155 Brian Davis, Ellicott District 851-4980 Charley Fisher III, Member-At-Large 851-5148 Richard Fontana, Lovejoy District 851-5151 David Franczyk, Fillmore District 851-4138 Joe Golombek, North District 851-5116 Betty Jean Grant, University District 851-5165 Beverly Gray, Member-At-Large 851-4116 Rose Marie LoTempio, Member-At-Large 851-4118 Mary Martino, South District 851-5169 James Pitts, Council President 851-5120 Antoine Thompson, Masten District 851-5145 Also, the Common Council will be voting on this legislation as early as June 24th at their bi-weekly meeting. Let's pack the Council Chambers on June 24th at 2PM, to show support for this effort. Stay tuned also for more details about actions taking place on that day, or call CEJ at 892-5877. Some background on the Living Wage campaign in Buffalo: A living wage allows low-income workers employed by the City to earn a wage above the federal poverty line, on which they would be able to support their families. Living Wage legislation was unanimously passed in the City of Buffalo in July 1999, to be implemented in July 2000. When that day came and went without a single worker getting a wage increase, CEJ and Citizen Action of NY sued the City of Buffalo for failure to implement its own law. In the course of the lawsuit, the presiding Judge ordered the City to turn over documents associated with the legislation, with a deadline of July 1, 2002. As the deadline approached, the City acted in desperation and the Common Council voted 12 to 1 to amend the Living Wage Ordinance and remove all of the City's own responsibilities to enforce the law in an attempt to make the lawsuit moot. The amended legislation places the burden for enforcement of the law on the workers, at the same time removing posting requirements that call employers to notify their workers of the Living Wage law in the first place. CEJ has since been working on new legislation, which calls for an all-volunteer Citizens Living Wage Commission to carry out the burden of implementation. Many of the Council members recognize the importance of this re-amended legislation, but this is where we need your help to make these calls and let them know WNY cares about Living Wages! _________________________________ Emily Ng Coalition For Economic Justice 2123 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14211 (716) 892-5877 fax: (716) 894-8705 _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Fair Trade Federation http://www.fairtradefederation.org Support fair trade with every email. Sign up for your free email account you@gofairtrade.net--> http://www.gofairtrade.net _____________________________________________________________ Select your own custom email address for FREE! Get you@yourchoice.com w/No Ads, 6MB, POP & more! http://www.everyone.net/selectmail?campaign=tag