It will pay for the ordinary and necessary costs of everyday life. A living wage provides for such major expenses as child care for the early years, college and retirement. Suppressed wages and part-time work deny workers a living wage. Tragically, many workers are paid too low to keep their families above the poverty level. For these Americans, health insurance, paid vacations, paid sick leave and pensions are only dreams.
Government can play an important role to ensure that workers earn a fair wage.
Across the nation, cities, counties and other local governments are adopting living wage ordinances to help working families reach a decent standard of living. Living wage ordinances seek to insure that the employees of public contractors or corporations receiving public financial assistance, and public employees earn at least a poverty level wage. Some have gone beyond this bare minimum to offer higher wage rates, incentives for employers to provide health insurance, and paid time off for sick leave and vacations.