New Orleans approves $15 minimum wage for city contractors, but city employees say they deserve the

Council approves $15 minimum wage for city contractors, but city employees say they deserve the same


The New Orleans City Council unanimously voted on Thursday to amend the city’s Living Wage Ordinance and raise the minimum wage for city contractors from the current level of $11.19 an hour to $15 an hour by 2023.

The ordinance received universal support among the council and public commenters. But the discussion at Thursday’s meeting was dominated by concerns about what the ordinance does not cover — the wages of direct city employees.

The City Council doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally raise the minimum wage for city workers. That’s up to the Civil Service Commission, an independent board that approves city personnel policies and sets its pay plan. The base rate for city employees is currently $11.21 an hour.

Dozens of firefighters attended Thursday’s meeting, holding signs reading, “I’m a firefighter. My family deserves a living wage too,” next to their hourly wages, some of which were as low as $11.60 an hour. A group of field maintenance workers for the city’s Department of Public Workers also lodged complaints about their exclusion from the living wage amendment this week and staged a one-day strike, demanding better working conditions and a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

Read more: https://thelensnola.org/2021/07/01/council-approves-15-minimum-wage-for-city-contractors-but-city-employees-say-they-deserve-the-same/