On Thursday, January 19th, 2017, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education is poised to enact a policy to ensure a living wage for all full-time employees of the school district, welcome news that has the school district joining the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill in having living wage policies. The living wage floor will be set at the new living wage for the county of $13.15/hour.
Frustratingly, as a result of the horrible and far-reaching House Bill 2, no entitity, including our school board, can require that contractors pay a living wage to their employees. This is a significant problem in our school district, as noted in the abstact for this policy, because a large number of positions (predominately janitorial and child nutrition staff - notoriously low paying positions already and filled largely by people of color) have been shifted to contractors.
Part of the policy to be voted on on Thursday will require contractors to submit a supplemental proposal during the bidding process detailing their provision of a living wage for their full-time employees.
I hope to see this policy passed on Thursday.
Comments
Contract workers
I guess the problem of governments shifting some of their workers to private contractors resulting in fewer or no benefits and lower wages is something we will have to fight against even more with the new federal government.