What Next for the U.S. Living Wage Movement?
Abstract
The modern U.S. living wage movement began in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1994. Since then, the movement has expanded to more than 140 cities and counties across the country. Living wage ordinances take many different forms, but all utilize various points of leverage in an effort to raise the minimum wage for workers. The most common form applies to public service contracts, but they can also cover economic development projects, city-owned property such as airports, colleges, direct city employees, tourist zones, and a small number even apply to all workers in a city. However, the movement has been limited in at least three ways. Living wage campaigns often focus on the “least common denominator” politics and so coalitions do not necessarily share values beyond the living wage. Second, as activists try to expand coverage through more expansive ordinances, the opposition has become more fierce and campaigns are harder to win. Finally, the local campaigns do not always include an analysis of global labor markets. Still, the movement continues, and we will likely see new efforts to raise state and federal minimum wages in the coming years. Le mouvement contemporain pour un salaire minimum convenable aux États-Unis a vu le jour à Baltimore (Maryland), en 1994. Depuis, le mouvement a gagné plus de 140 villes et comtés du pays. Les ordonnances sur le salaire minimum convenable peuvent revêtir différentes formes, mais toutes ont recours à divers leviers pour augmenter le salaire minimum des travailleurs. La forme la plus courante concerne les contrats de services publics, mais il peut également s'agir de projets de développement économique, de biens détenus par les villes (tels que des aéroports), de collèges, de salariés employés directement par la ville, de zones touristiques et même, dans une minorité de cas, de tous les employés d'une ville. Toutefois, ce mouvement a été limité par au moins trois facteurs. Tout d'abord, les campagnes pour un salaire minimum convenable mettent souvent l'accent sur la politique du « plus petit dénominateur commun », de sorte qu'outre le salaire minimum, les coalitions ne partagent pas nécessairement d'autres valeurs. Par ailleurs, alors que les activistes tentaient d'obtenir des ordonnances de plus grande envergure, l'opposition s'est durcie et les campagnes sont devenues plus difficiles à remporter. Enfin, les campagnes locales ne prennent pas toujours en compte l'analyse des marchés du travail à l'échelle mondiale. Pourtant, le mouvement continue, et il est fort probable que de nouvelles initiatives destinées à relever le niveau des salaires minimums dans les États et à l'échelle fédérale verront le jour dans les années à venir.
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